Admiral Sir Frederick Hew George Dalrymple-Hamilton, KCB (27 March 1890 – 26 December 1974) was a British naval officer who served in World War I and World War II. He was captain of HMS Rodney when it engaged the Bismarck on 27 May 1941.
Dalrymple-Hamilton was the son of Col Hon. North de Coigny Dalrymple-Hamilton, MVO, of Bargany, Girvan, Ayrshire,[1] and the grandson of the 10th Earl of Stair. He joined the Royal Navy in 1905 and served in World War I.[1] Promoted to captain in 1931, he was appointed Captain (Destroyers) for the 4th Destroyer Flotilla in 1933 and Captain of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1936.[1]
From 1939 to 1941 he commanded the battleship HMS Rodney[2] and while in command he took part in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck.[1] Meanwhile, his son, North Dalrymple-Hamilton, served in a gun director position aboard King George V. After the battle Frederick told his son: "You are lucky to have seen a show like that after only being in the Navy for 18 months – I’ve had to wait 35 years."[3]
He was appointed Admiral Commanding, Iceland in 1941 and Naval Secretary in 1942.[1] He became Commander of the 10th Cruiser Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet in 1944[1] flying his flag in HMS Belfast in June 1944 during the D-Day landings at Normandy. A few months later commanded the escorts of several Arctic convoys as well as the British forces involved in the inconclusive Action of 28 January 1945.[4] He went on to be Vice-Admiral Malta and Flag Officer, Central Mediterranean in April 1945.[1]
While serving as Admiral Commanding Iceland, Dalrymple-Hamilton's personal cook was Petty Officer Francis Henry Agnew, who had served on HMS Sheffield during the operations against Bismarck.[citation needed]
After the War he was appointed Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland and then, from 1948, Admiral at the British Joint Services Mission in Washington D. C.[1]
Family
Frederick Dalyrmple is descended from the 10th Earl of Stair. his father was the Hon. North de Coigny Dalrymple-Hamilton, the Earl's second son and his mother was Marcia Liddell, daughter of The Hon. Sir Adolphus Frederick Octavious Liddell and Frederica Elizabeth Lane Fox.[citation needed]
He married Gwendolen Peek in 1918. They had one son and two daughters.[1] Both had royal godparents: North was a godson of Edward VIII and daughter Graeme Elizabeth was a goddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Dalrymple-Hamilton's home was at Clady House in Cairnryan, Wigtownshire where he and Gwendolen raised their children.[5]
Their son Captain North Edward Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton (1921–2014) followed his father into the Royal Navy and became executive officer of the Royal Yacht Britannia.[6] Lady Dalrymple-Hamilton died in 1974.
His and Gwendolen's grandson, North John Frederick, served as a Page of Honour to the Queen Mother.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Unit Histories
- ^ U-boat.net
- ^ "Capt North Dalrymple-Hamilton – obituary". The Telegraph. London. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Roskill, S.W. (1961). The War at Sea 1939–1945. Volume III: The Offensive Part II. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. pp. 252–254. OCLC 464447827.
- ^ "Capt North Dalrymple Hamilton". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Capt North Edward Frederick Dalrymple Hamilton of Bargany, CVO, MBE, DSC 1921–2014". Peerage News. 9 July 2014.
Bibliography
- Pursuit: The Sinking of the Bismarck Ludovic Kennedy
- HMS Rodney, Iain Ballantyne, Pen & Sword Books, Yorkshire, 2008, ISBN 978 1 84415 406 7
- Killing the Bismarck, Iain Ballantyne, Pen & Sword Books, Yorkshire, 2010, ISBN 978 1 84415 983 3
- Reports of Proceedings 1921–1964, Rear Admiral G.G.O. Gatacre, Nautical Press & Publications, Sydney, 1982, ISBN 0 949756 02 4