Admiral Sir Montague Edward Browning, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (18 January 1863 – 4 November 1947) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.

Military career

Browning joined the Royal Navy in 1876.[2] He served in the Anglo-Egyptian War and then became Secretary to the Parliamentary Committee on Water Tube Boilers in 1900.[2]

He was promoted to captain on 1 January 1902,[3] and in June that year was appointed flag captain in command of the cruiser HMS Ariadne.[4] She was commissioned on 5 June 1902 as flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas, the new Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station, where she arrived to take up the position on 15 July.[5] Browning became Chief of Staff for the Channel Fleet in 1908 and Inspector of Target Practice in 1911.[2]

He served in the World War I as Commander of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet and then, from 1916, as Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies.[2] He commanded 4th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet from 1918.[2]

After the War he became President of the Allied Naval Armistice Commission and had the task of dismantling the German Fleet.[6]

He then became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1919.[2] In this capacity he also sought to dismantle the Royal Canadian Navy but this time faced determined and successful opposition from Rear Admiral Walter Hose.[7] His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1920.[2] He also became First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1925 and retired from the navy on 4 October 1926.[8]

He was also Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1939[2] and then Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1945.[9]

He lived at Crawley near Winchester.[10] His brother was Frederick Browning, a cricketer and British Army officer.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Sir Montague Edward Browning (1863–1947), Admiral". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. ^ "No. 27393". The London Gazette. 3 January 1902. p. 3.
  4. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36754. London. 29 April 1902. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36822. London. 17 July 1902. p. 9.
  6. ^ Disarming other ships The Adalaide Advertiser, 25 November 1918
  7. ^ Rear Admiral Walter Hose: Saving the Royal Canadian Navy Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
  8. ^ "No. 33209". The London Gazette. 8 October 1926. p. 6440.
  9. ^ "No. 34599". The London Gazette. 17 February 1939. p. 1136.
  10. ^ "No. 33299". The London Gazette. 2 August 1929. p. 5022.
  11. ^ War Organizer's Death. Western Morning News. 16 October 1929. p. 11

External links

Military offices
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station
1916–1918 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Second Sea Lord
1919–1920 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
1920–1923 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp
1925–1926 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1929–1939 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1939–1945 		Succeeded by