Compton Edward Domvile

Infobox Military Person
name= Sir Compton Edward Domvile
lived= 10 October 1842 – 19 November 1924
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=


caption=Admiral Sir Compton Domvile in Vanity Fair magazine of London, 1906, by Sir Leslie Ward
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears=1856 - 1905
rank=Admiral
branch=
commands= HMS "Algerine"
HMS "Dryad"
Royal Naval College, Greenwich
HMS "Dido"
HMS "Temeraire"
HMS "Excellent"
Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet
battles=
awards=Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour of Greece
1st Class in Brilliants of the Medijie
Naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria
laterwork=
Sir Compton Edward Domvile was a distinguished Admiral in the Edwardian Royal Navy.

Birth

Compton Domvile was born on 10 October 1842 to Henry Barry Domvile (1813-1843) and Frances Domvile (née Winnington-Ingram) (d 1884).cite web|url=http://www.dumville.org/people/cd1842.html|title=Dumvile Family Website - Genealogy of Sir Compton Edward Domvile|accessdate=2008-03-04] He was educated at the Royal Academy, Gosportcite web|url=http://www.dumville.org/photo_pages/cd1842_pho.html|title=dumville.org|accessdate=2008-03-06] .

Family

He married Isabella Peel, the daughter of Captain Edmund Yates Peel, on 3 November 1876.cite web|url=http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowBiog.php?id=1400 |title=William Loney RN website - Compton Edward "Domville" (sic) biography|accessdate=2008-03-04] They had five children: Adelaide Mary Domvile (b 1877, died unmarried), Barry Edward Domvile (1878 - 1971), Archibald Compton Winnington Domvile (b 1884), Georgiana Isabella Francis Domvile (b 1888) and May Louise Domvile (b 1893). Their second child went on to become Admiral Sir Barry Edward Domvile KBE CB CMG (1878-1971), and after a distinguished career in the Royal Navy, became a leading British fascist.

Career

Early career

Compton Domvile joined the Royal Navy in 1856. He served in the Royal Yacht and was promoted to Lieutenant on 28 October 1862. He commanded the steam-gunboat HMS "Algerine" from 16 April 1866 and was promoted to Commander on 2 September 1868 [ [http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=1046 William Loney RN website - HMS Algerine] ] for service against piracy.

HMS Dryad

On 3 August 1874 he became Captain of the screw sloop HMS "Dryad" from commissioning at Devonport. "Dryad" served on the North America and West Indies station until December 1877. Domvile was promoted to Captain on 27 March 1876, whilst serving in "Dryad". Commander John Edward Stokes replaced him as "Dryad's" Captain some time in 1877. [ [http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=153 William Loney RN website - HMS Dryad] ]

HMS Dido

He became Captain of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich until 19 September 1879, followed by a return to sea as Captain of the steam corvette HMS "Dido", replacing Captain Arthur Richard Wright who had died on 19 August 1879. "Dido" served on the west coast of Africa, including service in the first Boer War (1880 - 1881). After the Battle of Laing's Nek, "Dido" contributed 50 men and two field guns to a Naval Brigade, which went to the front under Lieutenant Henry Ogle. This brigade shared in the disaster at the Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February, where "Dido" lost 3 killed and 3 wounded. Captain Domvile took charge of the Naval Brigade, but no further action took place before a peace was concluded. [cite web|url=http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/corvettes.htm|title=battleships-cruisers.co.uk|accessdate=2008-03-04]

In October 1881, "Dido" crossed the Atlantic and joined the North America and West Indies squadron, with Domvile serving as an Acting Commodore in Jamaica in 1882. She was paid off at Barbados on 16 February 1883. [ [http://www.pdavis.nl/ShowShip.php?id=111 William Loney RN website - HMS Dido] ]

Later career

From 1884 to 1886 Domville was the Captain of HMS "Temeraire" in the Mediterranean, and from there he went to become the Captain of the stone frigate (shore establishment) HMS "Excellent", the Gunnery School at Portsmouth.

In 1888, Domvile became Naval aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria, and served on the Ordnance Committee from 1890 to 1891. On 4 January 1891 he was promoted to Rear-Admiral and was appointed Director of Naval Ordnance (DNO) from 1891 to 1894. He went to the Mediterranean as second-in-command of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1894 to 1896, and on promotion to Vice-Admiral on 23 February 1897, he was appointed Superintendant of Naval Reserves. In 1898 he was awarded the KCB (Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath).

, then Britain's largest fleet. He served there until 1905.

In 1903 he was awarded the GCVO, and in 1904 the GCB. He was also appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour of Greece, and 1st Class in Brilliants of the Medijie

Death

He died on 19 November 1924.

References