DEATH OF EARL BEATTY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21730, 12 March 1936, Page 12

DEATH OF EARL BEATTY

BRITISH ADMIRAL IN GREAT WAR BRILLIANT NAVAL CAREER (Received Karch 11, 7.30 p.m.) - LONDON, March 11. The death has occurred of iSarl Beatty, former Admiral of the Fleet and First Sea Lord. He was- 65 years of age. David Beatty was born at Borodale, County Wexford, Ireland, in lb a. Within 35 years of hid entering the navy he had attained the leadership.of the Grand Fleet and an earldom, Practically all his service was at sea, but after being with the Nile gunboats he took part in the battles of Atbara and Omdurman. During the suppression of the Boxer rising in China he was wounded and he won promotion to captain at the record aS After commanding three pruisers and the battleship, Queen, he fleW his flag ih the AbouKir in. 1912. In 1913 he was appointed to. the command of the fastest and most powerful scouting force ever launched, hoisting his flag in the Lion. Lord Fisher had never met Beatty when the war broke out, but a feW weeks of service showed his eift for

leadership. In the action in Heligoland Bight on August 28, 1914, in which Beatty's! battle tiruisers were supporting a scouting force, he was just in time to save the light craft, and sank every German ship in the neighbourhood. Then attd throughduk the war his battle-cruisers were the spearhead.of the British Navy* antt his men were ready to follow him anywhere. * Beatty was pre-eminently a fighting admiral who was not hampered by; cautious official theories of strategy. He was ready to take risks, v but he also showed skill and caution in dealing with the hidden perils of modern naval war. At the battle of the Dog-, get Bank oil January 24, 1015* ihe chased- German ships for three hours, inflicting such heavy damage that the Blucher sank* while the Seydlitz Derfflihger, and :M6ltke were in full flight, the two former in a battered condition. The Lion was put out of action, and the command devolved tin Rear-Admiral gjir A, Moore. Beatty's signals to "keep near to ■'■ the enemy 4 ' were missed or misunderstood by the other shipsptwith the result 1 thai the-: German vessels, got away,. andjWhat' promised to be a complete victory was inconclusive. Jutland Beatty and his six battle-Cruisers! played a leading part 1 in the' Battle of Jutland on Ma? 31 arid June 1, 1910. His force, which also included the four newest battleships, engaged Hipper's five battle-cruisers, but the German ships escaped fatal, damage from the heavier British fire. When Beatty turned to lure Hipper's vessels towards the Grand Floet, he masked the fire of his own battleships arid exposed his cruisers to the: high-angle fire of the Germans. The Queen Mary and Indefatigable were feunk, but later the Queen Elizabeth class inflicted mufih damage on their opponents, the Lutzaw and Pommern being sunk and the Konig, Seydlitz, and Derfflingex disabled. Beatty then moved into line with the Grand Fleet, in which process Admiral Hood's battle-cruiser Invincible was sunk. . The German Admiral' Scheer had been drawn into the net, but he turned just in time and began to fight a plucky rearguard action, his escape being aided by a haze. Scheer relied on torpedo attacks, which made Ad* imral Jellicoe' hesitate to close with his slower opponent, as he dared not endanger the great force tinder his command.. Beatty, on the other hand, wished to seize the chance presented of destroying the German fleet and to take any risks that might be involved. Scheer escaped partly by skilful tactics and partly because no news of the movements of his ships reached Jellicoe, though they were constantly ehcouhtered by £$ -ro 68 on tft e iringe's of the fleet The boldness of Beatty and the caution of Jellicoe eaeh has its champions and the tactics of the Battle of Jutland have been the subject of much controversy. Raised to Peerage In December 1916, Beatty succeeded wirF £? Commander-in-chief of the S 3? *J e & a £ d reived the surrender of the German navy ofl November -ti 1918. Raised peerage as Earl Beatty of the North Sea, he received the thanks of Parliament and a grant of £IOO,OOO. He was also made Grand Admiral and First Sea riSSi and^. attende d the Washington ™ av ir , Disarmament Conference Beatty left office in April, 1927; after ajedord term of seven years and a Addressing the Navy League in ober, 1933, Beatty deeiafel thatßri£m^ntf V S /length w&s insufficient it m . a £ e 5 e * an attr *etive ally and allow her to play her part as a world heTslips *° guarantee free to In 1901 he had married a daughter o£ Marshall Field, sen., the Chicago department store millionaire. He had two sons. In 1929 he bought Dihgley Hall, Market Harborough. He already 5S d *,* « e 3°^ ity seats, Granttiliy Castle. Perthshire; Brodksby Hall, Leicestershire; and The Priory, Reigat3.