Sir Hedworth Meux | |
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Birth name | Hedworth Lambton |
Born | London | 5 July 1856
Died | 20 September 1929 Danebury, Hampshire | (aged 73)
Buried | Bury Green Cemetery, Cheshunt |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1870–1916 |
Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
Commands | HMS Dolphin HMY Osborne HMS Warspite HMS Powerful HMY Victoria and Albert Third Cruiser Squadron China Station Portsmouth Command |
Battles / wars | Anglo-Egyptian War Second Boer War First World War |
Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Admiral of the Fleet The Honourable Sir Hedworth Meux, GCB, KCVO (pronounced Mews;[1] né Lambton; 5 July 1856 – 20 September 1929) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he was present at the bombardment of Alexandria during the Anglo-Egyptian War.
In 1899, during the Second Boer War, Lambton stopped at Mauritius, and on his own initiative picked up a battalion of soldiers stationed there. Knowing that the British forces at Ladysmith urgently needed more powerful guns, Lambton led a naval brigade to the rescue with four twelve-pounders and two other guns. The enthusiastic response in Britain to the "heroes of Ladysmith" was enormous and made Captain Hedworth Lambton a well-known public figure. He went on to be Commander of the Third Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean Fleet and then Commander-in-Chief of the China Station.
During the First World War Meux, as he was then known, served as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in which role his main responsibility was defending cross-Channel communications, including transport for the British Expeditionary Force crossing to France. He also initiated and organised a life-saving patrol service of small boats.