John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe

The Earl Jellicoe
2nd Governor-General of New Zealand
In office
27 September 1920 – 12 December 1924
MonarchGeorge V
Prime MinisterWilliam Massey
Preceded byThe Earl of Liverpool
Succeeded bySir Charles Fergusson
First Sea Lord
In office
30 November 1916 – 10 January 1918
Prime MinisterDavid Lloyd George
Preceded bySir Henry Jackson
Succeeded bySir Rosslyn Wemyss
Member of the House of Lords
Hereditary peerage
7 March 1918 – 20 November 1935
Succeeded byThe 2nd Earl Jellicoe
Personal details
Born5 December 1859
Southampton, Hampshire, England
Died20 November 1935(1935-11-20) (aged 75)
Kensington, London, England
Spouse
Florence Cayzer
(m. 1902)
Children6
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/serviceRoyal Navy
Years of service1872–1919
RankAdmiral of the Fleet
CommandsGrand Fleet
2nd Battle Squadron
Atlantic Fleet
Director of Naval Ordnance
HMS Drake
HMS Centurion
Battles/warsAnglo-Egyptian War
Boxer Rebellion
First World War
AwardsKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Member of the Order of Merit
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Sea Gallantry Medal

Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO, DL, SGM (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935)[1] was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916 during the First World War. His handling of the fleet at that battle was controversial. Jellicoe made no serious mistakes and the German High Seas Fleet retreated to port, at a time when defeat would have been catastrophic for Britain, but the public was disappointed that the Royal Navy had not won a more dramatic victory given that they outnumbered the enemy. Jellicoe later served as First Sea Lord, overseeing the expansion of the Naval Staff at the Admiralty and the introduction of convoys, but was relieved at the end of 1917. He also served as the governor-general of New Zealand in the early 1920s.

  1. ^ "Historic Figures: Admiral John Jellicoe (1859–1935)". BBC History. Retrieved 3 December 2020.