Charles Hope Dundas

Admiral Sir Charles Hope Dundas of Dundas (9 August 1859 – 1 July 1924) was a British Royal Navy officer who served from the late Victorian period through the First World War. He commanded the protected cruiser HMS Forte and the battleship HMS Ocean, served as British naval attaché in Tokyo from 1908 to 1910 and was Principal Naval Transport Officer in France during the First World War. Dundas was promoted to rear admiral in 1910 and vice admiral in 1916. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1917 and was advanced to Admiral on the retired list in 1919. He was also the 28th Chief of the Name and Arms of Clan Dundas.

Early life and family

Charles Hope Dundas was born on 9 August 1859, the son of Adam Alexander Duncan Dundas, a Royal Navy officer, and his wife Charlotte Maria Hope. His maternal grandfather was Admiral Charles Hope. He belonged to the senior line of the Dundas family, whose chiefs were associated with Dundas Castle in West Lothian. On the death of his father in 1904, Dundas succeeded as the 28th Chief of the Name and Arms of Dundas. His arms were matriculated by the Court of the Lord Lyon on 7 November 1905. Dundas married Helen Burgess Watson, daughter of Edwin Burges Watson, on 26 May 1897. They had six children, three sons and three daughters. Their eldest son, Adam Duncan Dundas, succeeded his father as the 29th chief of Dundas in 1924.

Naval career

Dundas entered the Royal Navy in 1874 as a naval cadet aboard the ironclad HMS Audacious, then serving as flagship on the China Station. He was promoted lieutenant on 29 June 1883 and commander on 31 December 1895. During the Second Boer War, Dundas served with the Cape Squadron and took part in operations around Delagoa Bay. He was subsequently promoted to captain on 1 January 1901.

In 1904, Dundas was appointed to command the protected cruiser HMS Forte on the East African station. While in command, the ship became involved in a diplomatic incident arising from Russian commerce raiding during the Russo-Japanese War. The Russian Volunteer Fleet steamships Petersburg and Smolensk had passed through the Turkish Straits as merchant vessels but, after traversing the Suez Canal, hoisted naval colours, mounted their armament and began stopping and searching neutral merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean for contraband destined for Japan. The Russian activities, which included the detention of British merchant vessels and the seizure of the P&O liner Malacca, led to strong protests from the British government over both interference with neutral commerce and the status of vessels which had passed the Straits as merchant ships before being converted into auxiliary cruisers. Under British diplomatic pressure, the Russian government ordered Petersburg and Smolensk to end their commerce raiding operations, but initially maintained that it was unable to communicate with the vessels while they were at sea. Royal Navy ships were therefore instructed to locate the cruisers and deliver the Russian recall orders. In early September 1904, Forte encountered the two vessels in Menai Bay, off the southern coast of Zanzibar. Dundas personally delivered to Captain Skalsky of Petersburg the Russian government's cipher telegram recalling the cruisers, together with a formal British protest requiring them to cease interference with neutral shipping. The Russian vessels subsequently ended their operations and departed for the Baltic. During this appointment he received the approval of the Admiralty for his handling of an incident involving Russian navy auxiliary cruisers. He was also presented with the Order of the Brilliant Star of Zanzibar by the Sultan of Zanzibar and received the thanks of the French government for services rendered in East Africa. He remained in command of Forte into 1905.

From September 1905 until January 1908, Dundas commanded the Canopus-class battleship HMS Ocean in the Channel Fleet. He was subsequently appointed naval attaché at the British embassy in Tokyo, serving from 1908 to 1910. For his service in Japan he received the second class of the Order of the Rising Sun. Dundas was promoted to rear admiral on 22 July 1910. In 1911, he served as a rear admiral on the staff at Sheerness, within the Nore Command. During the same year he was attached to the personal staff of Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō during Tōgō's visit to Britain. Dundas subsequently served as second in command of the 7th Battle Squadron during the 1912 naval manoeuvres.

During the First World War, Dundas served as Principal Naval Transport Officer in France from 1915 to 1917. He was promoted to vice admiral on 10 January 1916 and was placed on the retired list later that month. In the 1917 Birthday Honours he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. He also received French and Greek decorations for his service. Dundas was promoted to admiral on the retired list on 1 January 1919.

Later life and death

In 1922, Dundas published his memoirs under the title An Admiral's Yarns: Stray Memories of 50 Years, covering experiences from his long naval career.

Dundas died on 1 July 1924, aged 64. He was succeeded as chief of Dundas by his eldest son, Adam Duncan Dundas.

Works

External links

• Portrait of Sir Charles Hope Dundas at the National Portrait Gallery