Francis Tottenham

Sir Francis Tottenham
Sir Francis Tottenham
Birth name	Francis William Loftus Tottenham
Born	17 August 1880; Fethard, Tipperary, Ireland
Died	9 November 1967 (aged 87); Westhill, Bembridge, Isle of Wight
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1895–1940
Rank	Admiral
Commands	HMS Delhi; HMS Excellent; HMS Rodney; Africa Station
Battles / wars	World War I
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath; Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Admiral Sir Francis William Loftus Tottenham, KCB, CBE (17 August 1880 – 9 November 1967) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Africa.^[1]

Naval career

Tottenham, the second son of Capt. Francis Loftus Tottenham, joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1895.^[1]^[2] As a midshipman, he was posted to the protected cruiser HMS Charybdis in early 1900.^[3] He served on the despatch vessel HMS Surprise when he was promoted to lieutenant on 1 October 1902.^[4]^[5] He served in World War I with 4th Battle Squadron.^[2] After the War he was a member of the Inter-Allied Naval Armistice Commission and Control Commission in Germany.^[2] He commanded HMS Delhi from 1920 and then became naval attaché in Washington D. C. in 1922.^[2] He later commanded the shore establishment HMS Excellent and then HMS Rodney.^[2] He was made rear admiral commanding 3rd Cruiser Squadron in 1932 and Commander-in-Chief, Africa Station in 1935.^[2] He retired as a full admiral^[6] in 1940.^[2]

In 1932, in his 50s, he married Evelyn Rosalie Prescott Street, the widow of Captain Herbert Street, and only daughter of Harry Ernest Prescott. They had one daughter.^[1]

Following Tottenham's death, Sir Douglas Marshall, who served with him in the Second World War, eulogised him in The Times:

He was a man of great personality, devoted to duty and would never compromise on the great principles in which be believed. Probity, honesty, courtesy, and punctuality – these matters mattered to him and upon them his life was built. He had the capacity of bringing out the best in a man. One feels that by his death, although we have lost a treasured friend, much of his example will still live on. He belonged to the Great Britain that raised and led an Empire, fought for freedom and believed in it. In latter years, in spite of pain and discomfort, his indomitable spirit never flagged, his words of encouragement never ceased.
— Sir Douglas Marshall, The Times, 14 November 1967^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Obituary: Sir Francis Tottenham". The Times. 10 November 1967. p. 10.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Sir Francis William Loftus Tottenham Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36091. London. 16 March 1900. p. 6.
^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36892. London. 7 October 1902. p. 8.
^ "No. 27479". The London Gazette. 3 October 1902. p. 6274.
^ Sir Francis Tottenham The Straits Times, 5 July 1939, Page 12
^ "Sir Francis Tottenham". The Times. 14 November 1967. p. 16.