Roger Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes
Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, GCB, KCVO, CMG, DSO (4 October 1872 – 26 December 1945) was a British naval officer.
The Lord Keyes | |
|---|---|
Vice Admiral Sir Roger Keyes, 1918 | |
| Member of the House of Lords as Baron Keyes | |
| In office 22 January 1943 – 26 December 1945 | |
| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | Roger George Bowlby Keyes |
| Member of Parliament for Portsmouth North | |
| In office 19 February 1934 – 22 January 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Bertram Falle |
| Succeeded by | Sir William James |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 October 1872 Punjab, British India |
| Died | 26 December 1945 (aged 73) Tingewick, United Kingdom |
| Resting place | St James's Cemetery, Dover |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Relations | Sir Charles Patton Keyes (father) Geoffrey Keyes (son) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1885–1935 1940–1941 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | HMS Opossum (1898–99) HMS Hart (1899–1900) HMS Fame (1900–01) HMS Bat (1901) HMS Falcon (1902) HMS Sprightly (1902) HMS Venus (1908–10) Commodore-in-Charge, Submarine Service (1912–14) HMS Centurion (1916–17) Dover Patrol (1917–18) Battle Cruiser Force (1919) Battlecruiser Squadron) (1919–21) Atlantic Fleet (1919–21) Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet (1925–28) Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth (1929–31) Director of Combined Operations (1940–41) |
| Battles/wars | Boxer Rebellion First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order |
As a junior officer he served in a corvette operating from Zanzibar on slavery suppression missions. Early in the Boxer Rebellion, he led a mission to capture a flotilla of four Chinese destroyers moored to a wharf on the Peiho River. He was one of the first men to climb over the Peking walls, to break through to the besieged diplomatic legations and to free them.
During the First World War Keyes was heavily involved in the organisation of the Dardanelles Campaign. Keyes took charge in an operation when six trawlers and a cruiser attempted to clear the Kephez minefield. The operation was a failure, as the Turkish mobile artillery pieces bombarded Keyes' minesweeping squadron. He went on to be Director of Plans at the Admiralty and then took command of the Dover Patrol: he altered tactics and the Dover Patrol sank five U-boats in the first month after implementation of Keyes' plan compared with just two in the previous two years. He also planned and led the famous raids on the German submarine pens in the Belgian ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend.
Between the wars Keyes commanded the Battlecruiser Squadron, the Atlantic Fleet and then the Mediterranean Fleet before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. He was elected to Parliament in 1934. During the Second World War he initially became liaison officer to Leopold III, King of the Belgians. Wearing full uniform in the House of Commons, he played an important role in the Norway Debate which led to the resignation of Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister. He went on to be the first Director of Combined Operations and implemented plans for the training of commandos and raids on hostile coasts.