Page:Admirals of the British Navy.djvu/90

VI! ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET SIR GEORGE ASTLEY CALLAGHAN, G.C.B., G.C.V.O. AMIRAL OF THE FLEET, SIR GEORGE ASTLEY CALLAGHAN, G.C.B., G.C.V.O., was born on December 2ist, 1852. He was in command of the " Endymion " during the operations in China in 1900 ; commanded the Naval Brigade during the advance with the Allied Forces for the relief of the Legations at Peking ; mentioned in despatches, and received the C.B. for this service in November, 1900. He was Aide-de-Camp to the King from March i5th, 1904, to July 5th, 1905, and became a Rear-Admiral on July ist, 1905, and was appointed Rear-Admiral in the Channel Fleet on November i6th, 1906. On April 5th, 1907, Admiral Callaghan became Rear- Admiral Commanding the 5th Cruiser Squadron, and on August 3rd of that year, on the occasion of the Review in the Solent of the Home Fleet by King Edward VII., he received the C.V.O. From November, 1908, to August, 1910, he was second in command of the Mediterranean Fleet, and was made a K.C.V.O. on April 24th, 1909, the occasion of the visit of King Edward and Queen Alexandra to Malta in the " Victoria and Albert." He was promoted Vice-Admiral on April 2yth, 1910, and made a K.C.B. on June 24th the same year. He commanded the Second Division of the Home Fleet from August, 1910, to December, 1911, and was appointed Commander- in-Chief of the Home Fleet on December 5th, 1911, which appointment he held until August 4th, 1914. Admiral Callaghan was in command of the Home Fleet assembled for inspection at Weymouth Bay by King George V in May, 1912, and received the following message from His Majesty :