JELLICOE, JOHN RUSHWORTH JELLICOE (1859-1935), 1st Earl, was born at Southampton, the son of Captain J. H. Jellicoe. Educated at Rottingdean, he entered the Britannia as a cadet (1872), and served with the Channel squadron during the Egyptian war (1882). He distinguished himself at the Naval College and in 1891, after a period of staff duty, he became assistant to the director of naval ordnance. He was in the Victoria when she was sunk in collision with the Camperdown (1893).

In 1897, being now a captain, Jellicoe was a member of the ordnance committee. During the Boxer war, in which he was flag captain in the Centurion, he commanded the naval brigade and acted as chief of staff to Admiral Seymour during the attempt to relieve the legations at Peking (1900). He was severely wounded. (C.B. 1900.) In 1902 Jellicoe was naval assistant to the Controller of the Navy. In 1905 he returned to sea duty as Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes. Promoted rear-admiral in 1907, he served for more than a year in the Atlantic fleet and was then a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Controller of the Navy (1908-10). During the next year or two he commanded the Atlantic fleet and in 1911-12 the second squadron of the Home fleet, being then appointed Second Sea Lord of the Admiralty. On 22 Jul 1914 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Home fleet.

On the outbreak of the war of 1914-18 Jellicoe was appointed commander-in-chief of the Grand Fleet. He was in supreme command during the first two years of the war, having his fleet of capital ships based all the time at Scapa Flow and exercising a general command of the North Sea (G.C.B. 1915; G.C.V.O. 1916). When the pressure of the German blockade became severe, and public opinion demanded that the Navy should pass to more aggressive action, Jellicoe succeeded (May 1916) in bringing the German High Sea Fleet to action off the coast of Jutland. After a fight lasting throughout the day, in which the battle cruisers and cruisers suffered heavy losses, and the battle squadrons were for some hours engaged, the German fleet escaped under cover of night to the shelter of Heligoland and Wilhelmshaven, leaving the British fleet in command of the sea, which was never again challenged. He received the Order of Merit in 1916. In November of that year Jellicoe gave up the command to become First Sea Lord, and that position he vacated at the end of 1917, when he was created Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa.

At the end of the war he was invited by the British Government to confer with the Dominion governments on Empire defence. He sailed for this purpose in H.M.S. New Zealand, flying the flag of admiral of the fleet, to which rank he had been promoted for the occasion. Having returned from that mission, he was appointed Governor-general of New Zealand, assuming the administration on 27 Sep 1920. Jellicoe's term of office was marked by no special event or incident, and he retired with the good wishes of all classes on 26 Nov 1924. Having gone on the retired list in that year, he was created an earl (1925).

At the close of the war Lord Jellicoe received the freedom of the City of London, with a sword of honour; honorary degrees from the Universities of Glasgow, Oxford, Cambridge and St Andrews, and many decorations from foreign governments. After his retirement he served as a Boy Scout commissioner for the county of London; was chairman of the National Rifle association; and vice-president of the British Legion (1928-32). He made his maiden speech in the House of Lords (on the naval treaty) in May 1930.

Jellicoe died on 20 Nov 1935. He married (1902) Florence Gwendoline, daughter of Sir Charles Cayzer.

R. Bacon, Life of John Rushworth, Earl Jellicoe and The Jutland Scandal; J. E. T. Harper, The Truth about Jutland and The Riddle of Jutland; Corbet, Naval Operations; The Times, 21 Nov 1935.

Reference: Volume 1, page 234

🌳 Further sources