Rear-Admiral (S) HAROLD RODHAM CMG
(1873-1947)

Harold Rodham joined the Navy as an Assistant Clerk in 1890 and went on to become a highly regarded officer, appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1919. He was also mentioned in despatches and awarded the French Croix de Guerre.

He served during First World War when he saw action with the battle cruiser Princess Royal at Heligoland, Dogger Bank and Jutland. At Jutland he operated the battle cruiser's Dumaresq range-finding equipment, earning a warm commendation from Adm Sir John Jellicoe.

He was a member of a naval family. Two brothers followed in their father's footsteps but joining the paymaster branch. Harold's son, Cuthbert, became Deputy Chief of Staff in the Pakistan Army.

Harold Rodham's personal chronology is as follows:

• 22 July 1868 Cuthbert Robert Rodham* is married at Stoke Damerel church, Plymouth, to Amelia Mary Rae (GRO ref: 5b 536)

• He is described as an Assistant Paymaster and his residence is given as HM Ship Canopus at Stoke Damerel. Both his father, William Rodham, and father-in-law, Robert Halliburton Rae, are described as 'gentlemen'.

• The ceremony is conducted the Rev R B Howe, who appears to sign himself as a Royal Naval chaplain

• C R Rodham's birth was registered in the Wellington (Somerset) district in the September quarter 1839 (GRO ref: X440)
  (* See separate notes)

• 1869 The birth of the Rodham's first child, Cuthbert Halliburton Rodham**, is registered in the Stoke Damerel district in the December quarter (GRO ref: 5b 345)

• 21 July 1873 Harold born, the son of Cuthbert Robert Rodham*. Birth registered in the July-September quarter in the Wellington district (GRO ref: 5c 371)

• Subsequently educated at Plymouth Grammar School

• 15 July 1886 Cuthbert Halliburton Rodham** joins the Royal Navy as an Assistant Clerk. Retired 1 January 1923 as Paymaster Captain. He was the eldest son of Cuthbert Robert Rodham (** See separate notes)

• 15 January 1890 Harold enters the Royal Navy as an Assistant Clerk.

• 22 January 1890 Posted to the 10,600-ton battleship HMS Anson, which had been flagship of the Rear-Admiral, Channel Fleet, since her commissioning on 28 May 1889. (Anson was launched at Pembroke Dock on 17 February 1886. She arrived at Portsmouth in March 1887 and for two years lay waiting for guns while slowly completing for sea. Her main armament consisted of four 13.5in guns. Sold July 1909 to Clarkson and broken up at Upnor)

• The Anson is the only ship referred to by name in Harold's obituary in the Surrey Advertiser in 1947 when it is described as a 'full rigged steam auxiliary vessel'

• 15 January 1891 Promoted to Clerk

• 31 December 1892 Posted to the steam corvette HMS Canada (Canada, 2,380 tons, was armed with ten 6in guns; launched at Portsmouth Dockyard 16 August 1891 and sold in 1897 to Cohen, of Blackwall)

• 21 July 1894 Appointed Assistant Paymaster

• 26 March 1896 Posted to the battleship HMS Dreadnought, coastguard ship at Bantry

(Dreadnought, 17,900 tons, was launched at Pembroke Dock on 8 March 1875. Served at Bantry from March 1895 to March 1897, after which she underwent a major refit. She became a hulk in 1903 and was sold in 1908 for breaking up)

• 17 December 1896 Posted to the twin-screw battleship HMS Repulse, which had been commissioned on 21 April 1894 for service with the Channel Squadron
  (Repulse, 14,150 tons, was one of seven Royal Sovereign class ships. She was launched at Pembroke Dock on 27 Feb 1892 and completed in 1893. The main armament of each ship in the class was four 13.5in guns.  Repulse served eight years in the Channel Squadron before transferring to the Mediterranean for temporary service in March 1902. She was eventually sold in July 1911 for £33,550)

• 1899 Harold marries Miriam, daughter of John Edward Boyd, of Ottawa

• Marriage is registered in the Chertsey (Surrey) district in the July-September quarter (GRO ref: 2a 69)

• 6 February 1900 Posted to HMS Vivid, RNB at Devonport 

• 1900 First son Cuthbert Harold Boyd Rodham is born. Birth registered in the St German's district in the April-June quarter (GRO ref: 5c 38)

• Cuthbert later became a Brigadier and was Deputy Chief of General Staff, Pakistan Army. He retired in 1963 and died in Rawalpindi in June 1973(See separate notes)

• 27 November 1901 Harold is posted to HMS Cambrian and subsequently HMS Monarch and HMS St George for service on Ascension (Cambrian was the Senior Officer's Ship, South Atlantic, while Monarch served as guardship at Simon's Bay, South Africa. St George was later Senior Officer's Ship. Rodham's service on Ascension was continuous)

• 31 August 1903 Promoted to Paymaster

• 2 January 1906 Posted to the armoured cruiser HMS Argyll with the 1st Cruiser Squadron in the Atlantic. She was in the Channel 1907-09 (Argyll was built by Scotts, of Greenock, where she was laid down in 1902 and launched on 3 March 1904, completing in December 1905.  She was wrecked on Bell Rock, on the east coast of Scotland, in October 1905)

• 31 August 1907 Promoted to Staff Paymaster

• 18 February 1908 Posted to HMS Thames, a Mersey class cruiser then serving as a
  sea-going depot ship for submarines at Harwich.  Her commanding officer at the time was Cdr O H Davies, succeeded on 14 July 1909 by Cdr W R Napier (Thames was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard in 1884, launched in 1885 and completed in 1888. She was sold to South Africa in 1920 and renamed General Botha as training ship at the Cape. Scuttled at Simon's Bay in 1947)

• 9 July 1908 The Thames's submarine flotilla takes part in major exercises in the Firth of Forth

• 1 March 1910 To the 19,250-ton battleship HMS Vanguard on her commissioning into the 1st Division on the Home Fleet. In May 1912 she joined the 1st Battle Squadron
  (Vanguard, armed with ten 12in guns, was built by Vickers and launched on 22 February 1909. Sunk on 9 July 1917 by internal explosion at Scapa; raised and broken up on the Tyne in 1927)

• 31 August 1911 Harold becomes Fleet Paymaster, a rank later renamed as Paymaster Commander. Seniority subsequently backdated to 31 August 1909
  

• 12 August 1912 Posted to the battlecruiser HMS Princess Royal (Princess Royal, 26,270 tons, was one of the three ships in the Lion class, the first battle cruisers to carry 13.5in guns and centre-line turrets. They were the largest and faster capital ships yet laid down. Built by Vickers, Princess Royal was launched on 29 April 1911 and completed in November 1912)

• Capt Walter Cowan, commanding the Princess Royal, noted that Harold was an exceptional officer, 'reliable, zealous and successful to a marked degree'. He was specially recommended as suitable for promotion.

• 14 November 1912 Princess Royal is commissioned

• January 1913 Princess Royal joins 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron, commanded by Adm David Beatty from 1 March 1913

• March 1913 Squadron takes part in exercises under Adm Sir George Callaghan, C-in-C Home Fleet, in the presence of distinguished company, including Winston Churchill, on board the Echantress.  Beatty's intention to deploy at high speed across the van of the 'enemy' was frustrated by a tramp steamer and the planned set piece became a fiasco

• February 1914 The battle cruisers' exercises are broken off for a round of diplomatic and social visits. Beatty takes the Lion (flag), Princess Royal, Queen Mary and New Zealand to Brest

• 17-18 July 1914 King George reviews Fleet at Spithead.

• 19 July 1914 Whole fleet, including Princess Royal, puts to sea for exercises

• 31 July 1914 Beatty arrives at Scapa Flow from Portland, initially with Lion, Princess Royal, New Zealand and Invincible

• 28 August 1914 Princess Royal (Capt Osmond de B Brock), flagship of 1BCS, is involved in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight during which she suffers no casualties

• 3 October 1914 Convoy carrying the Canadian Expeditionary Force leaves the St Lawrence. Escorts later include the Princess Royal, specially detached from the Grand Fleet. She joins the convoy on 10 October after waiting more than two days because of its late arrival at the rendezvous. She stays with the convoy until it reaches Fastnet, of southern Ireland

• 12 November 1914 Princess Royal drops back, clears for action and, with her band playing 'O Canada' and 'The Maple Leaf Forever', steams through the length of the convoy at 22 knots.

• 12 November 1914 Princess Royal secretly leaves Cromarty for Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she can help to meet any threat posed Admiral von Spee's squadron. There were fears that von Spee might come through the Panama Canal, defeat the West Indies Squadron and release German armed liners held in New York

• 29 November 1914 Capt Brock is ordered to take the Princess Royal to Jamaica where he becomes Senior Naval Officer for the West Indies.

• 8 December 1914 Von Spee's squadron is defeated in the Battle of the Falklands, in which the Princess Royal plays no direct part. She is recalled and leaves Jamaica on 11 December, but is instructed to join cruisers hunting the German raider Karlsruhe, which had in fact already been lost in November. After a week's fruitless search, the battlecruiser returns to Jamaica to coal.

• 19 December 1914 Princess Royal leaves Kingston for Scapa Flow.

• 24 January 1915 Princess Royal takes part in the Battle of Dogger Bank where shells from her guns help to sink the German cruiser Blucher. She also engages the Derfflinger. In all, the Princess fires 271 rounds of 13.5in shell, scoring one hit on the Derfflinger and an unknown number on the Blucher. When Beatty's ship, the Lion, is damaged and has to fall out of line, he transfers his flag to the Princess Royal.

• February 1915 King George pays his first visit to the ships based on the Firth of Forth, going on board a number of the battle cruisers and touring Rosyth dockyard before taking tea with Beatty on the Princess Royal.

• May 1915 Princess Royal now carries the flag of Rear-Adm O de B Brock (her former captain) commanding the 1st Squadron of the Battlecruiser Force.

• Her captain since early 1915 had been Capt Walter Cowan who, as a rear-admiral, was in charge of naval operations in the Baltic 1918-20 (For Rodham's service in the Baltic, see below)

• 31 May 1916 Princess Royal is badly damaged during the Battle of Jutland where she is second ship in the battle cruiser line.
  Her main fire control was destroyed by two hits forward ten minutes after action was opened on her. A shell in the admiral's cabin caused casualties to the port forward 4in crews and several fires. X turret was hit by a 12in shell which killed four men and put the turret out of action. B turret was hit but not damaged. A shell pierced the starboard side aft, wrecking the after engine room casings; it exploded on the port side causing casualties to the after 4in crews. Numerous fires were put out with difficulty owing to the failure of all lighting systems and damage to fire mains. There were about 100 casualties in total
  In the opening clashes between the British and German battle cruisers, the third salvo from the Princess Royal hit the Lutzow. The Indefatigable and Queen Mary were both sunk and soon the Princess disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Everyone assumed that she had blown up too, prompting Beatty's famous remark: "There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today."
  Princess Royal fired a total of 230 shells from her 13.5in guns, scoring three hits on the Lutzow, two on the Seydlitz and none on her third target, the Derfflinger

• 2 June 1916 Battle cruiser fleet arrives at Rosyth. Lion, Tiger and Princess Royal have received 12, ten and six hits respectively, but do not dock for repairs until a week later.

• November 1916 Harold is commended by Adm Jellicoe for his services at the Battle of Jutland during the whole of which he worked the Dumaresq range-finding equipment with which the Princess Royal was equipped. 'By reason of the poor range-taking conditions, this service was of the utmost value.' A further note on his service record in June 1917 says: 'A highly skilled Dumaresq operator and spotter and has carried out these functions throughout the war and in three actions. Thorough knowledge of coding. His department has always been in perfect order; good knowledge of men and their wants. Splendid physique.'

• 1 January 1917 Harold's Mention in Despatches for the Battle of Jutland is announced in the London Gazette.

• 22 July 1917 Posted as Accountant Officer to HMS Wallington, the naval depot and Auxiliary Patrol base at Immingham on the Humber.

• 2 November 1917 Award of Harold's French Croix de Guerre "for distinguished services rendered during the war" is announced in the London Gazette.

• 31 December 1918 Holds acting rank of Paymaster Captain which his service record notes was subsequently 'relegated with regret'.

• 27 June 1919 Harold's appointment as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George is announced in the London Gazette. Awarded for "valuable services as Accountant Officer of the RN Depot, Immingham".

• His service papers record in September 1918 that he had been of 'very great assistance' in keeping the depot running during the time male labour was substituted for women's.

• In January 1919 it was stated that had always displayed remarkable zeal and ability in the performance of the most arduous duties. 'His tact in dealing with officers and men has been phenomenal and the smooth working of the base is largely due to his unfailing good temper and his attention to duty.'


• 14 July 1919 Posted to the cruiser HMS Delhi, flagship of Adm Sir Walter H Cowan in the Baltic for operations against the Bolsheviks.
• Harold served as squadron accountant officer. He was subsequently recommended for special promotion in Baltic despatches (Delhi was one of the eight ships of the Danae class built under the emergency war programme; main armament six 6in guns. She was laid down by Armstrong Walker in December 1916, launched on 26 January 1918 and completed on 22 June that year).
• 17 August 1919 Coastal motor boats attack Kronstadt. Cowan in Delhi brings out the Danae and Cleopatra from Biorko, preceded by the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla. However, they have only a distant grandstand view of the attack from the west of the mine barrage. Two Russian battleships and one destroyer are sunk; a cruiser is seriously damaged.
• Two pilots were found to guide the CMBs on the raid, led by Lieut (later Capt) Augustus Agar. In his book 'Baltic Episode', Agar wrote: "The smuggler-pilots got cold feet and wanted to back out. They were, however, finally persuaded to come with us on the promise of double pay of £25 each for the trip, plus a double ration of rum... HMS Delhi's paymaster providing both money and rum as well as answers afterwards to Treasury inquiries.".
• 21 October 1919 Delhi and Dauntless, with destroyers, bombard the Bolsheviks allowing Estonian forces to push forward along the south shore of the Gulf of Finland.
• 27 October 1919 British warships, including the Delhi and the monitor Erebus, shell Bolshevik positions on the shores of the Gulf in a bid to assist the unsuccessful advance on Petrograd.
• November 1919 Throughout the month the Delhi, with other cruisers and destroyers, carries out bombardments with Estonia ships to relieve Red pressure on Allied troops in the Narva area.
• December 1919 The Delhi sails to Reval where Cowan goes ashore to meet the Estonian naval commander, Adm Juhan Pitka. On his return, Cowan orders the ship to return to Biorko, but all but 25 per cent of the crew refuse to answer the command as they feel they should be granted shore leave. The mutiny is, however, largely over by the end of the afternoon, when the Delhi is able to sail. (In his book 'Cowan's War', Geoffrey Bennett attaches most of the blame for this incident to the Delhi's captain, Geoffrey Mackworth, a very unpopular commander. There were, however, mutinies in other ships in the Baltic where WW1 'hostilities only' seamen were anxious to return home).
• 18 December 1919 Delhi leaves Biorko Bay for Reval with the band playing 'Home Again to Merrie England'. The ship had to back and fill for many hours to push a way through the ice before she reached open water.
• 28 December 1919 Delhi sails from Reval for England.
• 31 December 1919 A report from Adm Cowan says that Harold organised a bakery on shore and arranged contracts for supplies from Viborg and the surrounding country. 'He displayed such energy, enterprise and above all knowledge of the mentality and needs of the lower deck that all reason for discontent and discomfort was by his efforts reduced to a negligible minimum within a week of two of his arrival.'
• From HMS Delhi at Rosyth on 23 March 1920, Adm Cowan recommended Harold for special promotion or honours for his valuable services in the Baltic from August 1919 to January 1920. The admiral said that he had previous experience of Harold's 'influence with and understanding of rank and file'.
• A further report said Harold had an 'excellent way with his staff' and a 'good knowledge of the lower deck, their ideas, point of view, etc. Interests himself particularly in feeding and well-being of men'.
• He was described as an excellent messmate, will 'to run or organise anything'. He always kept himself fit and had a 'cheery outlook on life'.
• 4 January 1920 Delhi enters Plymouth Sound having travelled via Copenhagen.
• 22 April 1920 Invested with the CMG at Buckingham Palace.
• 2 August 1921 To HMS Vivid at Devonport.
• 1 January 1922 Harold listed at the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. A later report says he succeeded in the 'unpleasant task' of cutting down on expenses to the Crown 'without friction'. He also improved the cadets' food without incurring extra cost.
• 30 June 1923 Promoted to Paymaster Captain.
• 2 February 1924 Posted to HMS Pembroke, RNB at Chatham, for supply duties. The following year his commanding officer says his social qualities were 'all that could be desired'. Similar reports in 1926 and 1927 talk of his sound judgement and, administrative qualities and 'charming disposition'.
• 5 August 1926 Appointed Port Accountant Officer at HMS Pembroke.
• 21 July 1928 Promoted to Paymaster Rear-Admiral and retired.
• 12 January 1931 Harold makes his will, leaving his entire estate to his wife. Address given as Frenchaye, Addlestone (near Chertsey), Surrey.
• WW2 Serves as a Special Constable and in the Home Guard.
• 22 December 1947 Dies at his home at Frenchaye. Death subsequently registered in the Surrey NW district. (GRO ref: 5g 594).
• 23 December 1947 Death is announced in the Times.
• 27 December 1947 Funeral is held at Ewell.
• Obituary in the Surrey Advertiser reports that Adm Rodham had gone to bed at 9.45pm but was taken ill at midnight and died before a doctor could arrive.
• Described as vice-president of the British Legion, vice-president of the local Sea Cadet unit, a former chairman of Addlestone Ratepayers' Association and a committee member of Princess Mary Village Homes.
• The admiral's home, 'Frenchaye', is said to be in Crockford Park Road, Addlestone.
• 21 January 1948 Will is proved. Gross value of estate £599 10s 7d (net £537 0s 7d).
• His widow, Mrs M Rodham, later applies for a pension

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