Percival Henry Hall-Thompson CB CMG (1874 - 1950)

Born 5 May 1874 in Eling, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Helen Sidney (Deacon) Hall-Thompson — married 1899 in London, England, United Kingdom

Died 6 Jul 1950 at age 76 in Hythe, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kenneth Evans [send private message]

Biography

Percival Hall-Thompson CB CMG is Notable.

Admiral Percival Hall-Thompson CB CMG was a Royal Navy officer who played a key role in the development of the New Zealand Naval Forces. In the 1920s he was appointed First Naval Member and Chief of the Royal Australian Naval Staff.

Percival Hall-Thompson CB CMG was born in Hampshire, England.

Percival Henry Hall-Thompson was born on 5th May 1874 in Eling, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. He was the son of Henry Hall Thompson and Agnes Spooner. ^[1]

After being educated at a private school, Percival joined the Royal Navy in 1887 as a Midshipman. He was posted to the training ship HMS Britannia as a cadet. He then served in a series of overseas postings, including a period in Australia as Inspector of War-like Stores at Garden Island to the then infant Royal Australian Navy.

Percival married Helen Deacon in 1899 in St George Hanover Square, London. ^[2]

In 1913, through the passage of the Naval Defence Act 1913, the New Zealand government formed the New Zealand Naval Forces. An approach was made to the British Admiralty for assistance and Hall-Thompson, who hwas subsequently promoted to Post-Captain, was accordingly appointed naval advisor to New Zealand. He commenced a three-year term on 1st May 1914, which also included command of HMS Philomel, a Pearl-class cruiser, loaned to New Zealand as a seagoing training cruiser. He arrived in New Zealand with his family on 24th June 1914 and settled in Wellington to begin implementing a training program for New Zealand cadets. He took the Philomel to Samoa and to the Persian Gulf. He continued to advise the government on the development of the country's naval service. For his services during the war, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) and awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd Class.

He was appointed First Naval Member and Chief of the Australian Naval Staff with effect from January 1924 and later that year was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).

In 1919, much to his disappointment as he enjoyed living in New Zealand, Percival was recalled to England. In 1920 he was given command of the battleship HMS Erin and two years later became aide-de-camp to King George V. He contributed a chapter to a volume of the Official History of New Zealand's Effort in the Great War, writing about the work of Philomel and this was published in 1923.

Percival completed his term with the Australian Navy in 1926 and went on to command the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet from 1927 to 1928. He then led the Reserve Fleet for two years, before retiring in 1932 with the rank of Admiral.

Percival and Helen retired to Hythe, Kent.

Aged 76 years, he passed away on 6th July 1950 in Hythe. ^[3] He was survived by his wife and their four children.

Sources

1. ↑ UK FreeBMD Birth Index Jun qtr 1874, vol 2b, page 646; registered at New Forest
2. ↑ UK FreeBMD Marriage Index Jun qtr 1899, vol 1a, page 874
3. ↑ UK FreeBMD Death Index Sep qtr 1950, vol 5b, page 500; registered at Folkestone

See also:

• McGibbon, Ian. 'Hall-Thompson, Percival Henry', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand; accessed 25 Feb 2024.
• Wikipedia: Percival Hall-Thompson; accessed 25 Feb 2024.