Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice
| Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 1870 |
| Died | 23 January 1927 (aged 56) |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Triumph HMS Dreadnought Director of Naval Intelligence |
| Battles/wars | Gambia Campaign East African Campaign Second Boer War |
| Awards |
Mentioned in Despatches (1894) Mentioned in Despatches (1898) Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Order of the Sacred Treasure (Second Class) (Japan) Officer of the Legion d'honneur (France) War Cross (Greece) Royal Order of the Redeemer (Greece) Companion of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice, KCVO, CB, CMG (12 August 1870 – 23 January 1927) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
He served in a number of campaigns in Africa, being twice mentioned in despatches, and had risen to the rank of captain prior to the outbreak of the First World War. He served in the Mediterranean, where his ship was sunk by a submarine, and was later appointed to a number of staff posts. He collected a number of awards for his services in the war, and after its end became Director of Naval Intelligence. He died in 1927 while serving as commander in chief of the African Station.
Maurice Fitzmaurice was born on 12 August 1870, the son of John Gerald Fitzmaurice and Florence Augusta Marian Boyrenson. He entered the navy and took part in the Gambia Campaign in 1894. For his services in this conflict he was mentioned in despatches. He then went on to see action in the East African Campaign in 1898, during which he was wounded, and again was mentioned in despatches. Fitzmaurice was active in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1901, and in the First World War, having become a captain on 30 June 1910. During the latter conflict he captained the battleship HMS Triumph, from 5 August 1914 until her loss during the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915.Triumph was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-21 on 25 May. As she capsized Fitzmaurice was thrown into the water 'as though he had been shot from a gun'. He was picked up by a destroyer after several minutes in the water, apparently with his monocle still firmly in place. He then served as Principal Naval Transport Officer, Dardanelles and Salonika from 1915 until 1916, and then Chief of Staff, Eastern Mediterranean until 1917.
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