New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-11
DERESFORD RETIRED
Lord Charles Leaves Active List
-Lonq Naval Career.

London. Feb. l0-Admiral Lord Charies
,,ruliam de Ia Poer Beresford is siXty-hVe
,.eors old to-day. and under the age limit
,,uso * retired from the active list OF the
7,rttish navy He has held no appointment
&c his surrender on March "A, 1907 or the
.o,,mand OF the Channel feet.
There we're no official fcrmaities, out
.,ost Of the daily papers praise the adj
.,,,iravs notable career. though the radical
,,ess criticises his political activities.
Admiral Lord Charles Beresfords active
s,,,. came TO an end when on March ~
,saa ne hauled down his flag as commander
:, the Channel fleet. He had rounded OUT
6e,v wears Of service in career dlstih-
-,,iebed for professional ability and per-
sorsi eallantry, which made him one oil
,bo most popular men of England.
tgis retirement was credited generally TO
..,.,ior with the Admiralty Board. In the
.r6inarv course he would have held the
.-bsnnel command for another year lie
eod heen a severe critic of the management
- ,be navy when he was serving in Par
l,sr,ent. and after he was put at the head
- the Channel feet in 1906 he had trouble
Aotb with his superiors and his subor-
ai,stes When he hauled down his flag IN
March he said:
Although the Admiralty has ordered me
a.. haul down my flag, which of course IT
has perfect right TO do, feel that l shan
etu no able 10 do service in other fields OF
iabor Ny chief thought always will be
,be efficiency Of the fleet, as my first desire
has been that the ships under my control
sbould always be ready for war
1ord Charles at once opened an unofficial
,sr,Daien. and within a month after his
,etirerent a subcommittee OF the commit
- 20 i-,rerial defence was summoned TO
..,si5er d statement from him. in which
s.. charged that the Admiralty's arrange
-,sr,s for var we're inadequate 10 insure
,,, saferv of The country; that the fleets
:, homo waters were not organized IN
~.adiress for war. and that in assuming
,,~,r,sr5 NJ the Channel feet he had been
,,stle 10 obtain any strategic plan for the
si.,.,.I IN uar Of the forces under his
command.
-,s- ~ which was the Premier, was in ef-
D.. hot none Of the charges had been es-
,.bf,ebed The report practically exon
Grated the Admiralty from Admiral beres-
fo,d,s charges Of having endangered the
country bv unwise organization and dis
,ribu,ion of the fleet, having too few cruis-
ers and small craft and inefficient war
mans. bur n found that both the Admiralty
and Lord Charles were blamable for in
harmonious cooperation. The Admiralty,
or the one hand n was held. had failed
r. take Admiral BeresfOrd sufficiently into
ire confidence. and the admiral. on the
other hand. the report said, had failed TO
sppreclate the executive boards instruc-
,iore The difference Of opinion between
officers of high rank regarding important
principles Of naval strategy and tactics
was deplored.
The real controversy was understood to
ne between Lord Charles and Sir John
Fisher NOW Lord Fisher, OF the Ad-
niralty. q reformer OF the navy. Lord
Charles's criticisms were looked upon ny
many as thinly yelled structures on Sir
Jonn's tactics.
In las Lord Charles dashed the naval
authorities because OF the advertising
given 10 the first Dreadnought. In a pub
lie speech he said that he did not object
10 Dreadnoughts. but he did object TO the
announcement that the new type would be
able to sink the whole feet Of another ma
ton. This advertisement he said, caused
that other nation to begin work on def
mite naval programme Of its own.
Lord Charles was born in Ireland in
1876. the second son Of the Rev. John
Beresford, fourth Marquis OF Waterford.
He entered the navy az the age Of thir-
teen. has been a naval aid. was in COM
mand az the Condor at the bombardment
Of Alexandria and served on Lord Wolse-
ley's staff in the Nile expedition Of 1SS4-'S5.
He made a trip to America in the fall OF
1909 and delivered a notable speech at a
luncheon given him by The Pilgrims at
New York. He also spoke at a luncheon
IN Toronto.