Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield Rear Admiral Sir Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield , KBE ( 1861 – 1945 ) was a Victorian Royal Navy officer and later secretary of Lloyd ' s of London . He gave his name to the Inglefield clip , a device he patented in 1890 for quickly attaching signal flags . Family . Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield born on 10 April 1861 at Wavertree , near Liverpool , Lancashire , the youngest son of Edward Augustus Inglefield ( 1820 – 1894 ) , Arctic explorer and Royal Navy admiral . He married Julia Katherine Margaret ; in 1891 she submitted a petition for divorce . Naval career . Midshipman . He joined the Royal Navy in 1874 and was promoted to midshipman on 16 March 1876 , and joined the " Emerald " - class screw corvette HMS " Tourmaline " on 5 March 1879 , probably on the North America and West Indies Station . Service as a lieutenant . He was promoted to lieutenant on 3 July 1883 . A painting by Lieutenant E F Inglefield survives in the National Maritime Museum entitled " A Pinnace for Chasing Slaves " . It seems probable that he served in HMS " London " during her time engaged in the East African anti - slavery campaign of the late 19th century . He served in the Sudan , in the relief of Khartoum in 1884 - 85 and commanded a torpedo boat during the blockade of Greece in 1886 . On 1 September 1888 he was appointed the flag lieutenant to Rear - Admiral St . George Caulfield D ' Arcy Irvine . HMS " Melita " and the Inglefield Clip . Lieutenant Inglefield was sent to Malta in 1889 to become the first lieutenant of the newly launched HMS " Melita " . She did not commission until 27 October 1892 , and during the long wait he invented the Inglefield clip , patenting the invention in 1894 . The prototype device was fashioned in the naval dockyard in Valletta , and it was so successful that by 1895 it had become standard issue to Royal Navy ships . It is still in use today . " Victoria " and " Ramilles " . He was appointed as first lieutenant to , flagship of Vice Admiral George Tryon , in April 1893 . He was hospitalised by an accident , and was therefore absent from the ship in June when she collided with and was sunk . Tryon was killed in the sinking , and Inglefield was appointed to the new flagship , , flying the flag of Admiral Michael Culme - Seymour . On 30 June 1895 he was promoted to commander , on the same day as his cousin , Frederick Inglefield , was promoted to captain . Service as a commander . He continued to serve in the Mediterranean in the battleships and and in 1899 was appointed in command of on the South America station . He was promoted to captain on 17 July 1901 . Service as a captain . From 1901 to 1905 he served as Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence , during which time he worked on Trade Division plans for advising ship owners of safe routes in the event of war . The groundwork conducted during this period , and the relationships he formed with mercantile marine operators , came to be crucial during World War I . In 1905 returned to sea to command the " Devonshire " - class armoured cruiser HMS " Antrim " , part of the First Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet . He was placed on the retired list on 30 June 1907 and was appointed to the rank of rear admiral on the retired list on 9 March 1911 . Business interests . On leaving the Navy in 1906 , he became the Secretary to Lloyd ' s of London , retaining the position until 1921 . In 1935 he was listed in the " Directory of Directors " as the company chairman of the Rio de Janeiro Lighterage Company Ltd . He was appointed a Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire on 7 January 1918 and elevated to Knight Commander on 1 January 1919 . Masonry . Inglefield was a freemason , and was for many years a member of the Lutine Lodge , made up of employees of Lloyds . He was the Provincial Grand Master of Buckinghamshire in 1917 . Inventions . In addition to the Inglefield clip , he continued inventing into later life ; in 1923 he submitted Patent GB209652 for improvements to valve arrangements . Death . Inglefield died on 19 July 1945 at the age of 84 .