I ADMIRAL SIR JOHN R. JELLICOE, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O.

ADMIRAL SIR JOHN RUSHWORTH JELLICOE, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., was born on December 5th, 1859. He was educated at Rottingdean, and entered the Navy in 1872, becoming in 1880 a Lieutenant¹ (three First Class Certificates). As a young officer he specialised in Gunnery.

During the Egyptian War, as Lieutenant of the "Agincourt," he gained the Egyptian Medal and Khedive's Bronze Star. In 1883 he received a special ￡80 prize at the Royal Naval² College.

In May, 1886, Lieutenant Jellicoe was awarded the Board of Trade Silver Medal for having commanded a gig, manned by volunteers, which set out to rescue the crew of a steamer stranded³ on a sandbank near Gibraltar. A heavy sea was running and the boat capsized, but the crew, being provided with cork⁴ jackets, managed to reach the shore in safety.

Lieutenant Jellicoe was Assistant to the Director of Naval Ordnance⁵ from 1888 to 1891, on June 30th of which year he became a Commander, and was serving in the "Victoria" when she foundered⁶ off Tripoli after collision with the "Camperdown" on June 27th, 1893. At the time of the catastrophe⁷ Commander Jellicoe was suffering from Mediterranean⁸ fever. He was promoted to Captain on January 1st, 1897. During the Boxer⁹ outbreak in 1900 he was Flag-Captain in the "Centurion," and took part in Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour's International Expedition to relieve the Pekin Legations. In this Expedition he acted as Chief Staff Officer, was wounded, and afterwards received the C.B. for his services.

He was Naval Assistant to the Controller of the Navy from February, 1902, to August, 1903; Captain of the "Drake" from August, 1903, to January, 1905; and Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes¹⁰ from 1905 to August, 1907. In the previous March he had been made Aide-de-Camp to the King, a post which he held until February 8th, 1907, when he became an Admiral. From August, 1907, to August, 1908, he was Rear-Admiral in the Atlantic Fleet, becoming Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy at the end of 1908. He commanded the Atlantic Fleet in 1910, with the rank of Acting¹¹ Vice-Admiral, and on the occasion of King George V.'s Coronation he was made a K.C.B. In 1911 he commanded the Second Division of the Home Fleet, becoming a Vice-Admiral on September 18th of that year. On December 9th, 1912, he was appointed Second Sea Lord.

On the outbreak of war on August 4th, 1914, he was given Chief Command of the Grand Fleet, with the acting rank of Admiral. He was in supreme¹² command at the Battle of Jutland.

In recognition of his services during the war, he received the G.C.B. on February 8th, 1915, and an Order in Council, dated November 10th, 1914, laid down that "Admiral Jellicoe on his promotion¹³ to the rank of Admiral is to retain seniority as Admiral of August 4th, 1914, while holding his present command."

On May 31st, 1916, Admiral Jellicoe received the Order of Merit.

On December 4th, 1916, he became First Sea Lord, the title "Chief of Naval Staff" being added on May 31st, 1917.

Admiral Jellicoe holds the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the Russian Order of St. George (Third Class), the Order of the First Class of the Rising Sun with Paulounia, and the Grand Cordon¹⁴ of the Order of Leopold, also the French and Belgian Croix de Guerre and the Grand Cross of the Military Order of Savoy.

No biographical notice of Sir John Jellicoe would be complete without a mention of his father, who was, in his day, a well-known and distinguished¹⁵ Captain in the Merchant Service. It is pleasant to remember that Captain Jellicoe lived to see his son in command of the Grand Fleet during the greatest war in history. This close connection between the two branches of sea service is also peculiarly happy and appropriate. Admiral Patton, a great-grandfather on his mother's side, was Second Sea Lord during the Trafalgar campaign.

1 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

2 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

3 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

4 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

5 ordnance   

n.大炮，军械

参考例句：

• She worked in an ordnance factory during the war.战争期间她在一家兵工厂工作。
• Shoes and clothing for the army were scarce,ordnance supplies and drugs were scarcer.军队很缺鞋和衣服，武器供应和药品就更少了。

6 foundered   

v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Three ships foundered in heavy seas. 三艘船在波涛汹涌的海面上沉没了。 来自辞典例句
• The project foundered as a result of lack of finance. 该项目因缺乏资金而告吹。 来自辞典例句

7 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

8 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

9 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

10 torpedoes   

鱼雷( torpedo的名词复数 )； 油井爆破筒； 刺客； 掼炮

参考例句：

• We top off, take on provisions and torpedoes, and go. 我们维修完，装上给养和鱼雷就出发。
• The torpedoes hit amidship, and there followed a series of crashing explosions. 鱼雷击中了船腹，引起了一阵隆隆的爆炸声。

11 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

12 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

13 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

14 cordon   

n.警戒线，哨兵线

参考例句：

• Police officers threw a cordon around his car to protect him.警察在他汽车周围设置了防卫圈以保护他。
• There is a tight security cordon around the area.这一地区周围设有严密的安全警戒圈。

15 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。