George F.A. Mulock
| George Mulock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | George Francis Arthur Mulock |
| Nickname(s) | "Little Peterkin" (Antarctic Expedition); "Polar Mulock" |
| Born | 7 February 1882 Fleetwood, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 26 December 1963 aged 81 Gibraltar |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1896-1920; 1939-1946 |
| Rank | Captain, Royal Navy |
| Unit | Extended Defences Office, Fort Canning (HQ Malaya Command) 1939-42 |
| Commands held | HMS Hunter, HMS Woodlark, HMS Stag, HMS Mallrd, HMS Jed, HMS Sawfly, HMS Bee, XDO Division (Singapore) |
| Battles/wars | Gallipoli Campaign, Singapore |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Order Polar Medal |
| Relations | Sir William Mulock, Alfred Austin, Sir Howard William Kennard, Dinah Craik, Al Mulock, William Pate Mulock, Alfred Bentley, Robert Bentley, Redford Henry Mulock |
Captain George Francis Arthur Mulock, DSO, RN, FRGS (7 February 1882 – 26 December 1963) was an Anglo-Irish Royal Navy officer, cartographer and polar explorer who participated in an expedition to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901-04. After compiling the reports, logs and maps of the expedition, Mulock returned to full-time service, seeing action on the beaches of Gallipoli and later as the most senior naval officer to be captured at Singapore in 1942.
George Francis Arthur Mulock was born in Fleetwood, Lancashire on 7 February 1882, the youngest child and only son of Railway Engineer George Phillips Mulock and Clara Frances Lugsdin. A fortnight after George's birth his mother died of complications from childbirth. His father never fully recovered from this personal tragedy and threw himself into his work as resident engineer on the construction of Fleetwood docks.
The young child was taken in by his paternal aunt, Hester Jane, the wife of barrister-turned-journalist and future poet laureate Alfred Austin. At a young age George had determined that he should enter the Royal Navy and the Austins threw themselves into ensuring that this was achieved. In preparation George was despatched to Stanmore Park preparatory school. Austin was approached to assume the post of Poet Laureate, vacant since the death of Alfred, Lord Tennyson; he accepted and ensured that his nephew’s naval career would begin in earnest.
With a personal letter of recommendation from Prime Minister Lord Salisbury and with a subtle hint from the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Frederick Richards, a place was secured on board the old three-decker HMS Britannia, moored on the River Dart. On 15 January 1896, fourteen-year-old Midshipman George Mulock entered the Royal Navy, probably one of the last midshipman to have secured entry by the age-old practice of patronage.
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