Sir Herbert Packer
| Sir Herbert Packer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 October 1894 Cressage, Shropshire |
| Died |
23 September 1962 (aged 67) Cape Town, South Africa |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/ |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1907–1953 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Calcutta HMS Manchester HMS Excellent HMS Warspite 2nd Cruiser Squadron South Atlantic Station |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Admiral Sir Herbert ("Bertie") Annesley Packer KCB, CBE (9 October 1894 – 23 September 1962) was an officer in the British Royal Navy and ended his career as an Admiral and Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic.
The only son of Dr. William Packer and musician Edith Mary Rutter, he entered the Royal Naval College, Osborne, as an officer cadet on 15 September 1907.
Packer joined the Royal Navy in 1907. He left Dartmouth Naval College with the King's "dirk and gold medal" for outstanding qualities of leadership and joined HMS St. Vincent as a midshipman. In 1913 he invented an "uncle" in Australia and was chosen from a score of volunteers to sail the new battle-cruiser HMAS Australia to Sydney.
As the First World War broke out, Packer stayed on HMAS Australia and his first action in combat was off the Falkland Isles as part of a boarding party that captured the German S.S. Elaenor Woermann from Hamburg. His ability to speak fluent German (and French) allowed him to interrogate the crew. The captured ship was scuttled.
As an Acting Sub-Lieutenant, Bertie Packer joined the new battleship HMS Warspite on 22 February 1915. He was trained as an Assistant Gunnery Officer.
After the Battle of Jutland in 1916, Packer was mentioned in dispatches for firing 12 rounds (though all fell short of their target) at the line of German High Seas Fleet's battleships under local control. The Warspite was heavily damaged and direction and gunnery control was disabled. Bertie Packer was also made a Lieutenant R.N.
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