William Christopher Pakenham
| Sir William Christopher Pakenham | |
|---|---|
Captain William Pakenham
|
|
| Born | 10 July 1861 |
| Died | 28 July 1933 (aged 72) San Sebastian, Spain |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1874–1926 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
North America and West Indies Station (1920–23) Royal Naval College, Greenwich (1919–20) Battle Cruiser Force (1917–19) HM Australian Fleet (1916–17) 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron (1915–16) 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron (1913–15) HMS Collingwood (1910–11) HMS Triumph (1909) HMS Glory (1908–09) HMS Antrim (1906–08) HMS Barham (1902) HMS Daphne (1901–02) |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan) Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (Russia) Legion of Honour (France) Distinguished Service Medal (United States) |
Admiral Sir William Christopher Pakenham, GCB, KCMG, KCVO (10 July 1861 – 28 July 1933) was a senior Royal Navy officer. He served as a British observer with the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War; during the First World War he commanded the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland, and from December 1916 was Commander-in-Chief of the Battle Cruiser Fleet.
A member of the Pakenham family headed by the Earl of Longford, he was the second son of Rear-Admiral the Honourable Thomas Alexander Pakenham, third son of Thomas Pakenham, 2nd Earl of Longford. His mother was Sophia Frances Sykes, daughter of Sir Tatton Sykes, 4th Baronet.
Pakenham entered the navy as a naval cadet in 1874 and served upon the training ship HMS Britannia.
As part of the Mediterranean Squadron, he served on HMS Monarch and he was promoted to midshipman in 1876. Noted for his swimming ability, he was highly commended for gallantry after jumping into the sea and rescuing a coxswain who had fallen overboard at Larnaca, Cyprus, in August 1878 and some years later endeavoured to save a man who fell from overboard from HMS Calypso at Kiel, Germany. Promoted to sub lieutenant in October 1880, he was transferred to HMS Canada in April 1883 and was promoted to lieutenant in October 1883. In June 1896, he was promoted to commander and took up a post with the Naval Intelligence Department from August 1899 to March 1901.
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