William May (Royal Navy officer)
| Sir William May | |
|---|---|
Sir William May
|
|
| Born |
31 July 1849 Liscard, Cheshire |
| Died | 7 October 1930 (aged 81) Coldstream, Berwickshire |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1863 – 1919 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands held |
HMS Polyphemus HMS Imperieuse HMS Ramillies HMS Excellent Atlantic Fleet Home Fleet Plymouth Command |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Henry May GCB GCVO (31 July 1849 – 7 October 1930) was a Royal Navy Officer. As a junior officer he took part an expedition to rescue Commander Albert Markham who had got into difficulty trying to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound, the sea passage between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island.
May went on to higher command and served as Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet. He held the office of Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel and in that capacity threatened to resign if the Liberal Government cut the naval estimates any further. Later he became Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, in which capacity he encouraged innovative ways of organising his huge fleet including the deployment of cruising formations, the use of fast squadrons and tactical command at squadron level rather than fleet level, and then became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. He served in the First World War purely in an administrative capacity.
Born the son of Job William Seaburne May and Anne Jane May (née Freckleton), May was educated at the Royal Institution School in Liverpool and Eastman's Royal Naval Academy and then joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia on 9 June 1863. He joined the first-rate HMS Victoria, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1864 and, having been promoted to midshipman, he transferred to the frigate HMS Liffey in 1867. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 29 March 1869, he joined the battleship HMS Hercules in the Channel Fleet and then transferred to the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert in June 1871. Promoted to lieutenant on 7 September 1871, he briefly rejoined HMS Hercules in April 1872 before attending the gunnery school HMS Excellent at Portsmouth. He joined the frigate HMS Newcastle at Sheerness in September 1874 and then became navigating officer in the sloop HMS Alert on her Arctic expedition of 1875 and 1876. He took part an expedition to rescue Commander Albert Markham who had got into difficulty trying to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound, the sea passage between Greenland and Canada's northernmost island, Ellesmere Island.
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