Herbert King-Hall

Born the son of Admiral Sir William King-Hall, Herbert King-Hall joined the Royal Navy in 1875.[1] He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882,[1] and later commanded the special service vessel HMS Hearty. Promoted to Captain in 1900, he took part in the Second Boer War and was mentioned in despatches.[1] After the war ended in June 1902, King-Hall stayed in South Africa as Principal Transport Officer at Cape Town.[2] He was appointed in command of HMS Endymion in 1903.[3] King-Hall was appointed Assistant Director of Naval Intelligence in 1905[4] and was given command of HMS Indomitable in 1908.[3] Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1909, he became Second-in-Command of the 2nd Battle Squadron[5] before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station in 1913 and serving in that role during World War I.[6] He led the operation to successfully destroy and then sink SMS Königsberg on the Rufiji River in Tanzania in July 1915.[7] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1916 New Year Honours. His last appointment was as Admiral Commanding, Orkneys and Shetlands in 1918.[3]

RN Bramble class gunboat involved in the blockade of SMS Königsberg

In 1905 he married Lady Mabel Emily Murray, daughter of Viscount Stormont (son of William Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield).[1] His older brother was Admiral Sir George King-Hall, his nephew the naval officer, writer, politician and playwright Stephen King-Hall, his niece the novelist, journalist and children's fiction writer Magdalen King-Hall.[8]