Blake, Sir Geoffrey (1882-1968)

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0064 BLE
Held at	: National Maritime Museum   Click here to find out how to view this collection at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/ ›
Full title	: Blake, Sir Geoffrey (1882-1968)
Date(s)	: [1914-1945]
Level of description	: Collection
Extent	: 1ft; 30cm
Name of creator(s)	: Blake | Sir | Geoffrey | 1882-1968 | Knight | Vice Admiral

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

Blake entered the Navy in 1897, was made a lieutenant in 1904, specialising in gunnery and was promoted to commander in 1914. Between 1914 and 1918 he served in the Grand Fleet flagships IRON DUKE and QUEEN ELIZABETH as Fleet Gunnery Commander and Executive Officer respectively. In 1918 he was promoted to captain and served as Naval Attache in Washington between 1919 and 1921. From 1921 to 1923 he commanded QUEEN ELIZABETH and from 1923 he served on the staff of the War College for two years. Between 1925 and 1929 he was Deputy Director and then Director of the Royal Naval Staff College, after which, for three years, he was Commodore in command of the New Zealand Station and First Naval Member of the New Zealand Naval Board. In 1931 he was made rear-admiral. He became Fourth Sea Lord in 1932 and was promoted to vice-admiral in 1935. His last active command was that of the Battle Cruiser Squadron. He retired because of ill-health in 1938, was recalled in 1940 and served on the Board of Admiralty as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff. From 1942 to 1945 he was Flag Officer, Liaison, with the United States Navy in Europe.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of Sir Geoffrey Blake covering Blake's career from 1914 but not in great depth. There are official service documents; photographs of his service in the First World War and official papers relating to his period in America; papers covering affairs in Samoa, 1930, and other items relating to the New Zealand appointment. In addition, there are semi-official and personal letters, 1937 to 1940, from Admirals Sir Dudley Pound (1877-1943), A.B. Cunningham (q.v.), Sir Charles Little (1882-1973), and Admiral Stark (1880-1972), United States Navy, 1945, as well as post-war correspondence with Admiral Stark, Lord Louis Mountbatten (1900- ), General Lord Ismay (1887-1965) and Professor Marder (1910- ). There are also some notes on the attack on Oran, 1940, and on Operation Torch, 1942.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Conditions governing access:

Returned to lender

Conditions governing reproduction:

Please contact the Archive for further information.

Finding aids:

Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

The papers were deposited on loan in 1969 and have subsequently been returned to the owner.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:
Edited by Sarah Drewery, Jun 2011.

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
2011-04-20