Sir Reginald William Skelton (1872-1956) of Thornycroft
1957 Obituary [1]
Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald William Skelton, K.C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., was appointed Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet in 1928, and relinquished this post upon his retirement from naval service in 1932. He entered the Royal Naval Engineering College, Devonport, in 1887, and after completion of the course and service in a number of ships he was appointed to superintend the building of the Discovery for the National Antarctic Expedition, and was chosen by Captain Scott to accompany the expedition as Chief Engineer of the ship.
Subsequently, he was engaged in submarine service and then served in H.M.S. Superb. Upon the outbreak of the 1914-18 war he joined H.M.S. Agincourt with the rank of Engineer Commander. He was present at the battle of Jutland, and was awarded both the D.S.O., and the Russian Order of St. Stanislas for his conduct upon that occasion. He later served successively as Fleet Engineer Officer, Mediterranean Station, and in a similar capacity in H.M.S. Elizabeth, on Atlantic Station; in 1923 he was promoted Engineer Rear-Admiral. Five years later he became Engineer Vice-Admiral upon his appointment as Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet.
In 1936 he joined the board of directors of John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., and his association with the company continued until his death on 5th September 1956 at the age of eighty-four.
Admiral Skelton was elected a Member of the Institution in 1906, and served as a Member of Council from 19291934. In 1930 he delivered a Thomas Lowe Gray Lecture. He was also a Member of the Institution of Naval Architects.
1956 Obituary [2]
WE record with regret the death of Engineer Vice-Admiral Sir Reginald Skelton, which occurred, on September 5th, at Meeadow Cottage, Aldingbourne, Sussex. Sir Reginald, who was eighty-four, was Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet from 1928 to 1932.
Sir Reginald, who was the third son of Mr. William Skelton, of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, was born in June, 1872, and was educated at Bromsgrove School before joining the Royal Naval Engineering College at Devonport in 1887.
In 1892, after completing the course, he was appointed assistant probationary engineer and during the next eight years served in a number of ships.
Sir Reginald's next appointment was to superintend the building of "Discovery" for the National Antarctic Expedition and he was chosen by the late Captain Scott to accompany the expedition as chief engineer of the ship.
For six years, from 1906, he was engaged in the submarine service, and then he served in H.M.S. "Superb" until the outbreak of the first world war, when he joined H.M.S. "Agincourt," with the rank of Engineer Commander. Admiral Skelton was present at the Battle of Jutland and was awarded the D.S.O. and also the Russian Order of St. Stanislas for his conduct on that occasion.
In the succeeding years he served as Fleet Engineer Officer, Mediterranean Station, and then in the same capacity in H.M.S. "Elizabeth" on the Atlantic Station. He continued to advance in his career and became Engineer Rear Admiral in 1923, and Engineer Vice-Admiral in 1928 upon his appointment as Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet. He relinquished this appointment upon his retirement in 1932.
In 1936 he joined the board of directors of John I. Thornycroft and Co., Ltd., and continued to be associated with the company until his death.