Stuart Bonham Carter

Vice Admiral Sir Stuart Sumner Bonham Carter, KCB, CVO, DSO (9 July 1889 – 5 September 1972) was an officer in the Royal Navy who served in both the First and Second World Wars.

For other people with the name Stuart Carter, see Stuart Carter (disambiguation).

This British surname is barrelled, being made up of multiple names. It should be written as Bonham Carter, not Carter.
Sir Stuart Bonham Carter
Vice Admiral Bonham Carter on the bridge of HMS Edinburgh in 1942
Born(1889-07-09)9 July 1889
Portsmouth, Hampshire
Died5 September 1972(1972-09-05) (aged 83)
Petersfield, Hampshire
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1904–1945
RankVice Admiral
Commands heldFlag Officer, Malta (1942–43)
18th Cruiser Squadron (1942)
3rd Battle Squadron (1940–41)
Royal Naval Barracks, Chatham (1937–39)
HMS Sussex (1934–37)
HMS Calcutta (1929–31)
HMS Petersfield (1919–21)
HMS Shark (1918–19)
HMS Intrepid (1918)
Battles/warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches
Legion of Honour (France)
Croix de Guerre (France)
Silver Medal of Military Valor (Italy)
Croix de Guerre (Belgium)

Born the younger son of Lothian Bonham-Carter and Emily Maud Sumner, Bonham Carter joined the Royal Navy in 1904.[1] He served in the First World War, commanding the block ship HMS Intrepid during the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918.[2] He also commanded the destroyer HMS Shark in the closing stages of the war.[1]

A keen cricketer, Bonham Carter played two first-class matches for the Royal Navy Cricket Club in 1925.[3] He was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Africa in 1928,[1] and made assistant director of Navy Equipment in 1932 before becoming Chief Staff Officer to the commander of the 1st Cruiser Squadron in 1934.[1] He was given command of the Royal Naval Barracks at Chatham in 1937 and made Naval Secretary in 1939.[2]

Bonham Carter also served in the Second World War, commanding the 3rd Battle Squadron from 1940 and the 18th Cruiser Squadron from 1942.[2] It is said that he had something of a reputation of being a Jonah in any cruiser in which he raised his Admiral's flag, as these kept being sunk from under his feet.[4] Bonham-Carter was made Flag Officer, Malta in 1942 and after periodically suffering from depression, insomnia, even to the extent of contemplating suicide, he retired due to ill health in 1943 (to be succeeded by Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur Power); he was duly benefitted by rest and treatment and was eventually recalled in 1944 to lead naval convoys. It was perhaps unfortunate that a toxic atmosphere existed between Lord Gort (Malta Governor) and RAF's Sir Keith Park; Gort never forgave the RAF for what he perceived as their negligence in providing adequate air cover for troops departing Dunkirk and, given Park's leading role in that battle, this bias was deeply personal and ultimately became quite unhealthy. There was also a sharp divide in how both saw the RAF's function with Gort favouring pure defence while Park pursued offence against Rommel's supply lines as well as maintaining an aggressive defense. Bonham-Carter was somewhat caught between two strong characters and the constant tension and conflict could not have helped Bonham-Carter's mental state.[2]

Family

In 1933 Bonham Carter married Eve Lloyd; they had one child, Joanna.[1] He is distantly related to the actress Helena Bonham Carter.[5]

There is a memorial to Bonham Carter at St Mary's Church, Buriton.[6]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stuart Bonham-Carter.
  1. Unit Histories
  2. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. CricketArchive
  4. Bassett, Ronald (1988). HMS Sheffield. pp. Chapter 14. ISBN 0-85368-911-3.
  5. Info re Bonham Carter family Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Geograph
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