From a contemporary newspaper cutting (source unknown):
CMDR HAROLD GRENFELL
Lord Strabolgi writes: -
The death, briefly reported in The Times, of Commander Harold Grenfell, RN, removes an unusual type of naval officer, who performed valuable services to his country in the 1914-18 war. Grenfell was Naval Attache at our Embassy in Petrograd, and I believe I am right in saying that only he and Colonel Knox, the Military Attache, were fluent Russian linguists. Grenfell, who had Socialist sympathies, was in touch with the popular movement in Russia, knew many of the revolutionary leaders, and gave early warning of the events of March, 1917. His Ambassador was sceptical, as were most of the embassy staff, but our Admiralty had early and valuable warning.
When the October Revolution broke out, discipline completely collapsed in the Baltic Fleet, many of the officers being murdered by the sailors, and nearly all the warships were immobilised while the Sailors' Committees quarrelled amongst themselves. The Germans, who were well informed, took advantage of this to mount a large-scale combined operation in the Gulf of Riga with the then capital as their objective. Grenfell, at the risk of his life, went on board of the Russian flagship, invited the leaders of the Sailors' Committee of the Fleet to meet him and haranged them, in Russian, to such effect that they accepted his advice to put to sea and engage the common enemy. Some success followed in the subsequent fighting, the German advance was considerably delayed, and valuable time gained. Grenfell's efforts were unknown to the general public for security reasons; but I submit that they deserve to be more widely known than in the unpublished files of the Admiralty War Staff.
END
CMDR HAROLD GRENFELL
Lord Strabolgi writes: -
The death, briefly reported in The Times, of Commander Harold Grenfell, RN, removes an unusual type of naval officer, who performed valuable services to his country in the 1914-18 war. Grenfell was Naval Attache at our Embassy in Petrograd, and I believe I am right in saying that only he and Colonel Knox, the Military Attache, were fluent Russian linguists. Grenfell, who had Socialist sympathies, was in touch with the popular movement in Russia, knew many of the revolutionary leaders, and gave early warning of the events of March, 1917. His Ambassador was sceptical, as were most of the embassy staff, but our Admiralty had early and valuable warning.
When the October Revolution broke out, discipline completely collapsed in the Baltic Fleet, many of the officers being murdered by the sailors, and nearly all the warships were immobilised while the Sailors' Committees quarrelled amongst themselves. The Germans, who were well informed, took advantage of this to mount a large-scale combined operation in the Gulf of Riga with the then capital as their objective. Grenfell, at the risk of his life, went on board of the Russian flagship, invited the leaders of the Sailors' Committee of the Fleet to meet him and haranged them, in Russian, to such effect that they accepted his advice to put to sea and engage the common enemy. Some success followed in the subsequent fighting, the German advance was considerably delayed, and valuable time gained. Grenfell's efforts were unknown to the general public for security reasons; but I submit that they deserve to be more widely known than in the unpublished files of the Admiralty War Staff.
END
- DEC 1869 - Birth - ; Rugby, Warwickshire (1881 Census)
- 29 FEB 1948 - Death - ; Bath at his home, buried at Cossington
- BET 1885 AND 1899 - Fact -
- BET 1910 AND 1912 - Fact -
- BET 1912 AND 1920 - Fact -
PARENT (M) Edward Frederick Grenfell | |||
Birth | 1841 | ||
Death | 29 DEC 1870 | Rugby, of 'fever'. 'Bagley' according to MAC's diary for 1870 | |
Marriage | 1865 | to Helen Sophia Pyne | |
Father | Algernon Grenfell , Rev | ||
Mother | Maria Guerin Price | ||
PARENT (F) Helen Sophia Pyne | |||
Birth | 27 MAY 1844 | ||
Death | 1931 | The Manor House, Stawell | |
Marriage | 1865 | to Edward Frederick Grenfell | |
Marriage | 1878 | to Allen Dowdeswell Graham | |
Father | Henry Pyne | ||
Mother | Harriet James | ||
CHILDREN | |||
M | Arthur Pascoe Grenfell | ||
Birth | 24 APR 1868 | Clifton, Bristol (but according to the 1881 Census - see note on Ayrton Chaplin, he was born in Rugby, Warwickshire) | |
Death | 25 NOV 1932 | Mental hospital at Wells, Somerset | |
M | Harold Granville Grenfell | ||
Birth | DEC 1869 | Rugby, Warwickshire (1881 Census) | |
Death | 29 FEB 1948 | Bath at his home, buried at Cossington | |
Marriage | JUL 1905 | to Alice Dixon at St George's, Hanover Square London | |
Marriage | to Mme Levoshkina |
PARENT (M) Harold Granville Grenfell | |||
Birth | DEC 1869 | Rugby, Warwickshire (1881 Census) | |
Death | 29 FEB 1948 | Bath at his home, buried at Cossington | |
Marriage | JUL 1905 | to Alice Dixon at St George's, Hanover Square London | |
Marriage | to Mme Levoshkina | ||
Father | Edward Frederick Grenfell | ||
Mother | Helen Sophia Pyne | ||
PARENT (F) Alice Dixon | |||
Birth | |||
Death | |||
Marriage | JUL 1905 | to Harold Granville Grenfell at St George's, Hanover Square London | |
Father | ? | ||
Mother | ? | ||
CHILDREN |
PARENT (M) Harold Granville Grenfell | |||
Birth | DEC 1869 | Rugby, Warwickshire (1881 Census) | |
Death | 29 FEB 1948 | Bath at his home, buried at Cossington | |
Marriage | JUL 1905 | to Alice Dixon at St George's, Hanover Square London | |
Marriage | to Mme Levoshkina | ||
Father | Edward Frederick Grenfell | ||
Mother | Helen Sophia Pyne | ||
PARENT (F) Mme Levoshkina | |||
Birth | |||
Death | |||
Marriage | to Harold Granville Grenfell | ||
Father | ? | ||
Mother | ? | ||
CHILDREN |
[S12758] | Ann Gregory (Mendell)'s copy of 'A short account of the Families of Chaplin and Skinner........' with annotations by Ayrton Chaplin & others |