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52-467: Vice-Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss was appointed a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty as Second Sea Lord on 6 September 1917. before being relieved on 27 September by Vice-Admiral Herbert L. Heath . In his memoirs, he described the circumstances of his appointment: In 1919, Jellicoe wrote that, "This appointment was frankly made more as a matter of expediency than because any real need had been shown for

104-786: A volcanic plug in the east. At 522 metres (1,713 ft), the West Lomond is the highest point in Fife. The coast has fine but small harbours, from the industrial docks in Burntisland and Rosyth to the fishing villages of the East Neuk such as Anstruther and Pittenweem . The large area of flat land to the north of the Lomond Hills, through which the River Eden flows, is known as the Howe of Fife . North of

156-549: A group of 11 men from Fife, who became known as the Fife adventurers , to colonise the Isle of Lewis in an attempt to begin the "civilisation" and de-gaelicisation of the region. This endeavour lasted until 1609 when the colonists, having been opposed by the native population, were bought out by Kenneth Mackenzie , the clan chief of the Mackenzies . Fife became a centre of heavy industry in

208-430: A kingdom may derive from a misinterpretation of an extract from Wyntoun . The name is recorded as Fib in A.D. 1150 and Fif in 1165. It was often associated with Fothriff . The hill-fort of Clatchard Craig , near Newburgh , was occupied as an important Pictish stronghold between the sixth and eighth centuries AD. Fife was an important royal and political centre from the reign of King Malcolm III onwards, as

260-583: A senior position on the Board of Admiralty. The position was completely superfluous to the structure which had evolved at the end of May, 1917. It is no wonder, therefore, that all Wemyss had to do, in his own words" It was give Jellicoe", "an extra opinion on dockets which could well be dispensed with." It is indicative that when Wemyss succeeded Jellicoe as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in December, 1917,

312-452: Is a council area , historic county , registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland . It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth , with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i.e., the historic counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire ) and Clackmannanshire . By custom it is widely held to have been one of the major Pictish kingdoms , known as Fib , and

364-659: Is held by the Scottish Liberal Democrats : North East Fife . Fife Council 's administrative headquarters and Police Scotland 's P Division (formerly Fife Constabulary ) are based in Glenrothes . The Council meetings take place in Fife House in the town centre. The west wing of the building was built by the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) as their offices in 1969, which was later used as

416-532: Is still commonly known as the Kingdom of Fife within Scotland. A person from Fife is known as a Fifer . In older documents the county was very occasionally known by the anglicisation Fifeshire . Fife is Scotland's 3rd largest local authority area by population . It had a resident population of 371,340 in 2022, over a third of whom live in the three principal settlements, Dunfermline , Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes . On

468-662: The Dover Patrol , to undertake more vigorous operations in the Channel, ultimately leading to the launch of the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918. Born the youngest son of James Hay Erskine Wemyss and Millicent Ann Mary Kennedy Wemyss (née Erskine), Wemyss ( pronounced "Weems" ) he was raised at the ancestral home of Wemyss Castle on the Fife coast. He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in

520-755: The Forth Road Bridge (public transport and cyclists only) and Queensferry Crossing , west on the Kincardine Bridge or north-east via the Tay Road Bridge , the exception being traffic headed north on the M90 . Tolls were abolished on the Tay Road Bridge and Forth Road Bridge on 11 February 2008. There are extinct volcanic features, such as the Lomond Hills which rise above rolling farmland, and Largo Law ,

572-733: The House of Commons of the United Kingdom until 1885 and the Fife constituency in the Parliament of Scotland until the Acts of Union 1707 . Fife is represented by five constituency members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and four members of the United Kingdom parliament (MPs) who are sent to Holyrood and the British Parliament respectively. Following the 2015 general election , all four of

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624-672: The National Trust for Scotland or Historic Scotland . They include Dunfermline Abbey (the last resting place of Scottish royalty), the palace in Culross, Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy, Dysart Harbour area, Balgonie Castle near Coaltown of Balgonie, Falkland Palace (hunting palace of the Scottish Kings), Kellie Castle near Pittenweem, Hill of Tarvit (a historical house), St. Andrews Castle, St. Andrews Cathedral and St. Rule's Tower . Fife

676-521: The 11th month had a strong, poetic quality about it; besides, by 2.30 p.m. more soldiers could be unnecessarily killed. After attending the Paris Peace Conference as Britain's naval representative and arranging for the end of the food blockade and hence unblocking the negotiations, Wemyss resigned in November 1919 following persistent calls for Sir David Beatty to be given his job. Wemyss

728-501: The 19th century. Coal had been mined in the area since at least the 12th century, but the number of pits increased ten-fold as demand for coal grew in the Victorian period. Previously rural villages such as Cowdenbeath rapidly swelled into towns as thousands moved to Fife to find work in its mines. The opening of the Forth and Tay rail bridges linked Fife with Dundee and Edinburgh and allowed

780-790: The Channel Squadron in 1892 and the cruiser HMS Astraea in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1895. Wemyss joined the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert in 1896. Promoted to commander on 31 August 1898, he transferred to the cruiser HMS Niobe on the Cape of Good Hope Station , which served as a troopship for prisoners of war during the Second Boer War . He was posted to the President for special service on 1 January 1901, but

832-570: The Lomond Hills can be found villages and small towns in a primarily agricultural landscape. The areas in the south and west of Fife, including the towns of Dunfermline , Glenrothes , Kirkcaldy and the Levenmouth region are lightly industrial and more densely populated. The only areas which could claim to be heavily industrial are Rosyth , around the naval dockyard and perhaps the Mossmorran Natural Gas Liquids fractionation plant on

884-684: The MPs constituencies were held by the Scottish National Party . In the 2017 general election , Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath was regained by Labour . At the same election, the seat of North East Fife became the closest seat in the country with the SNP holding a majority of 2 over the Liberal Democrats . Three of the Scottish Parliament constituencies are held by the Scottish National Party : Cowdenbeath , Dunfermline and Mid Fife and Glenrothes . One

936-441: The administrative area of the county council. The 1889 act also led to a review of boundaries, with several exclaves being transferred to a county they actually bordered, and parishes which straddled more than one county being adjusted such that each parish was entirely in a single county. These changes saw some adjustments to Fife's boundaries with Kinross-shire and Perthshire, with the most significant change being that Fife gained

988-545: The ages. The Pictish king list and De Situ Albanie documents of the Poppleton manuscript mention the division of the Pictish realm or Albany into seven sub-kingdoms, one being Fife. The earliest known reference to the common epithet The Kingdom of Fife dates from only 1678, in a proposition that the term derives from the quasi-regal privileges of the Earl of Fife . The notion of

1040-460: The authority of the Sheriff of Fife . Over time, Scotland's shires became more significant than the old provinces, with more administrative functions being given to the sheriffs. The larger earldom of Fife, including Kinross and Clackmannan, was therefore gradually eclipsed in importance by the smaller shire of Fife. In 1667 Commissioners of Supply were established for each shire, which would serve as

1092-532: The coastal East Neuk settlements were built, has declined in recent years with the main fishing fleet now operating from Pittenweem and the harbour in Anstruther being used as a marina for pleasure craft. There are several islands located off the coast of Fife, such as the Isle of May , Inchkeith and Inchcolm . The former Preston Island south of Valleyfield is no longer an island following land reclamation work. Cupar took over as county town from Crail in

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1144-470: The county's sheriff court and meeting place for the commissioners of supply, replacing the town's medieval tolbooth which had performed the same functions. Fife County Council was abolished in 1975 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 , which replaced Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts with a two-tier structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts . Fife region

1196-533: The creation of such an office." He later claimed in his autobiographical notes that, "The introduction of a Deputy First Sea Lord was only agreed to by me as the result of my conversations with Beatty and Madden . The idea emanated from Sir Eric Geddes who saw in the appointment a way of overcoming the Prime Minister's objections to Sir Henry Oliver , [D.C.N.S.] remaining at the Admiralty . . . . The intention

1248-747: The cruiser HMS Suffolk in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1905, he then took command of the battleship HMS Implacable in the Atlantic Fleet in March 1909. He served as Captain of the ocean liner SS Balmoral Castle for the Duke of Connaught 's cruise to open the Parliament of South Africa in 1910. Appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 14 March 1910, he took part in the funeral of King Edward VII in May 1910 and became an extra equerry to King George V on 10 June 1910, he

1300-518: The golden fringe being the coast and its chain of little ports with their thriving fishing fleets and rich trading links with the Low Countries . Wool , linen , coal and salt were all traded. Salt pans heated by local coal were historically a feature of the Fife coast. The distinctive red clay pan tiles seen on many old buildings in Fife arrived as ballast on trading boats and replaced the previously thatched roofs. In 1598, King James VI employed

1352-736: The harbour of Moudros for operations against the Dardanelles in February 1915, as Governor of Moudros. He commanded a squadron for the British landings at Cape Helles on 25 April 1915 and also gave support for the British landings at Suvla Bay on the Gallipoli Front on 9 August 1915. When the Gallipoli Campaign was abandoned he was responsible for the successful re-embarkation of troops from Suvla Bay and from Ari Burnu on 20 December 1915. He

1404-519: The headquarters of Fife Regional Council from shortly after its creation in 1975. Fife is a peninsula in eastern Scotland bordered on the north by the Firth of Tay , on the east by the North Sea and by the Firth of Forth to the south. The route to the west is partially blocked by the mass of the Ochil Hills . Almost all road traffic into and out of Fife has to pass over one of four bridges, south on

1456-463: The leaders of Scotland gradually moved southwards away from their ancient strongholds around Scone. Malcolm had his principal home in Dunfermline and his wife Margaret was the main benefactor of Dunfermline Abbey . The Abbey replaced Iona as the final resting place of Scotland's royal elite, with Robert I amongst those to be buried there. The Earl of Fife was until the 15th century considered

1508-585: The main administrative body for the area until the creation of county councils in 1890. Following the Acts of Union in 1707, the English term "county" came to be used interchangeably with the older term "shire". Elected county councils were established in 1890 under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 , taking most of the functions of the commissioners (which were eventually abolished in 1930). The two burghs of Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy were deemed capable of managing their own affairs and so were excluded from

1560-551: The northeast coast of Fife lies the historic town of St Andrews , home to the University of St Andrews —the most ancient university of Scotland and one of the oldest universities in the world —and the Old Course at St Andrews , considered the world's oldest golf course . Fife, bounded to the north by the Firth of Tay and to the south by the Firth of Forth , is a natural peninsula whose political boundaries have changed little over

1612-558: The outskirts of Cowdenbeath. The east corner of Fife, along the string of villages between Earlsferry and Kingsbarns , and along with their hinterland, is known as the East Neuk (corner, or projecting point of land) of Fife; small settlements around sheltered harbours, with distinctive vernacular "Dutch" or corbie (crow) stepped gabled and stone-built architecture. The area has amongst the highest concentration of second homes and holiday lets in Scotland. The fishing industry , on which

Deputy First Sea Lord - Misplaced Pages Continue

1664-626: The position of Deputy First Sea Lord was filled by a junior Rear-Admiral with responsibility for "Policy and Foreign" matters. Only the D.O.D. (F) and the Director of Training and Staff Duties reported to him. "As before, the duties of the professional head of the Royal Navy if absent fell upon the shoulders of the Second Sea Lord. After Rear-Admiral Hope was appointed to a sea-going command in August, 1919,

1716-593: The position was allowed to lapse". In 1942, the post was revived again to alleviate the workload of the First Sea Lord during World War II and was held by Admiral Sir Charles Kennedy-Purvis until 1946. Rosslyn Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss Admiral of the Fleet Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss , GCB , CMG , MVO (12 April 1864 – 24 May 1933), known as Sir Rosslyn Wemyss between 1916 and 1919,

1768-565: The principal peer of the Scottish realm, and reserved the right of crowning the nation's monarchs, reflecting the prestige of the area. A new royal palace was gradually constructed at Falkland , formerly the stronghold of Clan MacDuff , and was used by successive monarchs of the House of Stuart , who favoured Fife for its rich hunting grounds. King James VI of Scotland described Fife, in Middle Scots , as a: "beggar's mantle fringed wi gowd"

1820-629: The rapid transport of goods. Modern ports were constructed at Methil , Burntisland and Rosyth . Kirkcaldy became the world centre for the production of linoleum . Postwar Fife saw the development of Scotland's second new town , Glenrothes . Originally to provide housing for miners at a new coal mine, the town eventually attracted a high number of modern Silicon Glen companies to the region. Fife Council and Fife Constabulary also centre their operations in Glenrothes. There are numerous notable historical buildings in Fife, some of which are managed by

1872-410: The signing of the armistice that ended active hostilities in the war. It was Wemyss who made the decision, much to the anger of British Prime Minister David Lloyd George , to have the ceasefire to come into effect at 11.00 a.m. Lloyd George wanted it to take place at 2.30 p.m. so that he could make the announcement in the House of Commons . Wemyss realised that 11 a.m on the 11th day of

1924-631: The torpedo depot ship HMS Hecla in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1885. Promoted to lieutenant on 31 March 1887, he joined the Royal Yacht HMY Osborne in October 1887 and then transferred to the battleship HMS Anson in the Channel Squadron in September 1889. He joined the armoured cruiser HMS Undaunted in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1890, the battleship HMS Empress of India in

1976-412: The town of Clackmannan . By the early thirteenth century Fothriff had been joined to the earldom of Fife. Sometime between the reign of David I (reigned 1124–1153) and the mid-thirteenth century, this part of Scotland was divided into shires , being areas administered by a sheriff . Kinross and Clackmannan were each given their own sheriffs, whilst the rest of the Fife and Fothriff area was placed under

2028-586: The training ship HMS Britannia in 1877. He was posted to the corvette HMS Bacchante in July 1879, having been promoted to midshipman on 23 September 1879, he transferred to the battleship HMS Northumberland in the Channel Squadron in 1883. After a tour in the corvette HMS Canada on the North America and West Indies Station , he was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 24 September 1883, and posted to

2080-434: The two parishes of Culross and Tulliallan , which had previously formed an exclave of Perthshire. Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy were brought within the administrative area of the county council in 1930, but classed as large burghs , allowing them to continue to deliver many local government functions themselves. Fife County Council was based at County Buildings in Catherine Street in Cupar , which had been built in 1817 as

2132-443: Was a Royal Navy officer. During the First World War he served as commander of the 12th Cruiser Squadron and then as Governor of Moudros before leading the British landings at Cape Helles and at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli campaign . He went on to be Commander of the East Indies & Egyptian Squadron in January 1916 and then First Sea Lord in December 1917, in which role he encouraged Admiral Roger Keyes , Commander of

Deputy First Sea Lord - Misplaced Pages Continue

2184-432: Was appointed Jellicoe's replacement in December 1917. As First Sea Lord he encouraged Admiral Roger Keyes , Commander of the Dover Patrol , to undertake more vigorous operations in the Channel, ultimately leading to the launch of the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918. He was advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1918 Birthday Honours and represented Britain at the Armistice in November 1918. He

2236-408: Was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George on 17 January 1911. Promoted to rear admiral on 19 April 1911, he became Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet in October 1912. Wemyss served in the First World War , initially as commander of the 12th Cruiser Squadron in the Channel Fleet and then, after being despatched to Lemnos with a brief to prepare

2288-451: Was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1916 New Year Honours . Wemyss became Commander of the East Indies & Egyptian Squadron in January 1916 where he supported military operations on the Palestine Front . He encouraged the Arab Revolt under Emir Faisal and T. E. Lawrence : the latter said that "Wemyss acted godfather til the Arabs were on their feet". Promoted to vice-admiral on 6 December 1916, he

2340-399: Was appointed a Commander of the French Legion of Honour on 23 March 1917 and a Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy on 11 August 1917. Returning to the Admiralty, Wemyss was appointed Second Sea Lord in September 1917 and then Deputy First Sea Lord in October 1917. Following Sir Eric Geddes 's decision to dismiss the First Sea Lord , Admiral Sir John Jellicoe , Wemyss

2392-428: Was appointed a Member (fourth class) of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) on 24 December 1901. He was briefly posted to the President for temporary service at the Admiralty in October 1902, but the following month was on 25 November 1902 appointed in command of the old battleship HMS Superb , in Fleet Reserve at Portsmouth. He became Captain of the Royal Naval College, Osborne in August 1903. Given command of

2444-408: Was awarded the Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour on 17 January 1919 and the French Croix de Guerre on 15 February 1919. He was also promoted to full admiral on 21 February 1919, awarded the Grand Cross of the Romanian Order of the Crown on 17 March 1919 and presented with the American Distinguished Service Medal on 16 September 1919. Wemyss was the senior British representative at

2496-409: Was created covering the same area as the county, divided into three districts : Dunfermline , Kirkcaldy and North-East Fife . In 1996 the district councils were abolished and Fife Regional Council became a unitary authority known as Fife Council. Fife is one of the six local authorities in the city region of Edinburgh and southeast Scotland. There was a parliamentary constituency of Fife in

2548-419: Was one of the ancient provinces of Scotland , under the authority of the Mormaer or Earl of Fife . The early province of Fife appears to have covered only that part of the later county lying east of a line from Newburgh to Scoonie . The western part of the later county was in the province of Fothriff , which also covered areas that would later become Kinross-shire and part of Clackmannanshire , including

2600-660: Was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 1 November 1919. In retirement he wrote his memoirs under the title The Navy in the Dardanelles Campaign and became a Non-Executive Director of Cable & Wireless . He lived in Cannes where he died in his garden on 24 May 1933. He was buried at Wemyss Castle , his ancestral home. On 21 December 1903 Wemyss married Victoria Morier, daughter of Sir Robert Morier ; they had one daughter, Alice Elizabeth Millicent Erskine-Wemyss. Fife Fife ( / f aɪ f / FYFE , Scottish English : [fɐi̯f] ; Scottish Gaelic : Fìobha [ˈfiːvə] ; Scots : Fife )

2652-435: Was shortly thereafter invited by the Duke of York to become second-in-command of the ocean liner SS Ophir during the royal cruise March–October 1901 to open the Parliament of Australia and visit Commonwealth countries to thank them for their support during the Boer War. Promoted to captain after their return, on 5 November 1901, he became an extra equerry to the Duke (now Prince of Wales) on 19 November 1901 and

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2704-442: Was that in my absence Admiral Wemyss could represent me at the War Council instead of Sir H. Oliver." In August, 1919, when Rear-Admiral Hope was appointed to command the Third Light Cruiser Squadron , the position of Deputy First Sea Lord was not filled. As of 1917: According to authors Harley and Lovell "There can be no doubt that the appointment of Wemyss as Deputy First Sea Lord was to insert an officer amenable to Geddes into

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