Montague Browning

Browning joined the Royal Navy in 1876.[http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/BROWNING1.shtml Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives] He served in the Anglo-Egyptian War and then became Secretary to the Parliamentary Committee on Water Tube Boilers in 1900.

He was promoted to captain on 1 January 1902,{{London Gazette|issue=27393|date=3 January 1902|page=3|}} and in June that year was appointed flag captain in command of the cruiser HMS Ariadne.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=29 April 1902 |page=7 |issue=36754| }} She was commissioned on 5 June 1902 as flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas, the new Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station, where she arrived to take up the position on 15 July.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=17 July 1902 |page=9 |issue=36822| }} Browning became Chief of Staff for the Channel Fleet in 1908 and Inspector of Target Practice in 1911.

He served in the World War I as Commander of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet and then, from 1916, as Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies. He commanded 4th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet from 1918.

After the War he became President of the Allied Naval Armistice Commission and had the task of dismantling the German Fleet.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5608677 Disarming other ships] The Adalaide Advertiser, 25 November 1918

He then became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1919. In this capacity he also sought to dismantle the Royal Canadian Navy but this time faced determined and successful opposition from Rear Admiral Walter Hose.[http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/beginnings/hose.html Rear Admiral Walter Hose: Saving the Royal Canadian Navy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609194425/http://www.navalandmilitarymuseum.org/resource_pages/beginnings/hose.html |date=9 June 2011 }} CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1920. He also became First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1925 and retired from the navy on 4 October 1926.{{London Gazette| issue=33209 |page=6440 |date=8 October 1926}}

He was also Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1939 and then Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1945.{{London Gazette|issue=34599|page=1136|date=17 February 1939}}

He lived at Crawley near Winchester.{{London Gazette|issue=33299|page=5022|date=2 August 1929}} His brother was Frederick Browning, a cricketer and British Army officer.War Organizer's Death. Western Morning News. 16 October 1929. p. 11

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• [http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Montague_Edward_Browning The Dreadnought Project – Montague Browning]

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{{succession box|title=Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station|before=Sir George Patey|after=Sir William Grant|years=1916–1918}}

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{{succession box | title=Second Sea Lord | before=Sir Herbert Heath | after=Sir Henry Oliver | years=1919–1920}}

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{{succession box | title=Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth | years=1920–1923 | before=Sir Cecil Thursby| after=Sir Richard Phillimore}}

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{{succession box | title=First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp | before=Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe | after=Sir Arthur Leveson | years=1925–1926}}

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{{s-bef|before=Sir Stanley Colville}}

{{s-ttl|title=Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom |years=1929–1939}}

{{s-aft|after=Sir Hubert Brand}}

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{{succession box | title=Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom | before=Sir Stanley Colville | after=Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith | years=1939–1945}}

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Category:1863 births

Category:1947 deaths

Category:Royal Navy admirals of World War I

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George

Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

Category:Commanders of the Legion of Honour

Category:Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class

Category:Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal

Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War

Category:Lords of the Admiralty

Category:Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)

Montague

Category:Military personnel from Suffolk