2025/10/02 by Derek Nudd · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Colonial History and Postcolonial Studies #Cruise #Diplomacy #Government (linguistics) #Indian ocean #Scottish History and National Identity #World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
paper · doi:10.1080/00253359.2025.2578097
openalex publication_date 2025/10/02 · openalex created_date 2025/12/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/13
HMS Cornwall, an armoured cruiser fitted out as a cadet training ship, toured the Baltic in summer 1909. Two officers who joined her crew at the last moment appear to have been there for covert reconnaissance. This article traces the overt cruise and examines the covert mission of Lieutenant Vivian Ronald Brandon and Lieutenant Bernard Frederic Trench and its possible consequences. Cornwall's 1909 cruise brought together three men, the ships commander, Captain Reginald ‘Blinker’ Hall, Brandon and Trench who later formed a crucial team in the Naval Intelligence Department. Their experience of the 1909 cruise had profound effect on naval intelligence during the First World War.