HMS Ganges Captain The Earl Cairns RN

HMS GANGES CAPTAIN THE EARL CAIRNS

Written by Godfrey Dykes

© RN Communications Branch Museum/Library

In keeping with 'we all remember our first this and that', here are a few facts and figures about my Captain of HMS Ganges (1953), my first of many captains in a 30 year career.

David Charles Cairns was a career naval officer born into a family in which, in time to come, he would be created the 5th Earl Cairns.

THE EARLDOM

David's grandfather, Hugh MacCalmont Cairns, was created 1st Baron Cairns of Garmoyle County Antrim (UK) in February 1874. Four years later, in September 1878 his title changed to (A) 1st Earl Cairns (UK) and (B) 1st Viscount Garmoyle County Antrim (UK). He had seven children. The eldest, a boy, died in infancy; the second, a girl and therefore non-inheritor died when aged 29; the third Arthur became the 2nd Earl but died when aged 29; the fourth Herbert became the 3rd Earl but died when aged 40; the fifth, Lt Col Wilfred Dallas Cairns, Rifle Brigade (Captain Cairns' father died in 1946) became the 4th Earl; the sixth died in 1936 and the seventh in 1939. David, who being the eldest son, joined the navy using the title The Hon David Cairns, became the 5th Earl on the 23rd October 1946 whilst appointed as the Commander of the Cruiser HMS Sheffield. Upon his death on the 21st March 1989 when aged 79, his eldest son Simon Dallas Cairns became the 6th Earl Cairns.

CAREER

YEAR	RANK	APPOINTMENT	REMARKS

1927 - 1st May	Midshipman		The Hon David Cairns
1927 - 8th Nov	Midshipman	HMS Queen Elizabeth - Battleship on the Mediterranean Station, flagship of Admiral Sir Frederick L Field KCB KCMG	The Hon David Cairns
1930	Sub Lieutenant	On course in Portsmouth	The Hon David Cairns
1932 - 1st Oct	Lieutenant	-	The Hon David Cairns
1932 - 23rd Nov	Lieutenant	HMS Sussex Cruiser 1st Cruiser Squadron Mediterranean Station	The Hon David Cairns
1933 - 1934	Lieutenant	Qualified in Signals at H.M. Signal School Portsmouth	The Hon David Cairns
1934-1935	Lieutenant	HMS Nelson as Fleet Wireless Assistant Home Fleet	The Hon David Cairns
1936	Lieutenant	Advanced Signal Course R.N.C. Greenwich	The Hon David Cairns
1937 - 1938	Lieutenant	Flag Lieutenant and Signal Officer to CS2 HMS Orion and HMS Southampton	The Hon David Cairns
1939 - 1940	Lieutenant	H.M. Signal School Portsmouth Experimental Department	The Hon David Cairns
1939 - 1st Oct	Lieutenant Commander		The Hon David Cairns
1940	Lieutenant Commander	Flag Lieutenant and Signal Officer to Admiral of the Fleet The Earl of Cork and Orrey in the Norwegian Campaign	The Hon David Cairns Mentioned in Despatches
1940	Lieutenant Commander	Signal Officer on Staff of Captain (D), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for transfer to U.S. "Town" Class Destroyer programme	The Hon David Cairns
1940 - 1941	Lieutenant Commander	Assistant Naval Attache Washington DC, and for duty in U.S. Pacific Fleet.	The Hon David Cairns
1941 - 1943	Lieutenant Commander	Fleet Signals Officer Mediterraean Fleet and later to C-in-C. Levant	The Hon David Cairns
1943 - 31st Dec	Commander		The Hon David Cairns
1943 - 1945	Commander	Admiralty - Radio Equipment Department	The Hon David Cairns
1945 - 1947	Commander	HMS Sheffield - Executive Officer	The Hon David Cairns
1946 - 23rd Oct	Commander	HMS Sheffield - Executive Officer	Created 5th Earl Cairns
1947 - 1949	Commander	HMS Mercury - Training Commander and later, as the Executive Officer	5th Earl Cairns
1949 - 30th Jun	Captain		5th Earl Cairns
1949 - 1950	Captain	Senior Officers War Course	5th Earl Cairns
1950 - 1952	Captain	Deputy Director Signal Division Admiralty	5th Earl Cairns
1952 - 1953	Captain	HMS St Austell Bay in Command and as Senior Officer Frigates America & West Indies Station	5th Earl Cairns
1953 - 1954	Captain	HMS Ganges	5th Earl Cairns
1955 - 1958	Captain	Flag Captain to C-in-C East Indies and in Command HMS Superb	5th Earl Cairns
1958 - 7th Jul	Rear Admiral		5th Earl Cairns
1958 - 1961	Rear Admiral	President of R.N.C. Greenwich	5th Earl Cairns Created CB (Companion of the Order of the Bath)
1961	Rear Admiral	Retired from the Royal Navy	5th Earl Cairns
1962 - 1971	Rear Admiral Retired	Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the UK	5th Earl Cairns Created GCVO (Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order)
1966 - 1977	Rear Admiral Retired	President of the Navy League	5th Earl Cairns GCVO CB
1973	Rear Admiral Retired	Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Suffolk	5th Earl Cairns GCVO CB
1977 - 1989	-	Many interests. He died on the 21st March 1989 aged 79.	5th Earl Cairns GCVO CB

CAPTAIN EARL CAIRNS' TIME AT HMS GANGES

David Cairns married his wife Barbara Jeanne Harrisson BURGESS on the 16th April 1936 as a Lieutenant whilst serving at Greenwich. She became COUNTESS CAIRNS on the same day as her husband became the 5th Earl Cairns in 1946. The Earl and his Countess (Lady Cairns) lived at the Captains Residence HMS Ganges which was (is) a beautiful Tudor house set in its own lovely grounds at Erwarton in Suffolk just a few miles from the Establishment. They lived there with their three children, the eldest of whom was The Hon Simon Cairns (to become the 6th Earl), his brother Hugh and sister Elisabeth. The Countess died on the 12th May 2000 aged 83 but of profound sadness to her was that her daughter Elisabeth pre-deceased her in 1998 when aged just 54.