Rear-Admiral Thomas Benjamin Stratton Adair (6 November 1861 – 12 August 1928) was a British Royal Navy officer and Unionist MP for Glasgow Shettleston from December 1918 to October 1922.
Adair was the son of General Sir Charles William Adair. He entered the Navy in 1874, was promoted to the rank of commander on 1 January 1894, and to captain on 31 December 1899. From 1900 to 1902 he was a member of the Navy's Ordnance Committee. He was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser HMS Gladiator on 22 September 1902, serving with her in the Mediterranean Fleet.
In 1906, as captain of HMS Montagu, he grounded the battleship at Shutter Point, Lundy Island, in a thick fog during naval manoeuvres. Despite extensive efforts, the ship could not be salvaged, and was dismantled in situ. Adair and his navigation officer were court-martialled for the stranding; Adair was sentenced to be severely reprimanded and dismissed from ship. His naval career was effectively ended by the incident.
He retired the following year and was advanced to rear-admiral on the retired list. After his retirement, he was Head of the Ordnance Department of W. Beardmore & Co. Ltd, Parkhead Steelworks, Glasgow.
He was elected as a supporter of David Lloyd George's coalition government for Glasgow Shettleston in December 1918, serving until 1922.
References
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S" (part 3)
- "No. 26471". The London Gazette. 29 December 1893. p. 7581.
- "No. 27150". The London Gazette. 2 January 1900. p. 3.
- "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36881. London. 24 September 1902. p. 4.
- Who's Who 1897-1998 (A & C Black Publishers & Oxford University Press, 1998)
External links
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Glasgow Shettleston 1918 – 1922 |
Succeeded byJohn Wheatley |
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- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies
- 1861 births
- 1928 deaths
- 19th-century Royal Navy personnel
- UK MPs 1918–1922
- Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs
- Royal Navy rear admirals
- Royal Navy officers who were court-martialled
- Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War
- Scottish Conservative and Unionist MP stubs
- Conservative MP (UK), 1860s birth stubs