Admiral Sir Henry Tritton Buller, (30 October 1873 – 29 August 1960) was a Royal Navy officer, who commanded the Royal Yacht from 1921 to 1931. He served as an Extra Equerry to King George V, and, from 1932 till his death, he was a Groom-in-Waiting to the monarch.
Early life and family Henry Tritton Buller was born on 30 October 1873, the eldest son surviving into adulthood of Admiral Sir Alexander Buller and his wife, Emily Mary Tritton, daughter of Henry Tritton of Beddington, Surrey.Fox-Davies, Armorial Families, 1929, p. 225 The family were well-connected in the Navy and relatively wealthy, with a tradition of naval service. His father would eventually be appointed Commander-in-Chief, China Station, and his great-grandfather, James Buller, who died in 1830, was a Lord of the Admiralty in 1811 and later a Clerk to the Privy Council.Burke, A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 1871, vol. i, p. 171; "The Late Admiral Buller", The Straits Times, 3 November 1903, p. 2
He married, in 1919, Lady Hermione Moray Stuart, daughter of Morton Gray Stuart, 17th Earl of Moray, and had the following children: Pilot Officer Alexander John Stuart Buller (1920–1940) of 101 Squadron, Royal Air Force. Commander Robin Francis Buller (1923–1956) of the Royal Navy. Peter Henry Buller (born 1926). Patricia Moray Buller, known as Lady Ashmore (1929–2013), who married Vice-admiral Sir Peter Ashmore.
Lady Buller died on 9 February 1989.
Naval career Buller enrolled in the Royal Navy on 15 January 1887.National Archives, ADM 196/89/111 Having been acting in the rank, Buller was confirmed as a sub-lieutenant in 1894, and in 1895 was promoted to lieutenant. He took gunnery and torpedo courses at during the late summer 1902, and on 1 September that year was posted to the royal yacht . In 1904 he was promoted to commander and in 1911 to captain.The London Gazette, 29 June 1894, issue 26527, p. 3735; The London Gazette, 26 July 1895, issue 26647, p. 4233; Navy List, April 1911, p. 98; Navy List, April 1914, p. 96a In 1911, Buller was at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).The London Gazette, 14 April 1911, issue 28485, p. 2965
While under Buller's command, chased the German auxiliary cruiser at full speed before engaging with her; the German vessel was subsequently sunk, after approximately an hour of fighting. Buller, his officers and crew, received prize money in 1916 for the sinking.Newcastle Journal, 4 July 1916, p. 3 In recognition of his wartime service, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1918.The London Gazette, 31 December 1918, issue 31099, p. 106
In 1921, he was placed in command of His Majesty's yachts, succeeding Rear Admiral Hon. Sir Hubert George Brand; he relinquished this post in 1931 and was placed on the retired list. He was subsequently appointed an Extra Equerry to King George V.Dundee Courier, 21 December 1921, p. 5; Western Morning News, 4 April 1931, p. 9 A year later, in 1932, he was appointed a Groom-in-Waiting to the King, succeeding Col. Hon. C.H.C. Willoughby; he would continue to serve in this role under George V and was reappointed under Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II.Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 15 October 1932, p. 10; The London Gazette, 2 March 1937, issue 34376, p. 1406; The London Gazette, 20 July 1936, issue 34306, p. 4663; The London Gazette, 1 August 1952, issue 39616, p. 4198 In recognition of his service to the monarch while commanding the Royal Yacht, Buller was knighted in 1925, being appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO),Western Morning News, 29 April 1925, p. 8 and he was subsequently promoted to the highest grade of that order, Knight Grand Cross (GCVO), in 1930.The London Gazette, 15 August 1930, issue 33634, p. 5089
Later life Admiral Buller lived at Netherwood, Southwater, near Horsham, Sussex. He died on 29 August 1960, leaving an estate worth over £71,000, and was buried in St Mary the Virgin churchyard, Shipley, Sussex.National Probate Calendar, 1960
References
Bibliography A.C. Fox-Davies (1929). Armorial Families