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Astle Scott Littlejohns
Article highlights
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The career of a Naval Captain who served ashore during World War One
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Littlejohns' naval career
Littlejohns' naval career
Captain Littlejohns was born in 1873 in Halifax, Canada. He became a Naval Cadet at HMS Britannia in 1886 and then joined the Royal Navy. Littlejohns worked his way up through the ranks of Midshipman, Acting Sub Lieutenant on HMS Howe and became a Sub Lieutenant in June 1892.
Certificate of appointment to Lieutenant, 1902 (RNM)
His first wife, Lavinia, died from bronchiactisis in 1910 aged only 34. He married his second wife, Sybil, in 1912.
Littlejohns served in the Navy throughout World War One. He was involved during the first half of the war in commanding one of the Naval Armoured Train Divisions, serving on the Western Front. He eventually took command of all of the armoured trains serving with the British Expeditionary Force.
He returned to service at sea in 1916 after his association with the Naval Armoured Train Division. He undertook command of the torpedo gunboat HMS Cicala, which linked up with anti-aircraft defences, in 1917.
The crew worked on North Sea Patrol anti-submarine operations and Kite Balloon operations, working from Humber South to Lowestoft, and North to Tees. HMS Cicala relieved HMS Lucia for four months in 1917. Littlejohns acted as Senior Naval Officer Tees and afterwards continued his North Sea patrol, balloon and anti-submarine operations.
He served a temporary three month probation as the Assistant of Sir Francis Haworth-Booth, the Commonwealth Naval Representative, in London during March 1918.
Littlejohns received an official appointment as Haworth-Booth's assistant in June. He served in this position until December 1919 and helped to organise the return of Australian ships back to their homeland after the war.
Later, he provided crews and made arrangements for the voyage to Australia of destroyers and submarines presented to the Royal Australian Navy by the British government. He also acted as the Australian Representative on the International Hydrographic Bureau, established in 1921.
Littlejohns received various decorations for his war service, including the Croix de Guerre medal of Belgium in 1918, as well as the Victory Medal and British War Medal in 1920.
