Invergordon Mutiny

As Invergordon Mutiny, named after the Scottish port Invergordon, refers to a two day mutiny by British sailors in the 15th and 16th September 1931.

Causes

The Invergordon Mutiny was in the course of a labor dispute of about 1,000 British sailors of the so-called Atlantic Fleet of the Royal Navy.

Cause of the mutiny was the announcement of the new British government, due to the impact of the global economic crisis to cut back on all spending in the UK public sector by 10%. Of course, this measure also affected the wages, which meant huge cuts for many workers.

In the course carried out in parallel wage adjustments beyond even this meant a reduction of nearly 25 % for all Royal Navy ranks below the Petty Officers. It affected all those who had entered into service before 1925, as their wages were now automatically adjusted to the new, valid from 1925, but already significantly lower pay level. To further strife led to the fact that many sailors of the working class felt cheated by the policies of their Labour Party, as their Chairman Ramsay MacDonald had entered into a coalition with the hated Conservatives and had the so-called national -government alliance closed in a to meet large coalition of the economic crisis Britain better.

Course

As the Atlantic Fleet sailed into Invergordon on September 11, 1931, learned the sailors of the reductions of their olds. Since in some newspapers, a reduction of 25% was announced, the discontent of the sailors grew rapidly, especially as soon dominated the misconception that all salaries should be reduced by 25%. On September 12, the written orders of the British Admiralty were received for pay cut and distributed on 13 September on the ships of the Atlantic Fleet copies of the arrangements in order to present them to the sailors with the reasons for drastic measures in Invergordon. However, not all ships were given a copy, so that the measures were not all crew members fully explained.

Due to the great discontent among the crew came in the following days to a growing number of disputes with the officers, and more frequently to insubordination and ultimately to the work stoppage by the sailors. In their entirety, the mutiny was bloodless, largely nonviolent, and only occasionally came to blows towards superiors.

The mutiny was finally settled on 16 September, as the Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Wilfrid Tomkinson ( the commander of the Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Sir Michael Hodges was in the hospital ) assured the sailors that Rear Admiral Colvin had been sent as a negotiator for the Admiralty to the cause to discuss the mutiny by the partly covered wage cuts. Since this would take several days to complete, he asked the sailors, as long back as a regular service. In the afternoon came by telegram of the Admiralty orders that all ships of the Atlantic Fleet leak immediately and would return to their home ports. Sailors, their wives were in Invergordon, still got ashore to say goodbye at night then all the ships ran out properly.

Follow

In the workup of mutiny before the Admiralty confirmed Rear Admiral Tomkinson, that the sailors had the officers behave towards appropriate and most respectful. Cause of the mutiny in his view, only the drastic reduction of pay. A general dissatisfaction with the Royal Navy or the guide was not recognizable. In addition, Tomkinson also defended his refusal of a crackdown on the mutiny, because violence would in its view only worsens the situation.

The Admiralty accepted the explanations Tomkinsons, and it was decided before 1925 to introduce the old, slightly higher pay level again and then a lump sum to reduce as all wages from 1925 by 10%. The Admiralty further stated that henceforth any further mutiny would be severely punished. As part of the Invergordon Mutiny no death penalty for the mutineers were made, but some of the leaders were subsequently sentenced to prison. More mutineers were dishonorably discharged or transferred from the Royal Navy.

The Admiralty stated Tomkinson then responsible for the mutiny and guilty that he was not able to stifle it before the outbreak in the bud.

To get rid of the stigma of the mutiny, the Atlantic Fleet named the British Admiralty in 1932 back into the Home Fleet.

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