Admiral Henry John May, C.B. b. 20 Feb 1853 South Petherwin Cornwall d. 24 Apr 1904 Greenwich London Uk

1853 - 1904 (51 years)

Name	Henry John May [1]
Prefix	Admiral
Suffix	C.B.
Birth	20 Feb 1853	South Petherwin Cornwall [2, 3, 4]
Gender	Male
Death	24 Apr 1904	Greenwich London Uk [3]
Person ID	I615	May
Last Modified	12 Jun 2016

Father	Rev Henry Thomas May, b. 9 Dec 1814, Breamore, Hampshire d. 21 May 1894, St Mellion Cornwall Uk (Age 79 years)
Mother	Frances Mackenzie Tew Agnew, b. 10 Jun 1818, Tipner (Portsea) Hampshire UK d. 12 Dec 1885, South Petherwin Cornwall (Age 67 years)
Marriage	14 Nov 1850	Kingston Hampshire Uk [4, 5]
Family ID	F223	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family Constance Ellen Mends, b. Mar 1854, Plymouth Devon UK d. 12 Aug 1929, Winchester Hampshire (Age 75 years)

Marriage 6 Mar 1883 St John the Evangelist Blackheath London [4]

Children

	1. C.B.Henry William Mends May, M.C., b. 4 Jun 1885, Blackheath Kent UK d. 23 Dec 1942, Bodmin Cornwall UK (Age 57 years)
	2. Constance Frances May, b. 29 Jun 1884, Shooters Hill Road, Blackheath Kent Uk d. 16 Feb 1951, Holy Trinity Vicarage, Fareham, Hampshire UK (Age 66 years)
	3. Elsie May, b. 15 May 1891, Plumstead Kent Uk d. 7 May 1962, The Thatched Cottage, Wargrave Berkshire Uk (Age 70 years)
	4. Hyacinth May, b. 5 Oct 1892, Alverstoke, Hampshire UK d. Aug 1978, Lloydminster Saskatchewan Canada (Age 85 years)
	5. Melita Anna May, b. 16 Sep 1886, The Vicarage, South Petherwin Cornwall UK d. 7 Dec 1959, St Vincents Nursing Home, Plympton Devon Uk (Age 73 years)
	6. Marjorie Bessie Joan May, b. 24 Jun 1888, South Petherin Cornwall UK d. 19 Jun 1961, Thalassa, 79 Western Way, Alverstoke Hampshire Uk (Age 72 years)

Family ID F224 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 8 Feb 2025

Photos
Admiral Henry John May, C.B.

Notes

1881 Royal Naal Lieutenant serving on HMS Superb. HMS Superb was involved in the bombardment of Alexandria Egypt i July 1882.
Oct 10th 1892 - April 2 1896 Captain of Corvette HMS Jyacinth on the Pacific Station (He named hs last daughter after this ship)

Promoted to Rank of Lieutenant Dec 30th 1872
Promoted to Rank of Commnder Aug 7 ?
May was promoted to the rank of Captain on 16 January, 1889, for service in connection with operations at Suakin. He was reported fit for active service on 14 May. On 6 October he was appointed a member of the Ordnance Committee. He was appointed to the Admiralty as Inspector of Warlike Stores on 6 May, 1890. May was nominated to serve on a Committee on Ships Complements on 2 May, 1891. On the occasion of the Queen's birthday May was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 25 May, 1892.[3]
On 22 September, 1896, he was appointed in command of the corvette Hyacinth on the Pacific Station. He paid her off into E Division of the Devonport Reserve on 2 April, 1896. From 15 April to 27 May he was appointed to Excellent for a G course. He was appointed a Member of the Ordnance Committee again on 28 May, and on 26 November became senior naval member on the committee.
On 17 November, 1898, May gave a lecture at the R.E. Institute, Chatham, on "The Lessons of the War of 1898 in their Bearing on the Influence of Naval Armaments as Opposed to Coast Defence."[4]
He was appointed in command of the battleship Mars on 5 January, 1899.[5]
Royal Naval College
May was appointed to President, additional, for the Royal Naval College, Greenwich on 18 September, 1900. He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral dated 22 September, 1902.[6]
May died at Greenwich on 24 April, 1904, from gastro-enteritis

Probate of fairly sizeable estate to his widow.

Sources
[S19] Dreadnoughtproject.org.

[S16] 1861 England Census about Henry Thomas May.

[S23] Glenda.

[S34] .

[S18] Ancestry.ca MaytreeFTW.