Alfred Meyer-Waldeck: Difference between revisions

 

Line 67: Line 67:

==External links==

==External links==

* {{{cite web |url=https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=117570370 |title=Ergebnis der Suche nach: “117570370” im Bestand: Gesamter Bestand |author= |date= |website= |publisher=KATALOG DER DEUTSCHEN NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK |access-date=24 December 2023 |lang=de}}

* {{cite web |url=https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=117570370 |title=Ergebnis der Suche nach: “117570370” im Bestand: Gesamter Bestand |author= |date= |website= |publisher=KATALOG DER DEUTSCHEN NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK |access-date=24 December 2023 |lang=de}}

* {{{cite web |url=https://pm20.zbw.eu/folder/pe/0121xx/012177/about |title=Meyer-Waldeck, Alfred (1864-1928) |author= |date= |website=BW Press Archives |publisher=KATALOG DER DEUTSCHEN NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK |access-date=24 December 2023 }}

* {{cite web |url=https://pm20.zbw.eu/folder/pe/0121xx/012177/about |title=Meyer-Waldeck, Alfred (1864-1928) |author= |date= |website=BW Press Archives |publisher=KATALOG DER DEUTSCHEN NATIONALBIBLIOTHEK |access-date=24 December 2023 }}

{{Authority control}}

{{Authority control}}

German naval officer

Alfred Meyer-Waldeck (27 November 1864 – 25 August 1928), born Alfred Meyer, was a vice admiral in the Imperial German Navy.^[1] He was the final governor of the Kiautschou Bay concession from 1911 to 1914 and was most notable as the German naval commander in the Siege of Tsingtao during World War I.

Biography[edit]

Meyer-Waldeck was born Alfred Meyer in Saint Petersburg in the Russian Empire on 27 November 1864. He entered the Imperial German Navy as a cadet on 21 April 1884 and completed his basic training on the sailing frigate SMS Niobe. He attended the Naval School from 26 September 1884 to 14 April 1885 and then served aboard the corvette SMS Moltke until 18 April 1887. He was appointed Seekadett (midshipman) on 16 April 1885, just after reporting aboard Moltke, and was promoted to Unterleutnant zur See two years later . He then served aboard the ironclad frigate SMS König Wilhelm until 7 October 1887. He attended the Naval School again from 8 October 1887 to 14 September 1888 and then served as a watch officer, first on Moltke until 30 April 1889 and then on Niobe until 28 September 1889. He then transferred to the 1st Naval Artillery Department as a company officer, serving there until 30 September 1890. He then served as a watch officer on the ironclad SMS Kaiser until 6 April 1891 and was promoted to Leutnant zur See on 15 December 1890 while aboard Kaiser.

From 7 April to 30 September 1891, Meyer served as watch and training officer on the brig SMS Musquito. He was then a company officer in the cabin boys‘ department and served as a watch officer on the training ship SMS Gneisenau from 1 April 1892 to 12 January 1893. Meyer was assigned to the aviso SMS Wacht as first officer. From 1 April 1893 to 31 March 1895 he served at the German Imperial Naval High Command. He then transferred to the 1st Torpedo Department, in which he served as a company officer, guard officer, first officer, and torpedo boat commander. At the same time, he served as commander of the torpedo boat SMS D1 and flag lieutenant of the II Torpedo Boat Flotilla from 3 August to 21 September 1897. He was promoted to Kapitänleutnant on 12 April 1897.

From 22 September 1897 to 31 May 1898, Meyer attended the I. Coetus at the German Imperial Naval Academy in Kiel. He was assigned to inspect the torpedo establishment for three months before he completed the II Coetus at the Naval Academy. After successfully completing his studies, left for Panama, then a part of Colombia, on 1 May 1899 to duty as first officer on the unprotected cruiser SMS Geier, the German station ship there. After returning to Germany on 26 June 1901, he was first officer on the survey ship SMS Hyäne. He was deployed in the same role on the coastal defense ship SMS Hagen for two months , then served on the German Imperial Admiralty Staff until 28 January 1905. While on the Admiralty Staff, he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän on 28 March 1903.

In April 1903, Meyer received approval to use the surname Meyer-Waldeck from the regional director of the Principality of Waldeck and Pyrmont. Thereafter he was known as Alfred Meyer-Waldeck.

On 19 August 1911 Meyer-Waldeck, by then promoted to Kapitän zur See, succeeded Oskar von Troppel as governor of the Kiautschou Bay concession in China. When the Japanese Empire declared war on the German Empire during World War I on 23 August 1914, he telegraphed to Emperor Wilhelm II that he would “stand up for the fulfillment of duty to the…