Julian Patterson was born on 6 May 1884. He was educated at Bedford School and entered the Navy (via H.M.S. Britannia) in 1899. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1904 and married Helen Francis Dean in 1911.
During the First World War, he served as a gunnery officer in H.M.S. Ocean. During this timeframe he was promoted to Commander (1915). He also participated in the Battle of Jutland, for which he was later awarded the O.B.E. (1919). He was promoted to Captain in 1921.
Patterson commanded H.M.S. Hood from 27 April 1931 to 15 August 1932. During this time, Hood was the flagship of the Battle Cruiser Squadron under command of Rear-Admiral Wilfred Tomkinson. Tomkinson and Patterson were aboard the ship during the infamous Invergordon Mutiny of September 1931. Following this event, both men were not in high favour with the Admiralty. Patterson chose to retire shortly after his tour in Hood was complete. He subsequently left the service as a Rear-Admiral in 1933.
Following his retirement, he joined the English Steel Company, Vickers Works, Sheffield. He retired from this position in 1949. He was remarried in 1952 to Sina Victoria, widow of Commander John Howard RN. Patterson lived in Bath during his long retirement. He passed away on 23 June 1972.
Sources and References
Who Was Who
Navy Lists (courtesy of J.N. Houterman)