Edmund Poë

Admiral Sir Edmund Samuel Poë, (11 September 1849 – 1 April 1921) was an Irish Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies station.

Early life

Poë was born on September 11, 1849, in Ireland. His father was William Thomas Poe, a barrister. One of his older brothers was the soldier and politician Sir William Hutcheson Poë.

Naval career

Educated at the Burney's Royal Naval Academy, Gosport, Poë joined the Royal Navy in 1862. In April 1864, he was appointed to HMS Bombay as a midshipman, and was serving on board when the ship caught fire and sank off Montevideo in December 1864 with the loss of 92 crew.

In May 1875, while serving as a lieutenant on HMS Newcastle, Poë jumped overboard to rescue a man who had fallen into the sea. For this he was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society; he rescued another man who'd fallen into the sea in October 1876.

He was made Naval Advisor to the Inspector-General of Fortifications in 1889 and Commander of the Training Squadron in 1897. He went on to be Second in command of the Home Fleet in 1903 and Rear-Admiral Commanding 1st Cruiser Squadron in 1904. They had two sons and a daughter.