1893 Mar 26. Born Witham, Essex. His father was a farmer who must have either inherited, or married into, money
1901 census at Tofts, Little Baddow, Essex
1911 census at Kilderry, Hatfield Peverel, Essex
He was in the navy in 1911 as a Cadet, and one can follow his progress in the service from his record. Acting Sub Lt - 1913 Sep 15
1917 Nov 27 Marriage to Mildred Elizabeth Bowyer at Tendring, Essex
1919 Apr 21 Transferred to Emergency List (Reserves)
1921 Feb 16. Joined ADRIC with service no 1509. G Coy at Lakeside Hotel, Killaloe, Clare
1921 Mar 27. T/Cadet GB Hope, T/Cadet GT Bodley and Driver JC Stuart were in the leading car of a convoy. They saw 5 men in a field outside Moneygall. The men ran, and were fired upon by the ADRIC. One of them, John O'Leary, was hit, and died in hospital in Nenagh. The inquest states that John O'Leary was "on the run" at the time of his death
1921 Apr 16 Posted to Q Coy. Promoted Platoon Commander
1921 May 19. Posted back to G Coy still DI3.
1922 Jan 19. Discharged on demobilisation of ADRIC
1922 His wife Mildred Elizabeth sues for restitution of conjugal rights
1922 His wife Mildred Elizabeth sues for divorce
1923 Oct 22. Arrives in Canada from UK. His intention is to settle
1924 May 15. Lieuts. (Emergency) to be Lieut. Comdrs. (Emergency):— G. B. Hope
1925 Feb 5. Marries in Vancouver, British Columbia to Mysie Gertrude Douglass
1936 Nov 26, Divorce from Mysie Gertrude
1937 Jul 2 Married • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Married at the Sheriff's Office Court House Katherine Margaret Edgell (Abbott) (1911–1975)
1940 In Royal Canadian Navy. (Mobilized for World War Two service), He was appointed as a Lieutenant-Commander (Temp.) RCN (With seniority dated 08/09/1939). He served in HMCS Prince Robert as Executive Officer 1940. He was appointed as an A/Commander (Temp.) RCN (With seniority dated 01/01/1941). He was appointed as a Commander (Temp.) RCN (With seniority dated 01/07/1942). He served as the Kings Harbour Master HMCS Avalon 1942. He was appointed as an A/Captain (Temp.) RCN 1942. He served in HMCS Avalon as Naval Officer-in-Charge 1942. He served in NSHQ as Assistant Chief of Naval Administration and Supply (Equipment) 1944. He served in NSHQ as Deputy Chief of Naval Equipment and Supply 1944, He was appointed as a Captain (Temp.) RCN (With seniority dated 01/01/1946). He served in NSHQ as Chief of Naval Equipment and Supply 1944. He served in NHQ as Director General Works and Supply 1947. (He was retired 07/12/1950.)
From an article by one of the enlisted men on the crw of HMCS Prince Robert
HMCS Prince Robert in 1941 in Esquimalt BC. The Prince Robert was a former Canadian National Steamships passenger liner well known on the west coast. She was converted to an auxiliary cruiser in 1939–1940. I was a Petty Officer at the time when I was drafted to the ship having previously served in two armed yachts. My observation was that the management and organization of the ship was different from other RCN ships and operated more like a ship of the First World War era than that of the Second World War.
There were a number of reasons for this but the most important was that the ship was run by the Executive Officer Commander Geoffrey Bateman Hope RCN. He was an ex–RN officer (he was released from the RN in 1920) who believed in very strict discipline regime. Rumours of his past were plentiful among the crew and there was much speculation on stories widely in circulation. It was rumoured that he had, while an official in Ireland during the operations of the Black and Tans overseen harsh actions. He had also been hired to break long shoreman’s union strike battles on the San Francisco waterfront. He was both vain and capable. Before the Second World War he operated a Home Oil gas station on Windsor Road in Victoria BC...
Commander Hope was the right man for the job considering the composition of the crew. Some of them were difficult to handle and Hope managed them. On one occasion the difficult ones refused to fall in on the upper deck over some issue. He confronted them in the mess deck with a small party manning the fire hoses. He obviously had arranged extra pressure on the system. When they did not respond to his direct order he ordered "switch on" with devastating results to humans and the fittings in the mess deck. That ended the incident....
Some of the ship’s characters would steal food from the Chief Steward at times in bold and clever manoeuvres. The Commander made use of these high jinks to create an amusing interest for the ship's company. Some of these characters performed outrageous acts that were not only the talk of the ship but resulted in serious sounding punishments. These in reality were minimal in their impact on the offender. An example was an Able–Seaman Dobie Hart (an ex–RN deserter) who was the Commander’s servant. He borrowed the Commander’s tweed jacket and fedora, which he wore pulled down over his face. In this outfit he went ashore in the officer’s boat in Hong Kong. Later in the evening he was returned to the ship drunk and dishevelled. After much fuss, and being placed on report. he was given a stoppage of leave for a number of days. Later it was revealed that this punishment was timed to expire by the time we reached the next port!....
Many years later I asked Commander Hope why he suffered so many rascals when he was so demanding of the rest of the crew. He said to me, "Without them there would have been no morale and even worse possible consequences. I had to make it look as though justice was being done and at the same time not kill their spirit so that they would continue their outrageous acts." Perhaps he was a very clever man?
1940 Sep 26.
An affidavit, sworn by Lieutenant- Commander Geoffrey Bateman Hope, that the German ship Weser (Master Ernst Biet) was stopped at latitude 18 deg. 59"N, longitude 104 deg. 23"W, and that, as Executive Officer of His Majesty's Canadian Ship Prince Robert, he led a boarding party onto the Weser at 00:05 hours on the 26th day of September, 1940, and seized the ship as a prize of war. Subsequently, he navigated the Weser hack to Esquimalt Harbour and handed the ship over as a prize of war to the Marshal of the Exchequer Court of Canada on its Admiralty Side. Then on the 8th day of October, 1940, he deposited Weser's papers in the Registry of the Exchequer Court, the papers being (1) Bill of Health, (2) Crew list, (3) Clearance from Manzanillo, and (4) The ship's log book. 12. The following documentwas dated the 18th day of January, and registered at Victoria on the 5th day of February, 1941. a. A decree, issued by the Court, after having heard the evidence and Council for the Crown, and in default of an appearance and claim by Weser's owners, proclaiming that the ship Weser belonged to enemies of the Crown at the time of capture. Therefore, the ship Weser was declared as good and lawful prize and the Court decreed that it should be delivered to His Majesty the King in the Right of Canada. However, the Court further directed that hearing of the claim for the condemnation of the cargo be adjourned until the 9th day of April, 1941. 13. The following document was dated the 2nd day of April and registered at Victoria on the 3rd day of April, 1941. a. An affidavit, made by Harry Ambrose Barnett, stating that, as a marine surveyor appointed to appraise Weser's cargo and stores, he had done so and provided a detailed list. 14. The following document was the last, dated the 9th day of April and registered at Victoria on the 23rd day of April, 1941. a. A decree, issued by the Court, stating that, in default of an appearance and claim by the owners, Weser's cargo and goods be delivered to His Majesty the King in the Right of Canada in lieu of sale.
1944 Jun 8. Award OBE in Birthday Honours
1944 Feb 29 divorce • Victoria, British Columbia, Canada File No: D.C.O. 6104 April 5, 1944 Katherine Margaret Edgell (Abbott) (1911–1975)
1951 Married • Montreal, Quebec, Canada Constance Mary Walker (1904–2000)
1980 Jul 18 Died. Cuckfield, Sussex