Talk:Reginald Prothero

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Reginald Prothero/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk · contribs) 16:29, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Reviewer: Zawed (talk · contribs) 10:20, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

Claiming this one, comments will follow in due course. Zawed (talk) 10:20, 26 June 2026 (UTC)

@Zawed: Hi, thanks for picking this up! Just a ping in case you've forgotten to follow up. Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 17:48, 4 July 2026 (UTC)

Getting to this now. Overall, looks in good shape. Comments as follows:

Lead

• ...the Sinking of HMS Victoria...,: it should be "sinking" since I think it reads as a sentence rather than a distinct event (like a named battle)

• Done

• appointed a Commander of the Order of the Bath: I think that will be Companion

• Agh! Slipped through the proof reading. Done.

• Mention his rank on retirement

• Done.

Early service

• comma after Malpas Court?

• Done.

• His early career included in 1881...: is the year specified in which he served on the list of ships/schools that follows this statement? Seems a lot!

• Source is worded as if this is all in 1881. Unfortunately there isn't a lot of RS coverage of his early services.

• Continuing on station, he...: "Continuing on the Mediterranean Station,..."?

• Reworded.

• sound the secure - painting parties,: is this "secure-painting" or "secure — painting parties..."?

• The latter, changed.

South Africa

• as infantry, they attacked at daylight: replace "they" with "the brigade", and rephrase the following sentence to avoid repeated usage of brigade and attacked?

• Done.

• take that kopje: link kopje or provide a translation?

• Done.

Flag Rank

• as per lead mention his rank on being placed on the retired list

• Done.

Other stuff

• Image tags OK
• Dupelinks: Rear-Admiral (x2), vice-admiral, flagship

• Removed.

• Earwig's Copyvio Detector checked; what is flagged as similarities are titles of sources

Sources/checks

• For the source checks, please email me scans/images of:

• pages 14 and 16 of Grenville Clark & Stewart
• pages 46 and 48 of Lowis
• page 424 of Morris
• page 31 of Hough

• Sources themselves look reliable, most are relatively recent and reputable publishers

That's about it for now. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 11:35, 9 July 2026 (UTC)

@Zawed: Hi! For sources it's probably easier if I link you directly to digital copies rather than rely on my dodgy scanning abilities. In this format I can provide Grenville Clark, Morris, and Hough; Lowis is a physical book which I do not believe is accessible in any online form. Could you perhaps stipulate a few topics cited to Lowis, and I can quote the book here?

- Grenville Clark & Stewart

- Morris

- Hough

Thanks again for your review! Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 12:25, 9 July 2026 (UTC)

You are welcome. I will get onto the source spot checks later today/Saturday. In the meantime for Lowis, I wanted to verify the statement in the second paragraph of the South Africa section Prothero would often mumble...Prothero's coxswain to translate for them; and in the following paragraph, the statement: An opponent of the use...did not meet his expectations. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 22:43, 9 July 2026 (UTC)

P. 46: "He often mumbled his orders, and midshipmen sent on messages would dart away to the nearest cover and beckon the Captain's Coxswain to ask what they had been told to do. They would not have dreamed of asking Old P. to repeat his order."

P. 48: "...even viewed steam with some suspicion. Sailing or pulling were the recognized means of communication with the shore. After tea, when the Fleet was in harbour, the anchorage would be dotted with small boats proceeding to and fro. They moved at a leisurely pace - all except one. If you observed a Captain's galley, almost hidden by spray, its crew pulling wildly, as if pursued by the Devil, a telescope would show in the stern sheets a curious brown stovepipe hat, perched on top of a great black beard, and unwavering eyes fixed on a large silver watch. If Captain Prothero's galley's crew failed to land in a certain time, they would be sent to pull round a rock three miles away."

Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 11:00, 10 July 2026 (UTC)

Thanks for that. Source checks (based on citation numbers as of date of this comment):

• Cite 4 - sister's marriage (pg. 15 of Grenville at al) OK
• Cite 6 - promotions and postings in 1881 (pg. 14 of Grenville at al) OK
• Cite 20 - Morris opinion of Prothero (pg. 424 of Morris) OK
• Cite 19 - midshipmen needing translation from coxswain (pg. 46 of Lowis) OK
• Cite 22 - crew's rowing timeliness (pg. 48 of Lowis) OK
• Cite 31 - Hough opinion of Prothero (pg. 31 of Hough) OK
• Cite 40 (pg. 10 of Grenville at al) fail - date/place of death not on page 10

Zawed (talk) 04:37, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

The second citation used alongside cite 40 provides these details, "The death occurred at Emsworth, Hants, on Wednesday..." . Pickersgill-Cunliffe (talk) 10:20, 14 July 2026 (UTC)

Still struggling to see what cite 40 is actually being used to support. Regardless, it seems as though everything in the statement can be cited to the Daily Telegraph obituary that is cite 41. As the article meets the necessary criteria, I am happy to pass this as GA. Cheers, Zawed (talk) 10:26, 15 July 2026 (UTC)