After a career in the Royal Navy, during which he achieved the rank of Commander,[1] he became a journalist, specialising in naval matters.
[1] He was born in Thanet in Kent in 1849, one of five children of Anne and Alexander Robinson, a Paymaster 1st Class and Purser in the Royal Navy.
After twenty years of service he retired early in July 1882 under the Childers Scheme with the rank of Commander.
He received the Royal United Services Institute’s Chesney Medal for his contribution to naval literature.
[6] His book The British Fleet, the Growth, Achievements, and Duties of the Navy of the Empire (1894) became essential reading for naval officers from many countries.