Born the second son of
Richard Augustus Bethell, 2nd Baron Westbury, Bethell joined the
Royal Navy in 1869. In July–August 1899 he commanded the
Arethusa, which was commissioned for the annual manoeuvres. He was given command of the
cruiser HMS Naiad serving in the
Mediterranean Fleet in March 1901, and landed the Somaliland Field Force in East Africa He was appointed
Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station in 1912. ==Family==