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Lieutenant Joseph William Hobbs (RCNVR) – Entrepreneur and ‘Exporter’

by John M. MacFarlane 2013 (with updates by Colonel John Orr 2021)

Joseph William Hobbs

Lieutenant Joseph William Hobbs RCNVR

Joseph William Hobbs was born in Newbury UK On January 29, 1881. He was the brother of Basil D. Hobbs. In 1900, Hobbs emigrated to Canada with his family – initially to Toronto and later (probably 1901/1902) to Sault Ste. Marie. As far as can be determined, he initially assisted his father who was a farmer (cattle dealer) and manufacturer’s agent in Sault Ste. Marie. He began operating gasoline engines in 1902 when he was 12 years old and was continuously at it ever since until 1915 and claimed to have have operated and repaired all standard Canadian and American makes. He did not have formal training in this work but seems to have picked up skills on the job.

In 1907, J. W. Hobbs began work outside the home with T. W. and L. Co; first as a clerk and then as a telephone installer. (Tagona Water & Light Company – a privately held utility company in Sault Ste. Marie.) In the Sault Ste. Marie Directory for 1914 and 1915, In 1911–1913 he was employed navigating motor boats and in business repairing gasoline motors. He claimed that he also built several boat hulls. In 1914–1915 he was employed as an assistant on the staff of the District Engineer of Public Works of Canada on Harbour Improvements acting as general Foreman of Works. This work apparently involved employment as master of a small tug and an inspection vessel in the Canada Public Works Department.) The story that he moved to Alberta and undertook a career in ranching before moving to Vancouver BC is obviously a fiction developed later in his life. He was one of the most colourful characters to serve with the Royal Canadian Navy.

Hobbs joined the Royal Naval Air Service and was trained at the Curtiss Aviation School in Toronto ON. He passed his flight test on October 13, 1915 and received Royal Aero Club aviator certificate 2006 (13/10/1915). On november 5th, 1915 he sailed for the UK in the Corinthian. He was appointed as a Probationary Flight Sub–Lieutenant (Temp.) RNAS (With seniority dated October 31, 1915. He was appointed as Flight Sub–Lieutenant (Temp.) RNAS. He was appointed as Flight Sub–Lieutenant RNAS 1918. He was a member of the British Naval Air Mission which supervised the construction of a naval air station at Sydney NS.

On 7 September 1916, Hobbs was admitted to Chatham Hospital where he was diagnosed with ‘Morbus Cordis Functionalis’ (heart disease). He was re-surveyed a number of times with no improvement. He was granted leave to proceed to Canada on November 10, 1916. On return to the UK in January 1917, he was found fit for flying duties and appointed to RNAS Windermere in charge of the Care and Maintenance Party. He was re-surveyed on April 28, 1917 and appointed to RNAS Cattewater. He was promoted to Flight Lieutenant with seniority from June 30, 1917. On October 20, 1917, Hobbs was placed in charge of a flight at RNAS Newlyn and was appointed as Acting Flight Commander with seniority from February 12, 1918. On 16 August 1918, Hobbs was attached to the Royal Canadian Naval Air Service for duties as the Air Staff Officer for the US Naval Air Station North Sydney with the rank of Captain, RAF. Following the Armistice, Hobbs returned to the UK and was selected to join RAF forces in the North Russia campaign. It is not clear from his record that he in fact deployed. He was formally demobilized from the RAF on 13 November 13, 1919.

He was appointed as an A/Lieutenant RCNVR on April 15, 1924 and was appointed as the Commanding Officer of the Vancouver Half Company RCNVR serving from 1924–1929.

After his naval service beginning in 1922, Hobbs became the manufacturer’s agent for W. and A. Gilbey Ltd. (London, Eng.) and Peter Dawson Ltd. (Glasgow, Scotland).

Joseph Hobbs became the Managing Director of Hobbs Brothers, presumably in partnership with his brother Basil Hobbs who retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force in the same year. In 1928, Hobbs became President of Hobbs Brothers. In 1929, he is listed as Manager of Stimson’s Canadian Development (G. A. Stimson’s Canadian Development Company, Ltd.), the financial backer of the Marine Building in Vancouver which began construction in the same year. Also in 1929, Hobbs was a witness in criminal proceedings in Vancouver, presumably regarding rum-running. He was involved in the building of the Marine Building in Vancouver – he was the Manager of the Canadian Development Co. Ltd. The Marine Building opened on October 7, 1930. Construction costs were wildly over the original budget – $2.3 million as opposed to an estimated $1.2 million. This, along with the Depression, contributed to financial ruin for Stimson’s which folded in 1931. Hobbs was also taken down by the loss. The Marine Building was sold to British Pacific Building Co., the property arm of the Guinness Brewing Company which was active in real estate development in Vancouver at the time.

Hobbs was an agent for the Distillery Company Ltd. in Canada. He also used his commercial concern, Hobbs Brothers Ltd. in Vancouver as a front for the ownership of the vessels he employed for smuggling. After the start of Prohibition he bought a steamship called the Lillehorn. He started running whisky (mainly Teacher’s Highland Cream whisky) through the Panama Canal to the coast of California. The whisky was shuttled ashore by bootleggers to customers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.

Naden

H.M.C.S. Naden in her days serving in the Royal Canadian Navy before she was the personal yacht of the Commanding Officer of the RCNVR Division in Vancouver BC.

Hobbs purchased the former naval schooner H.M.C.S. Naden for use as a yacht after she was paid off from the RCN. He also owned the former armed yacht Stadacona and she was said to have been involved in the export of alcohol during the prohibition period renamed as the Moonlight Maid. In 1931 Hobbs saw that the days of Prohibition in the USA were numbered – but he also observed that a boom in legal alcohol sales was coming soon. With the end of prohibition Hobbs gladly went ‘legitimate’.

Stadacona

Stadacona – once a commissioned ship of the Royal Canadian Navy, later turned rum runner. (Photo courtesy of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia MMBC-2031)

He was appointed as the Manager of the Canadian Development Co. Ltd. He established the Great Glen Cattle Ranch in 1931 in the West Highlands of Scotland as well as seven Scotch whisky distilleries. He returned to Scotland and the Glasgow firm of Train &McIntyre he purchased seven distilleries: Bruichladdich, Glenury, Royal, Glenesk, Fettercairn, Glenorchy, Benromach and Strathdee. Hobbs was in partnership with Hatim Attari &Alexander Tolmie with the National Distillers of America (which owned Associated Scottish Distillers Ltd.)

Hobbs and his American backers ran the distilleries until 1954 when most were sold to the Distillers Co. Ltd. He sold out in 1961 and retired to Inverlochy Castle which he made his home. He was apparently also a great success as a cattle farmer in Scotland and introduced modern approaches to grazing, as well as improving the breeding stock. He was made a Freeman of the City of London and also by the City of Fort William Scotland. He was a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights.

Whether the shadowy origins of his fortune were publicly known at the time of these honours, he was presented with a testimonial whose address began:

"To Joseph William Hobbs, Commander of the Venerable Order of St. John, Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights, Freeman of the City of London, in recognition of his pioneering achievements in industry, agriculture and stock–breeding, unprecedented in the history of the local economy ..."

Hobbs died in Scotland in 1963.


I am grateful for additional input provided in 2021 by Colonel John Orr with which I was able to better document his naval career and pre–naval origins.

To quote from this article please cite:

MacFarlane, John M. (2013) Joseph William Hobbs – Entrepreneur and Exporter. Nauticapedia.ca 2013. http://nauticapedia.ca/Gallery/Hobbs_Joe.php

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