 He went on to be Commander of the East Indies & Egyptian Squadron in January 1916 and then First Sea Lord in December 1917, in which role he encouraged Admiral Roger Keyes, Commander of the Dover Patrol, to undertake more vigorous operations in the Channel, ultimately leading to the launch of the Zeebrugge Raid in April 1918.Born the youngest son of James Hay Erskine Wemyss and Millicent Ann Mary Kennedy Wemyss (née Erskine), Wemyss ("pronounced "Weems"") he was raised at the ancestral home of Wemyss Castle on the Fife coast.He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS "Britannia" in 1877.