Nicolson entered the Royal Navy and was educated at the Royal Naval College , Dartmouth , called HMS '' Britannia '' . In 1912 , he was awarded an Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy for his participation in the British rescue mission after the 1908 Messina earthquake . He went to the Royal Naval Staff College in 1913 and afterwards became a war staff officer in a light cruiser squadron , fighting in the First World War . For his services in France , Nicolson was appointed a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur in 1916
1908 Messina earthquake
1908 Messina earthquake
Erskine Nicolson, 3rd Baron Carnock