Rhoderick McGrigor
| Sir Rhoderick Robert McGrigor | |
|---|---|
 Vice Admiral McGrigor on the deck of his flagship HMS Norfolk, June 1945 |
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| Born | 12 April 1893 York, United Kingdom |
| Died | 3 December 1959 (aged 66) Tarland, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1910–1955 |
| Rank | Captain (31 Dec 1933) Commodore 2nd cl. (26 August 1938) Rear Admiral (8 July 1941) Vice Admiral (15 April 1945) Admiral (2 September 1948) Admiral of the Fleet (1 May 1953) |
| Commands held | 4th Destroyer Flotilla Force B at Pantellaria and Sicily Flag Officer Sicily Flag Officer, Taranto and Adriatic Home Fleet aircraft carriers 1st Cruiser Squadron Commander-in-Chief Home Fleet First Sea Lord |
| Battles/wars | Dardanelles, Jutland Malta Convoys Arctic Convoys |
| Awards | GCB (1st January 1951) KCB (14th June 1945) CB (1st January 1944) Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rhoderick Robert McGrigor GCB (12 April 1893 – 3 December 1959) was a Royal Navy officer and the British First Sea Lord from 1951 to 1955. During his years as professional head of the Royal Navy, he is most remembered as a leading proponent of carrier-based air power.
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[edit] Early life
Rhoderick Robert McGrigor was the son of Major General C.R.R. McGrigor CB, CMG, 60th Rifles. In 1931, he married Gwendoline Glyn (widow of Major Charles Greville DSO, Grenadier Guards). The couple adopted twin sons one of whom is called Jock McGrigor, the other Andy.
He spent his childhood in South Africa[1] and in early 1906 returned to England and was educated at Royal Naval Colleges (Osborne, Isle of Wight and Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth).[1] He was appointed a midshipman in 1910.[1]
[edit]
[edit] First World War and inter-war
During the First World War, he served on destroyers in the Mediterranean and with the Grand Fleet, seeing action during the Dardanelles campaign and at the Battle of Jutland.[2]
In the inter-war years, he was promoted on 22 September 1936 to Captain (D), 4th Destroyer Flotilla (HMS Kempenfelt), with the Home Fleet, where he served until mid-1938.[2] Later in 1938, on 26 August, he became Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief China Station[2] (first on HMS Kent,[2] then HMS Tamar, the RN base at Hong Kong), until April 1940.
[edit] Second World War
In early 1941, McGrigor was, briefly, Flag Captain, HMS Renown[2] and was involved in the Malta convoys and other operations in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.[2] Between 9 September 1941 and early 1943, he was a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Weapons).[2] In late 1943, he commanded the Naval Force (Force B) covering the capture of the Italian island of Pantelleria (Operation Corkscrew)[2] and the subsequent Invasion of Sicily;[2] he remained as Flag Officer Sicily during Sicilian and Calabrian Campaigns, during which he was wounded when blown from his ship. He was Flag Officer, Taranto and Adriatic (HMS Nile) until the end of 1943.
At the start of 1944, McGrigor briefly commanded Home Fleet aircraft carriers. From 27 March 1944 until July 1945, he was Rear-Admiral Commanding 1st Cruiser Squadron,[2] and from 1 April 1945 he was in addition appointed Second-in-Command Home Fleet with the rank of Vice Admiral[3] (with HMS Kent and then HMS Norfolk as his flagship). During this period, he participated in operations off the Norwegian coast.[4] He was mentioned in despatches on 30 January 1945 for Operation Counterblast) and convoys to North Russia. The final air-raid of the war in Europe, Operation Judgement, took place in North Norway under McGrigor's command on May 4, 1945.
On 7 June 1945 with the 1st Cruiser Squadron he conveyed King Haakon to Oslo on his return to Norway after five years in Britain. For this service, he was awarded the honour of Commander of the Norwegian Order of St. Olav.
[edit] Post-war service
From 1945 onwards, McGrigor was appointed to a number of influential shore posts. On 1 October 1945, he became a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff,[4] where he stayed until 1947. In 1948, until 1950, he was Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet,[4] then Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth until 1951.[4] Admiral McGrigor also commanded Exercise Verity, a major multi-lateral naval exercise for the Western Union Defense Organization (WUDO), in 1949.[5] From 20 December 1951, until 1955, he was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff.[4]
In 1952, McGrigor was appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen, a post he held until 1953.
He held several honorary academic awards posts: Hon. LLD St Andrews, 1953; Hon. LLD Aberdeen, 1955; Lord Rector of Aberdeen University, 1954–1957.
[edit] References
- Royal Navy Officers 1939–1945
- Murfett, Malcolm H.(1995). The First Sea Lords from Fisher to Mountbatten. Westport. ISBN 0-275-94231-7
- Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rhoderick McGrigor |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Edward Syfret |
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff 1945–1947 |
Succeeded by Sir John Edelsten |
| Preceded by Sir Edward Syfret |
Commander in Chief, Home Fleet 1948–1950 |
Succeeded by Sir Philip Vian |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Burnett |
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1950–1951 |
Succeeded by Sir Maurice Mansergh |
| Preceded by The Lord Fraser of North Cape |
First Sea Lord 1951–1955 |
Succeeded by The Earl Mountbatten of Burma |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Power |
First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 1952–1953 |
Succeeded by Sir John Edelsten |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by Jimmy Edwards |
Rector of the University of Aberdeen 1954–1957 |
Succeeded by John Bannerman, Baron Bannerman of Kildonan |
