Henry Leach
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| Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach | |
|---|---|
| 18 November 1923 – | |
 Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach Crown Copyright |
|
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1937 - 1982 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Battles/wars | World War II, Falklands War |
| Awards | GCB |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Conyers Leach, GCB, DL (born 18 November 1923) is a former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy.
Sir Henry Leach was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff between 1979 and 1982. He was the professional head of the Royal Navy at the time of the Falklands War and was instrumental in convincing the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that retaking the islands was possible.
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[edit] Naval career
Sir Henry Leach joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1937 at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of his father John Leach. In 1941, as a Midshipman he was assigned to HMS Prince of Wales, however before he could take up post on board, his father, Captain John Leach was given command. As a result he was reassigned to HMS Mauritius. HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by the Japanese off Singapore, his father chosing to go down with the ship[1].
In December 1943, he was present as a junior officer in HMS Duke of York at the Battle of North Cape[2].
He commanded a destroyer, HMS Dunkirk, from 1959 to 1961[3].
In 1970 he was given command of HMS Albion. He strongly opposed the abolition of the daily issue of rum at that time[4].
In 1971 he became Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff and in 1974 he was appointed Flag Officer First Flotilla. In 1976 he went on to be Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and in 1977 he became Commander-in-Chief Fleet. He was appointed First Sea Lord in 1979.
[edit] The Falklands
On 31 March 1982 soon after the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, he brushed aside serious doubts from the Secretary of State for Defence Sir John Nott, and marched in to visit the Prime Minister in full uniform[5]. He was asked if retaking the islands was possible, he replied "Yes we can recover the islands." He then added "and we must!" Thatcher replied "Why?" he replied "because if we don’t do that, in a few months we will be living in a different country whose word will count for little!" This pleased Thatcher who then proceeded to give the order for the task force to set sail to retake the Falklands.
The Falklands campaign was successful, in no small part, thanks to Sir Henry Leach among others. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet upon retirement in late 1982.
The new (2004) Fleet Headquarters building of the Royal Navy at Whale Island, Portsmouth was named the "Sir Henry Leach Building" in his honour.
[edit] Later career
In retirement he became Chairman of the Council of the King Edward VII Hospital.
[edit] References
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 151
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 151
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 152
- ^ Heathcote, Anthony pg 152
- ^ Hastings, Max; Jenkins, Simon (1983). Battle for the Falklands. London: Pan Books, p85-86. ISBN 0-33-028136-0.
[edit] Further reading
- The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995, Heathcote T. A., Pen & Sword Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0 85052 835 6
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Terence Lewin |
First Sea Lord 1979–1982 |
Succeeded by Sir John Fieldhouse |
