Sir Algernon Willis | |
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Born | 1889 |
Died | 1976 |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1904 - 1950 |
Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
Commands held | Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic 3rd Battle Squadron Force H Commander-in-Chief Levant Mediterranean Fleet Portsmouth Command |
Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Algernon Usborne Willis KCB DSO (1889–1976) was a British Royal Navy officer.
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Willis joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1904[1] and went on to serve in World War I and then actions against the Bolsheviks in the Baltic from 1918 to 1919.[1]
In the Second World War he was appointed as Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, first under Sir Dudley Pound and then in 1940.[1][2] under Sir Andrew Cunningham, He participated in various Fleet operations in the Mediterranean, including the Battle of Calabria in July 1940,[2] and the attack on Italian Fleet at Taranto in October 1940.[2]
In 1941 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic[1] with acting rank of Vice-Admiral and was responsible for convoys passing through to the Middle East and for operations against enemy vessels. Then in February 1942 he transferred to HMS Resolution as Vice-Admiral commanding 3rd Battle Squadron and Second in command Eastern Fleet under Admiral Sir James Somerville.[1] This Fleet was assigned the duty of protecting communications in the Indian Ocean.
In March 1943 he was Flag Officer commanding Force H,[1] the force which covered North African Operations and then the invasion of Italy. In October 1943 he became Commander-in-Chief, Levant after the Armistice with Italy when Force H dispersed.[1] As Commander-in-Chief Levant he conducted the Dodecanese Campaign of Autumn 1943 and attended the Cairo Conference.
He returned to the UK in 1944 and became Second Sea Lord[1] on the Board of Admiralty and held this appointment until February 1946 when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet.[1] He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1948.[1] He retired in 1950.[1] It was widely believed he was not made First Sea Lord because his wife was Prime Minister Clement Attlee's sister-in-law and Attlee felt such an appointment could look like nepotism.
He spent his last years in Petersfield in Hampshire.
His wife was Lady Olive Willis.[3] They had two daughters.
After his death in 1976, 13 boxes of archived papers were presented to the Churchill Archives Centre in the University of Cambridge.[4] Additional documents are held by the National Archives.[5]
Reports in the London Gazette:
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Sir Robert Raikes |
Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station 1941–1942 |
Succeeded by Sir Campbell Tait |
Preceded by Sir John Cunningham |
Commander-in-Chief, Levant October 1943–December 1943 |
Succeeded by Sir Bernard Rawlings |
Preceded by Sir William Whitworth |
Second Sea Lord 1944–1946 |
Succeeded by Sir Arthur Power |
Preceded by Sir John Cunningham |
Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet 1946–1948 |
Succeeded by Sir Arthur Power |
Preceded by Lord Fraser of North Cape |
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1948–1950 |
Succeeded by Sir Arthur Power |