Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir Arthur Francis Eric Palliser, (20 July 1890 – 22 February 1956) was a prominent

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life and career

Palliser was born in Richmond, Surrey, the son of Arthur Palliser and Hester Brenda Boord. He was educated at Bradfield College, joined the Royal Navy (RN) as a naval cadet in 1905Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, "PALLISER, Sir Arthur Francis Eric (died 1956), Admiral"
/ref> and was trained at the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

and Royal Naval College, Greenwich. By 1911, he had achieved the rank of lieutenant.Hans Houterman & Jeroen Koppes "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945 – P"
/ref> Following service during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Palliser was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

and ''Croix de Guerre avec Palme'' in 1917. He was promoted to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in 1919. In 1921, Palliser married Margaret Eva King Salter, with whom he had a son and a daughter. From 1923 to 1925 he attended HMS ''Excellent'', a gunnery school at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. In 1927–28, Palliser attended a staff course at the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich. During 1930–32, he achieved the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and spent brief periods as fleet gunnery officer, Mediterranean, executive officer of the battlecruiser HMS ''Tiger'', with the Atlantic Fleet and as commander of the destroyer HMS ''Blanche'', in the Mediterranean. During 1934–35, he attended the

Royal Naval War College The Royal Naval War College was a training establishment for senior officers of the Royal Navy that existed from 1900 to 1914. It was based originally at Greenwich, then Plymouth, then Portsmouth, and then Greenwich again. Branch colleges were ...

at Greenwich, followed by an appointment as chief of staff to the

Commander-in-Chief, China The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

(1936–38). Palliser returned to the gunnery school at ''Excellent'', as commander, in 1938–40.

Second World War

Palliser commanded the

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

HMS ''Malaya'' in 1940–41 and was an Aide de Camp to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

during the same period. In 1941, he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Eastern Fleet, Admiral Sir

Thomas Phillips Thomas Phillips RA (18 October 177020 April 1845) was a leading English portrait and subject painter. He painted many of the great men of the day including scientists, artists, writers, poets and explorers. Life and work Phillips was born at ...

. During early 1942, as a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

, Palliser became deputy commander of Naval Forces, in the

American-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in South East Asia in early 1942, during the Pacific War in World War II. The command consists of the forces of Australia ...

(ABDACOM) – a short-lived joint command for

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forces in South East Asia and the South West Pacific – under the US Admiral

Thomas C. Hart Thomas Charles Hart (June 12, 1877July 4, 1971) was an admiral in the United States Navy, whose service extended from the Spanish–American War through World War II. Following his retirement from the navy, he served briefly as a United States Se ...

and the Dutch admiral

Conrad Helfrich Lieutenant Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich (11 October 1886 – 20 September 1962) of the Royal Netherlands Navy was a leading Dutch naval figure of World War II. He was born in Semarang. World War II Helfrich was appointed overall com ...

. Later that year, he was appointed Flag Officer and Fortress Commander at Trincomalee and also served in a staff position with the Royal Indian Navy at New Delhi. On 2 February 1943 he was Mentioned in Despatches for "good services in the a term used in British circles for ABDACOM). During 1943, he returned to the UK to command the 1st Cruiser Squadron. In 1944, Palliser was made Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport, a position he held until 1946. From 1946 he held the position of Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station. Palliser was made Knight Commander of the Bath in 1945, and was made a full

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

in 1947. Palliser retired in 1948 and died on 22 February 1956 in

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Thomas 1890 births 1956 deaths Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Lords of the Admiralty Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War I People from Richmond, London Admiralty personnel of World War II Military personnel from Surrey