Rear-Admiral Sir David William Haslam (26 June 1923 – 4 August 2009) was a

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. David Haslam was born in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

and educated at Ashe Preparatory School, Etwall and, from 1936, at Bromsgrove School,

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

(from 1939 the school was evacuated to Llanwrtyd Wells in

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). He joined the

as a Special Entry

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in 1941. He saw service in the cruiser , in the destroyer and in the battleship , in the

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, between 1942 and 1943. In 1944 he specialised in

hydrographic surveying Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, Hydrocarbon exploration, offshore oil exploration/offshore oil drilling and related activities. Str ...

and joined for surveys in waters off

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and

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between 1944 and 1946. He was in command of Survey Motor Launch 325 in 1947 and then spent two years on exchange service with the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

from 1947 to 1949. This was followed by service in the surveying vessel from 1949 to 1951 and her sister ship 1951–53. After a period in command of the Royal Navy Survey Training Unit at

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from 1953 to 1956, as a Lieutenant-Commander, he was First Lieutenant of the new survey vessel until 1957. Promoted to

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at the age of 34, he then had a succession of survey ship commands: in 1958, 1958-60 and 1962–64, the period from 1960 to 1962 being spent in the Admiralty. He was appointed

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in 1964. He was then appointed, in 1964, as the Executive Officer of , the Royal Naval Barracks in

, later serving as

Hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...

of the

from 1965 to 1967, during which time he was promoted to

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 ...

. Back in the United Kingdom, he took command of the new survey vessel from 1968 to 1970 before becoming Assistant

Hydrographer of the Navy The Hydrographer of the Navy is the principal hydrographical Royal Naval appointment. From 1795 until 2001, the post was responsible for the production of charts for the Royal Navy, and around this post grew the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office ...

in the

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, from 1970 to 1972. His final sea command - his sixth - was from March 1972 to 1973. While in charge of surveys in the Persian Gulf, he discovered a series of coral pinnacles now known and charted as Haslam's Patche

He was then an assistant director in the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Hydrographic Department at

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, from 1973 to 1974 and, in 1975, he undertook the Senior Officers' War Course. Promoted Rear-Admiral on 7 July 1975, he became head of his branch when he took up the historic appointment of

in September 1975, a position he held, exceptionally, for ten years. He retired from the

in 1985, after 44 years' service. In retirement, he was busy as

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from 1985 to 1987 and as an adviser on Port Appointments to the Department of Transport from 1986 to 1987. He was President of the Directing Committee of the

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, from 1987 to 1992. He was President of the

Hydrographic Society Hydrographics may refer to: *Hydrography, the measurement of physical characteristics of waters and marginal land *Hydrographics (printing), a printing technique for three-dimensional objects * Hydrographic Department, UK agency for providing hydr ...

from 1977 to 1979. He was a Governor of his old school, Bromsgrove School, from 1977 to 1997 and, unmarried, he lived literally across the road from the School, in Worcester Road, for many years, and it was at home that he died peacefully. He was President of the

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from 1973 to 1996 and President of

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from 1991 to 1992. He was a Liveryman of the

Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors The Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation was granted Letters Patent in May 1977. The Company promotes surveying by awarding scholarships. The Company ranks eighty-fif ...

from 1983, serving also as President of the Land Surveyors Division of the RICS, and also a FRGS,

FRICS The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for surveyors, founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental level, and aims to promote and enforce the highest international standards in the val ...

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and FRSA. The funeral took place at Bromsgrove School chapel on 21 August 2009 followed by a cremation at

Redditch Crematorium Redditch is a town, and local government district, in north-east Worcestershire, England, approximately south of Birmingham. The district has a population of 85,000 as of 2019. In the 19th century, it became the international centre for the ...

. A memorial service was held on Friday 12 March 2010 at Bromsgrove School chapel.

Articles

* Haslam, David. 1983. "Why a Hydrographic Office?" International Hydrographic Review LXII (1): 7 – 16.

Obituaries

* Derby Telegraphbr>14 August 2009
*

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

br>18 August 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haslam, David W 1923 births 2009 deaths Admirals and Generals from Worcestershire Companions of the Order of the Bath English hydrographers Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Hydrographers of the Royal Navy Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bromsgrove School Military personnel from Derby Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy officers of World War II