Gerard Muirhead-Gould

Rear Admiral Gerard Charles Muirhead-Gould, (29 May 1889 – 26 June 1945) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early life and career

Muirhead-Gould was born in London on 29 May 1889,Taylor 2003 the son of Arthur Lewis Gould and Emily Gertrude Lilias Muirhead. He joined the Royal Naval Cadets in January 1904.Grose 2007, p. 85. During the First World War, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, a Chevalier (Knight) of the French Legion of Honour and a Chevalier of the Greek Order of the Redeemer. Between 1933 and 1936, Muirhead-Gould was a member of the Naval Intelligence Division, assigned to the British Embassy in Berlin. During this time he kept Winston Churchill informed of the German military buildup, particularly in relation to the Treaty of Versailles and the later Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

Second World War

During the Second World War, a heart condition prevented Muirhead-Gould from going to sea.Grose 2007, p. 262. The sinking of British battleship on 14 October 1939, while at anchor in Scapa Flow, by resulted in an Admiralty Board of Inquiry into how a submarine could have penetrated the harbour's defences, and what could be done to prevent a recurrence.Grose 2007, p. 15. Muirhead-Gould, then a commander, was one of the three senior officers on the Board.

In February 1940, Muirhead-Gould became the Naval Officer In Command of Sydney Harbour, a posting that lasted until September 1944, although he was not popular among the officers and sailors of the Royal Australian Navy under his command.Grose 2007, p. 86. He was the senior Allied officer during the relatively unsuccessful Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. He did not take the reports of enemy submarines seriously, reportedly saying: "What are you all playing at, running up and down the harbour dropping depth charges and talking about enemy subs in the harbour? There's not one to be seen." The crew reiterated that a submarine had been seen, but Muirhead-Gould remained unconvinced and before he left, added sarcastically: "If you see another sub, see if the captain has a black beard. I'd like to meet him."

At some point Churchill considered Muirhead-Gould for the position of the Chief Director of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), although nothing came of this.

Muirhead-Gould's previous experience in Germany resulted in him being appointed Flag Officer, Wilhelmshaven in 1944 and he transferred in May 1945 to the captured German naval base at Wilhelmshaven. His command was renamed Flag Officer, Western Germany. There, he suffered a fatal heart attack on 26 June 1945. Gerard Charles Muirhead-Gould was the 13th and last laird of Bredisholm (Scotland).

Notes

References

*

External links

*Richard Taylor
"The Royal Navy's Eyes and Ears in Nazi Berlin. The British war hero who shook Adm Raeder's hand"
published in "The Review", journal of the Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association, Winter 2003.
Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muirhead-Gould
1889 births
1945 deaths
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
Military personnel from London
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Navy admirals of World War II
Royal Navy officers of World War I