Commodore John Fairbairn (12 March 1912 – 20 March 1984) was a South African Naval officer.
Fairbairn was born in
Plumstead, Cape Town
Plumstead is a residential suburb situated in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
History
Plumstead was first mentioned when, in 1762, a large portion of the land beyond Wynberg and the Constantia Val ...
. After being educated at
Diocesan College
The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established on ...
in
Rondebosch
Rondebosch is one of the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. It is primarily a residential suburb, with shopping and business districts as well as the main campus of the University of Cape Town.
History
Four years after the first Dutch s ...
, he started working at the
Standard Bank
Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg.
History
...
in 1930. He joined the
Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original R ...
(RNVR) on 1 July 1929 on a part-time basis while still working at the bank until the start of
World War II
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 opposing ...
, when he signed up to the
South African Navy full-time on 4 September 1939 and was promoted to lieutenant on 12 November the same year.
On 1 May 1946, he joined the SA Navy Permanent Force and was given the rank of lieutenant-commander. On 4 January 1948 while in command of the HMSAS
''Transvaal'', the
Marion and Prince Edward islands were annexed from
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
.
He commanded the SAS ''President Steyn''
before being appointed naval officer in charge (NoiC) of the
Simon's Town Naval Base.
Fairbairn retired in 1972 and died in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
in March 1984.
Awards and decorations
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Notes
References
1912 births
1984 deaths
Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town
South African admirals
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel
South African military personnel of World War II
{{SouthAfrica-mil-bio-stub