Vice Admiral Peter John Wilkinson, (born 28 May 1956) is a retired senior

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 who served as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel) from 2007 to 2010. He was National President of the Royal British Legion from 2012 until 2016.

Early life

Wilkinson was born on 28 May 1956. He was educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, and the University of Wales, Lampeter, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1978.

Military career

Wilkinson joined the

in 1975, where he initially served in submarines. He commanded the submarines HMS ''Otter'', ''Superb'', and ''Vanguard'', being 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 ...

in 1995. He was captain of the 2nd

Submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

from 1999 to 2001.‘WILKINSON, Vice Adm. Peter John’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 200
accessed 26 Sept 2008
/ref> Wilkinson was the Director of Naval Service and Conditions (as a commodore) from 2001, and then Naval Secretary and Director-General Human Resources (Navy) from 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he was

Defence Services Secretary The Defence Services Secretary is a senior member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. Responsibilities The Defence Services Secretary is the senior member of the Royal Household responsible for liaison between the Sover ...

and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves). He was promoted to vice admiral and appointed as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel) in August 2007.Ministry of Defence & Tri-service senior appointments
/ref> Wilkinson was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in the

2010 Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sai ...

, and retired in August 2010.

Later life

In retirement Wilkinson became chairman of

Seafarers UK The Seafarers' Charity (Seafarers UK, formerly King George's Fund for Sailors) is the leading grant-making charity that has been helping people in the maritime community for over 100 years, by providing vital funding to support seafarers in need and ...

, a charity supporting seafarers in need and their dependants across the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets, and Clerk of the

Worshipful Company of Cooks The Worshipful Company of Cooks of London is the smallest of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company received its first and incorporating Royal Charter from Edward IV on 11 July 1482. Its Royal Charter of 16 February 1663, from Ch ...

. He is a trustee of the Armed Forces Memorial appeal, which has built a new memorial to service personnel who have lost their lives on duty. The memorial is located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. After the resignation of Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely, he was appointed National President of the Royal British Legion in October 2012 and served until May 2016.Royal British Legion: About us
/ref>

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Peter Living people Royal Navy vice admirals 1956 births Royal Navy submarine commanders Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Royal Navy logistics officers