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 William Richard Scott Thomas (22 March 1932 – 13 December 1998) was the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod (or simply Black Rod) in the British Parliament's

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

from January 1992 to 8 May 1995.

Naval career

Educated at

Downside School Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for pupils aged 11 to 18. It is located between Bath, Frome, Wells and Bruton, and is attached to Downside Abbey. Originall ...

, Thomas joined the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

in 1951.Obituary, The Independent, 21 December 1998
/ref> He was given command of the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

HMS ''Troubridge'' in 1966. He went on to be Staff Officer Operations to the Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland and saw action in the

Second Cod War The Cod Wars ( is, Þorskastríðin; also known as , ; german: Kabeljaukriege) were a series of 20th-century confrontations between the United Kingdom (with aid from West Germany) and Iceland about fishing rights in the North Atlantic. Each o ...

in 1972. 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 ...

, he took part in

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

development at the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

before being given command of the assault ship HMS ''Fearless''. He went on to be Director of Seaman Officers' Appointments in 1982,

Naval Secretary The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equiv ...

in 1983 and

Flag Officer, Second Flotilla The Flag Officer, Second Flotilla was a senior British Royal Navy appointment from 1971 to 1992. History After the creation of the single Commander-in-Chief Fleet post in 1971, its subordinate commands were reorganised. Three major sub-commands w ...

in 1985. Promoted to vice admiral, he became Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

in 1987 and the UK Military Representative to NATO from 1989 to 1992, when he retired from the Royal Navy. In retirement he became

Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod Black Rod (officially known as the Lady Usher of the Black Rod or, if male, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) is an official in the parliaments of several Commonwealth countries. The position originates in the House of Lords of the Parlia ...

. Amongst other honours, he was awarded a

papal knighthood The orders, decorations, and medals of the Holy See include title of honour, titles, chivalric orders, Award, distinctions and medals honoured by the Holy See, with the Pope as the fount of honour, for deeds and merits of their recipients to t ...

in the

Order of Pope Pius IX , image = , caption = Knight's cross of the Order of Pius IX , awarded_by = , type = Papal order of knighthood , established = 1847 , motto = ''VIRTUTI ET MERITO''(Virtue and Merit) , day ...

Family

Thomas was born 22 Mar 1932 in

Rhyl Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, the son of Mary Hilda Bertha "Maimie" (née Hemelryk) and Welsh-born Commander William Scott Thomas DSC RN (who commanded the

HMS Impulsive HMS ''Impulsive'' was an built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s. She saw service in World War II before being scrapped in 1946. She has been the only ship of the Navy to bear this name. Description The I-class ships were improved versio ...

during World War II) and brother of Lieutenant Commander Simon Scott Thomas, RN. In 1959, he married Paddy Cullinan; they had 8 children. He was the uncle of actresses

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best ...

and

Serena Scott Thomas Serena Harriet Scott Thomas (born 21 September 1961) is an English actress and documentary producer. Her television roles include Diana, Princess of Wales in '' Diana: Her True Story'' in 1993. Her film appearances include ''The World Is Not Eno ...

(the "Scott" portion of their last names coming from another British naval officer, Capt. Robert F. Scott, the ill-fated explorer of the South Pole).On the move: Kristin Scott Thomas
The Times, 10 June 2007

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Richard 1932 births 1998 deaths Royal Navy admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Downside School Ushers of the Black Rod Welsh military personnel People from Rhyl