Admiral Sir William Donough O'Brien, (13 November 1916 – 19 February 2016) was a senior officer in the

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 ...

who served as Commander-in-Chief of the

Western Fleet The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...

from 1970 to 1971.

Naval career

Educated at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, O'Brien was commissioned into the

in 1930.Debrett's People of Today 1994 He served in the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, during which he served with the naval escort of the fateful PQ 17 convoy. In the early 1960s, O'Brien served as Director of Naval Plans at the Ministry of Defence under

Lord Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...

. He was then appointed

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 equi ...

in 1964. He was appointed

Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS) was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1970 to 1979. However, its antecedents date to 1931. A Flag Officer with specific responsibilities for command of aircraft carriers within the Roy ...

in 1966, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet in 1967, and Commander-in-Chief of the

in 1970. He retired in 1971.

Later life

In retirement, O'Brien became Chairman of the King George's Fund for Sailors. In 1975 he was Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889). He became Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal and, after its re-opening by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, he retired from this post. He also held the posts of

Rear-Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and then

Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom The Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom is an honorary office generally held by a senior Royal Navy admiral. The title holder is the official deputy to the Lord High Admiral, an honorary (although once operational) office which was vested in th ...

. He died after a brief illness on 19 February 2016, aged 99.

Family

In 1943, O'Brien married Rita Micallef: they went on to have one son and two daughters.

References

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Obrien, William 1916 births 2016 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy officers of World War II Military personnel from Kent