Admiral of the Fleet Sir Algernon Usborne Willis (17 May 1889 – 12 April 1976) was a

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 ...

officer. He served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and saw action at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. He also 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 ...

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967. Immediately before the outbreak of the Sec ...

in which capacity he led actions against German and Japanese raiding ships. He continued his war service as Flag Officer commanding 3rd Battle Squadron and Second in command of the

Eastern Fleet Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

and then as Flag Officer commanding Force H, the force which covered North African Operations, the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

in July 1943 and then the

Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army ...

in September 1943. He spent the final years of the war as Commander-in-Chief, Levant, in which capacity he conducted naval operations in support of the Dodecanese Campaign, and then as

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

, in which capacity he arranged the manpower for the campaign in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

against the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...

. After the war he served as Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, in which role he was faced with unrest in

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...

, before he became

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succes ...

Naval career

Early career

Born the son of Herbert Bourdillon Willis and Edith Florence Willis (née Moore), Willis was educated at

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...

before joining the training ship HMS ''Britannia'' as a cadet in 1903 and being promoted to midshipman on 15 September 1905.Heathcote, p. 263 He was first appointed to the battleship HMS ''Hindustan'' in the Channel Fleet before transferring to the battleship HMS ''Glory'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in September 1907. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 November 1908 and to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 15 November 1909, he joined the armoured cruiser HMS ''Donegal'' in the Home Fleet in May 1910. He then transferred to the armoured cruiser HMS ''Good Hope'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1911 and attended the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

school HMS ''Vernon'' in 1914. Willis served in the

initially as torpedo officer in the battleship HMS ''Magnificent'' in the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the F ...

before returning first to the torpedo school HMS ''Vernon'' in Spring 1915 and then to the armoured cruiser HMS ''Donegal'', now in the Atlantic Fleet, later that year. He next spent a tour at the torpedo school HMS ''Defiance'' at Plymouth before transferring to the

scout cruiser A scout cruiser was a type of warship of the early 20th century, which were smaller, faster, more lightly armed and armoured than protected cruisers or light cruisers, but larger than contemporary destroyers. Intended for fleet scouting duties a ...

HMS ''Fearless'' in the Grand Fleet in which he saw action at the Battle of Jutland in May 1916. After that he returned to HMS ''Vernon'', where he was promoted to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

on 15 November 1917, before transferring to the destroyer HMS ''Saumarez'' in September 1918. HMAS Vampire Allan-Green

Willis transferred to the destroyer HMS ''Wallace'' in November 1918 and saw action against the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

in the

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

in early 1919, for which service he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

on 8 March 1920, and then transferred to the battlecruiser HMS ''Renown'' later that year and took part in the visit by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

to Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He returned to HMS ''Vernon'' again in 1921 and, having been promoted to commander on 30 June 1922, attended the

Royal Naval Staff College The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

. He became torpedo officer in the cruiser HMS ''Coventry'' in the Atlantic Fleet in December 1923 and then returned to the destroyer HMS ''Wallace'' as commanding officer in October 1927. Promoted to captain on 30 June 1929, Willis joined the directing staff at the

in February 1930. He went on to be Flag Captain to the Commander-in-Chief, China Station in the cruiser HMS ''Kent'' in January 1933 and Flag Captain to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet in the battleship HMS ''Nelson'' in May 1934.Heathcote, p. 264 After that he became captain of HMS ''Vernon'' in September 1935 and commanding officer of the battleship HMS ''Barham'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1938. Promoted to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

on 2 February 1939, he became Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, from February 1939 under

Sir Dudley Pound Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound, (29 August 1877 – 21 October 1943) was a British senior officer of the Royal Navy. He served in the First World War as a battleship commander, taking part in the Battle of Jutland ...

, and, from June 1939 under Sir Andrew Cunningham.

The Second World War

Willis served in the

initially on Cunningham's staff in which capacity, after promotion to rear admiral on 5 January 1940, he was involved in planning operations against the Italian Navy. Appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 11 July 1940, he became

with acting rank of vice-admiral in 1941 in which capacity he led actions against German and Japanese raiding ships. He then became Flag Officer commanding

3rd Battle Squadron The 3rd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships and other vessels, active from at least 1914 to 1945. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the Firs ...

and Second in command of the

under Sir James Somerville with his flag in the battleship HMS ''Resolution'' in February 1942. In February 1943 he became Flag Officer commanding Force H, the force which covered North African Operations, the

in July 1943 and then the

in September 1943. Promoted to the substantive rank of vice admiral on 12 April 1943, he was advanced to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

on 2 June 1943. Willis went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Levant in October 1943, in which capacity he conducted naval operations in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...

in support of the Dodecanese Campaign, and then became

in March 1944. In this capacity he arranged the manpower for the campaign in the

against the

, earning promotion to full admiral on 16 October 1945. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 18 December 1945 and also awarded the Greek Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the Phoenix with Swords, First Class and the Greek War Cross, Second Class. He was also twice mentioned in dispatches.

Later career

Willis became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in April 1946, in which role he was faced with unrest in

but rewarded with advancement to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 12 June 1947. Appointed a Knight of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem on 5 January 1948, he became

in July 1948 and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 20 March 1949 before retiring in 1950. He attended the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. In retirement Willis lived in

Petersfield Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth a ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

. He became Deputy Lieutenant of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and Chairman of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum. He died at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar on 12 April 1976.

Family

In September 1916 Willis married Olive Christine Millar, daughter of Henry Edward Millar and sister of Violet Helen Millar (who married Clement Attlee): they had two daughters.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Papers of Admiral Sir Algernon U. Willis
held at

Churchill Archives Centre The Churchill Archives Centre (CAC) at Churchill College at the University of Cambridge is one of the largest repositories in the United Kingdom for the preservation and study of modern personal papers. It is best known for housing the papers of ...

Additional documents held by the National Archives
* , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Algernon 1889 births 1976 deaths People from Hampstead People from Petersfield Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy personnel of the Russian Civil War Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Admiralty personnel of World War II Military personnel from London Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich