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 Hugo Moresby White, (22 October 1939 – 1 June 2014) was a senior officer of 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 F ...

and subsequently

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

Early life

White was born at

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, son of Hugh Fortescue Moresby White (1891-1979), CMG, of the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created to deal with the colonial affairs of British North America but required also to oversee the increasing number of col ...

Senior Resident A resident assistant (RA), also known by a variety of other names, is a trained peer leader who coordinates activities in residence halls in colleges and universities, mental health and substance abuse residential facilities, or similar establishm ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, and Elizabeth ("Betty") Sophia Pennington Brandt, daughter of Captain Frank Brandt, killed at the

Battle of Coronel The Battle of Coronel was a First World War Imperial German Navy victory over the Royal Navy on 1 November 1914, off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. The East Asia Squadron (''Ostasiengeschwader'' or ''Kreuzergeschwader'') ...

in command of HMS Monmouth. He was a descendant of Admiral of the Fleet

Fairfax Moresby Admiral of the Fleet Sir Fairfax Moresby GCB (29 November 1786 – 21 January 1877) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he took part in the unsuccessful expedition to capture Ferrol in Spain during the French Revolutionary Wars. He ...

. White was educated at the

Dragon School ("Reach for the Sun") , established = 1877 , closed = , type = Preparatory day and boarding school and Pre-Prep school , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head , head = Emma Goldsm ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and at the Nautical College, Pangbourne, where he distinguished himself as Chief Cadet Captain, Captain of Fencing, and playing on the rugby First XV.The Old Pangbournian Record: Old Pangbournian Obituaries and Death Notices 1917-2016, p. 256

Military career

Having attended the

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

, White was commissioned into the

in 1960.Debretts People of Today 1994 He was appointed

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...

of the submarine, , in 1970 and then went to teach at the Britannia Royal Naval College in 1971. He went on to be Commander Submarine Sea Training in 1973 and Commanding Officer of the frigate, , in 1975 during the

Cod Wars 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 ...

. He was made Captain Naval Plans in 1978 and Commanding Officer of the frigate, , as well as Captain of the 4th Frigate Squadron in 1981 and served in the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. He went to work for the Chief of Defence Staff in 1982 and became Commanding Officer of the destroyer, , in 1985. He was appointed Flag Officer Third Flotilla and Commander of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Striking Force in 1987. He became

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (A.C.N.S.) is a senior appointment in the Royal Navy usually a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7. History The Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff was originally directly responsible to the Fir ...

in 1988 and Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as Commander Northern Atlantic in 1991. He went on to be

Commander-in-Chief Fleet The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional he ...

in 1992.

Later life

White was appointed

in 1995.Whitaker's Almanack 1996 He was also life president of the Type 21 Club Association. He suffered a serious head injury in a fall in 2002, from which he made a gradual recovery but which impacted his later years. He died on 1 June 2014.

Personal life

In 1966 he married Josephine Mary Lorimer Pedler, having met her on a P&O liner return journey from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

; they had two sons.

References

External links

Admiral Sir Hugo White – obituary
''The Daily Telegraph'', 10 June 1914 , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Hugo 1939 births Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy submarine commanders People educated at The Dragon School Deputy Lieutenants of Devon Governors of Gibraltar Royal Navy personnel of the Falklands War 2014 deaths