Vice Admiral Sir Peveril Barton Reiby Wallop William-Powlett, (5 March 1898 – 10 November 1985) 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 who served as Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station from 1952 to 1954.

Naval career

William-Powlett attended Cordwalles School. He joined the

as a midshipman in 1914 and 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 ...

, specialising in signals.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> A keen sportsman, he played

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

for England in 1922.ESPN Scrum
/ref> He saw service with the New Zealand Division from 1931 to 1936 and then commanded the cadet

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

in 1939. In 1935, William-Powlett was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. William-Powlett 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 ...

as Director of Manning at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

and then commanded the cruiser , which was sunk during the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...

in 1941. He was appointed Chief of Staff of Force H at

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in 1941 and then commanded from 1942. He became Captain of the Fleet in the Home Fleet in 1944. After the war, William-Powlett commanded the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ci ...

and then became

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 1948. He went on to be Flag Officer (Destroyers) in the Mediterranean Fleet in 1950 and

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 1952. He retired in 1954. In retirement William-Powlett served as Governor of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a landlocked self-governing British Crown colony in southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally kno ...

from 1954 until 1959.

Family

In 1923, William-Powlett married Helen Constance Crombie; they had three daughters.Unit Histories
/ref> Following the death of his first wife he married Barbara Patience William-Powlett, widow of his brother, in 1966. William-Powlett's second daughter, Helen, married Henry Bruce of Salloch, and is the mother of the royal commentator Alastair Bruce of Crionaich.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:William-Powlett, Peveril 1898 births 1985 deaths Military personnel from Monmouthshire Royal Navy vice admirals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order English rugby union players England international rugby union players High Sheriffs of Devon Rugby union players from Abergavenny Rugby union props