Admiral Sir David Luce, GCB, DSO, OBE

He was educated at the Royal Naval College, and pursued a naval career gaining the rank of Admiral. He was made a Grand Commander of Bath (GCB), and received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

He was commissioned in 1919, in the service of the Royal Navy.1 He fought in the Second World War, including the Dieppe Raid.1 He was decorated with the award of Companion, Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) (and bar).1 He was invested as a Officer, Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.).1 He fought in the Korean War.1 He gained the rank of Commander-in-Chief in 1960 in the service of the Far East Fleet.1 He held the office of First Sea Lord between 1963 and 1966.1 He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.).1

Source: http://thepeerage.com/p53445.htm#i534447

Wikipedia Biography

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Luce

Admiral Sir John David Luce GCB, DSO & Bar, OBE (23 January 1906 – 6 January 1971) was First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy. He was the son of Admiral John Luce.

Early life

Luce was the son of Admiral John Luce and Mary Dorothea Tucker.[2]

Naval career

David Luce joined the Royal Navy in 1919 and chose to become a submariner.[3]

He commanded the submarines HMS H44 during 1936, HMS Rainbow from 1939 to 1940 and HMS Cachalot from 1940 to 1941.[3]

In 1942 he took part in the Dieppe Raid for which he won an OBE and in 1944 he was appointed Chief Staff Officer to the Naval Forces for the D-Day landings where he won a bar to his DSO.[4]

He was appointed Deputy Director of Plans at the Admiralty in 1948.[3] He then went on the command the cruisers HMS Liverpool and HMS Birmingham from 1951 and 1952 respectively and then became Naval Secretary in 1954.[3] In 1956 he was appointed Flag Officer, Flotillas for the Home Fleet and in 1958 went on to become Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland.[3]

In 1960 he was appointed Commander-in-chief, Far East Fleet[5] and then served as First Sea Lord from 1963 to 1966 when he resigned from the Royal Navy along with Navy Minister Christopher Mayhew in protest over the decision by the Labour Secretary of State for Defence, Denis Healey, to cancel the CVA-01 aircraft carrier programme.[6]

Later career

In retirement he became President of the Royal Naval Association.[4]

References

1. ^ Presidency website
2. ^ The Peerage
3. ^ a b c d e Liddle Hart Centre archives
4. ^ a b RN Officers
5. ^ National Library of Australia
6. ^ The promised two new aircraft carriers