William Staveley (Royal Navy officer)

Infobox Military Person
name= Sir William Staveley
lived= 10 November 1928 – 13 October 1997
placeofbirth=
placeofdeath=

caption= The then Rear admiral William Staveley
(Crown Copyright)
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom

United Kingdom
serviceyears= 1942 - 1989
rank= Admiral of the Fleet
branch=
branch
commands= First Sea Lord
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
HMS Albion (R07)
HMS Zulu (F124)
unit=
battles=
awards= Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
laterwork=
Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Doveton Minet Staveley GCB (10 November 1928 - 13 October 1997), was Chief of the Naval Staff and First Sea Lord.

Early life

Staveley was the son of Admiral Cecil Minet Staveley, CB, CMG, and his wife Margaret Adela (née Sturdee). His grandfather was General Sir Charles William Dunbar Staveley GCB.

He was educated at West Downs School, Winchester, then at the Britannia Royal Naval College (while it was still called the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth) and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich.

Naval career

He joined the Royal Navy in 1942. He served on HM Yacht "Britannia" in 1957 and subsequently in the Far East, Middle East and Mediterranean.

He commanded HMS "Zulu" during 1967 before being appointed Assistant Director of Naval Plans at the Ministry of Defence. He went on to command HMS "Albion" between 1972 and 1973 [Heathcote, Anthony pg 234] .

In 1974, he was appointed Director of Naval Plans and Flag Office 2nd Flotilla. In 1976 he went on to become Flag Officer Carriers & Amphibious Ships. In 1978 he was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet and in 1980 he became Vice Chief of the Defence Staff [Heathcote, Anthony pg 235] .

He was appointed Commander-in-chief of Allied Command Channel in 1982 [ [http://www.nato.int/cv/ace-k-p.pdf NATO organisation] ] and then went on to serve as First Sea Lord from 1985 until 1989 when he left the Royal Navy.

Later career

In retirement he was a director of the British School of Osteopathy (1990-96) and its Chairman (1992-1996), a Trustee of Chatham Historic Dockyard [ [http://www.chdt.org.uk/Latest_News?newsarticleid=93 Chatham Historic Dockyard] ] , President of the Kent Branch of the Royal British Legion (1991- ), President of the Kent Council for the Protection of Rural England (1997- ), Vice-President of the Falkland Islands Association, 1991; Member of the Court of the University of Kent (1988- ) and of its Council (1992- ); and a governor of Sutton Valence School (1990-1992).

Honours

* Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, 1981
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, 1984
* Freeman of the City of London, 1987
* Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, 1992

Personal life

In 1954, he married Bettina Kirstine Shuter, and they had a son and a daughter ["Who's Who 1997" (A. & C. Black, London, 1997)] .

References

Further reading

* "The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995", Heathcote T. A., Pen & Sword Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0 85052 835 6