Admiral Sir William Donough O'Brien, KCB, DSC (13 November 1916 – 19 February 2016) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy who served as Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet from 1970 to 1971.
Naval career
Educated at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth, O'Brien was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1930.[1] He served in the Second World War, during which he served with the naval escort of the fateful PQ 17 convoy.[2] He was promoted to captain on 30 June 1955.[3]
In the early 1960s, O'Brien served as Director of Naval Plans at the Ministry of Defence under Lord Louis Mountbatten.[4] He was then appointed Naval Secretary in 1964.[5] He was appointed Flag Officer, Aircraft Carriers in 1966, Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet in 1967, and Commander-in-Chief of the Western Fleet in 1970.[1] He retired in 1971.[1]
Later life
In retirement, O'Brien became Chairman of the King George's Fund for Sailors.[1] In 1975 he was Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).[6] He became Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal and, after its re-opening by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990, he retired from this post.[7] He also held the posts of Rear-Admiral and then Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. He died after a brief illness on 19 February 2016, aged 99.[8]
Family
In 1943, O'Brien married Rita Micallef: they went on to have one son and two daughters.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ^ Clarkson, Jeremy (2 January 2014). "PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster". BBC.
- ^ "No. 40540". The London Gazette. 19 July 1955. p. 4172.
- ^ Journal 20, Page 98 RAF Museum Historical Society
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1965
- ^ Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889) Archived 31 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Day Out: From Cherhill to Devizes BBC News, 25 November 2009
- ^ "O'Brien". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 February 2016.