• Postmaster (1942)

Date of birth:

May 17th, 1889 (Hampstead/London, United States)

Date of death:

April 12th, 1976 (Royal Naval Hospital/Haslar, United Kingdom)

Nationality:

British

Algernon Willis joined the Royal Navy in 1904 and served with distinction in both World Wars. In WWI, he saw action at the Battle of Jutland and earned the DSO for operations in the Baltic. Between the wars, he held key torpedo and command roles, including Flag Captain on the China and Home Stations.

During WWII, Willis rose rapidly: he commanded the South Atlantic Station, served as second-in-command of the Eastern Fleet, and led Force H during the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy. As Commander-in-Chief Levant, he oversaw naval operations in the Dodecanese, and later, as Second Sea Lord, managed manpower for the Pacific campaign. Postwar, he commanded the Mediterranean Fleet during unrest in Palestine and later Portsmouth Command. Promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1949, he retired in 1950.

He died in 1976 at the Royal Naval Hospital, Haslar.

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• Photo 1: Britannia Royal Naval College (Public Domain)
• - LETT, B.G., Ian Fleming and SOE's Operation POSTMASTER, Pen & Sword Military, 2012.
  - Page 2862 | Supplement 31811, 5 March 1920 | London Gazette | The Gazette
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34893/supplement/4243
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37394/supplement/6155
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37931/supplement/1675/data.pdf
  - Page 1442 | Supplement 37505, 15 March 1946 | London Gazette | The Gazette
  - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37977/supplement/2572
  - Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 - W
  - Photograph recognition
  

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