Willis, Algernon Usborne
- Date of birth:
- May 17th, 1889 (Hampstead/London, United States)
- Date of death:
- April 12th, 1976 (Royal Naval Hospital/Haslar, United Kingdom)
- Nationality:
- British
Biography
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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Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
- Period:
- Russian Civil War (1917-1922)
- Rank:
- Lieutenant Commander
- Unit:
- HMAS Vampire (D68), Royal Australian Navy
- Awarded on:
- March 8th, 1920
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Rear-Admiral
- Unit:
- Chief of Staff, Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- July 11th, 1940
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Vice-Admiral
- Unit:
- Force H, Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- June 2nd, 1943
- Awarded for:
- Operation Husky
HM Birthday Honours
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Vice-Admiral
- Unit:
- Force H, Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- December 21st, 1943
- Awarded for:
- Operation Husky
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Vice-Admiral
- Unit:
- Force H, Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- June 12th, 1944
- Awarded for:
- Operation Avalanche
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Vice-Admiral
- Unit:
- Lord Commissioner, Chief of Naval Personnel, Admiralty, British Government
- Awarded on:
- December 18th, 1945
In the function of Second Sea Lord
Polemikos Stauros 1940 - 2nd Class
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Vice-Admiral
- Unit:
- Commander-in-Chief Levant, Admiralty, British Government
- Awarded on:
- March 19th, 1946
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Admiral
- Awarded on:
- April 15th, 1947
With swords
- Rank:
- Admiral
- Unit:
- Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- June 12th, 1947
HM Birthday Honours
- Rank:
- Admiral
- Unit:
- Mediterranean Fleet, Royal Navy
- Awarded on:
- January 5th, 1948
- Rank:
- Admiral of the Fleet
- Awarded on:
- 1953
- Period:
- First World War (1914-1918)
- Period:
- First World War (1914-1918)
- Period:
- First World War (1914-1918)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Unit:
- South Atlantic Station, Royal Navy
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
Sources
- 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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