Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir Reginald Henry Portal, (6 September 1894 – 18 June 1983) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer and naval aviation pioneer who served in both world wars.

Early life and family

Born near Hungerford, Berkshire, Reginald Portal was the second son of Edward Robert Portal, a country gentleman. His elder brother was Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, later

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Marshal of the Royal Air Force (MRAF) is the highest rank in the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF). In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom), Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), and to ...

the Viscount Portal of Hungerford. The family was Huguenot in origin and Reginald Portal was related to the goldsmith and dramatist

Abraham Portal Abraham Portal (baptised 1726 – 1809) was an English goldsmith and dramatist. Life He was the son of a clergyman, Peter William Portal, of Huguenot origin. He started in life as a goldsmith and jeweller on Ludgate Hill, but lost money both in ...

, and more distantly so to

Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal Wyndham Raymond Portal, 1st Viscount Portal, (9 April 1885 – 6 May 1949), was a British politician. Early life The eldest son of Sir William Wyndam Portal, 2nd Baronet, and Florence Elizabeth Mary Glyn, daughter of Hon. St Leger Glyn, 2nd s ...

Naval career

Portal joined the

in 1907 and served in the battleship HMS ''Neptune'' before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As an air observer, he received the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

during the war for conspicuous bravery in combat over the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

, when he was wounded. He was assigned to the seaplane carrier HMS ''Ark Royal'' as an observer, before returning to general service on the battleship HMS ''Colossus''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portal, Reginald 1894 births 1983 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Naval Air Service personnel of World War I Military personnel from Berkshire

Reginald Reginald is a masculine given name in the English language meaning "king". Etymology and history The name Reginald comes from Latin meaning "king" and "ruler" symbolizing authority and leadership. It comes from combining Latin “ rex” meaning ...