Admiral of the Fleet Sir David Benjamin Bathurst, (born 27 May 1936) is a former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

officer. After training as a pilot and qualifying as a helicopter instructor, Bathurst commanded a Naval Air Squadron and then two frigates before achieving higher command in the Navy. He served as

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1993 to 1995: in that capacity he advised the British Government on the deployment of Naval Support including

Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/ vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...

s during the Bosnian War.

Early life

Bathurst is the son of Peter Bathurst and his wife Lady Elizabeth Ann Bathurst (née Temple-Gore-Langton). Generally known by his middle name of Benjamin, Bathurst was educated at Eton and

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

, Dartmouth.'' Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010,

Naval career

Bathurst joined the

as a cadet in 1953 and became a midshipman on 1 September 1955.Heathcote, p.22 During his early career he served in the

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

and, following promotion to sub-lieutenant on 1 January 1957 and to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

on 1 February 1959, he qualified as a pilot in 1960. He next served in the ship's flight on the destroyer and then qualified as a helicopter instructor in 1964. He served as an exchange officer with the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

in 1965 and, following promotion to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

on 1 February 1967, he became senior pilot of 820 Naval Air Squadron on the aircraft carrier . He was given command of 819 Naval Air Squadron in February 1969 and then joined the

Directorate of Naval Recruiting Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence a ...

at the Ministry of Defence in early 1970. Promoted to commander on 30 June 1970, he became executive officer on the destroyer in February 1971. He joined the Directorate of Naval Air Warfare at the Ministry of Defence in February 1973. Promoted to captain on 31 December 1974, Bathurst took command of a , in March 1975. He became Naval Assistant to the

in May 1976 and Commanding Officer of as well as Captain of the 5th Frigate Squadron in September 1978. He attended the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest lev ...

in 1981 and became Director of Naval Air Warfare at the Ministry of Defence in January 1982. SeaHarrier

Promoted to rear admiral on 10 October 1983, on appointment as Flag Officer, Second Flotilla, Bathurst went on to be

Director-General, Naval Manpower and Training The Naval Recruitment Training Agency (NRTA) originally called the Naval Training Department was first established in 1944 as a department within the British Admiralty, Admiralty it underwent numerous name changes until 1 April 1995 as a new agen ...

at the Ministry of Defence in May 1985. He was promoted to vice admiral on 22 December 1986, on appointment as Chief of Fleet Support. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the 1987

Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

, and promoted to full admiral on 21 April 1989, on appointment as

Commander-in-Chief Fleet The Commander-in-Chief Fleet (CINCFLEET) was the admiral responsible for the operations of the ships, submarines and aircraft of the British Royal Navy from 1971 until April 2012. The post was subordinate to the First Sea Lord, the professional he ...

which also carried with it the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

appointments of Commander-in-Chief, Channel and Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1991

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

, he became Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in March 1991 and

First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

in March 1993.Heathcote, p.23 As First Sea Lord he advised the British Government on the deployment of Naval Support including Sea Harriers during the Bosnian War. He was promoted Admiral of the Fleet on 10 July 1995 on his retirement.

Later career

In retirement Bathurst became a Non-Executive Director of

British International Helicopters British International Helicopter Services (BIH), owned by Bristow Group, is a British-owned helicopter operator. It operates a fleet of ten helicopters covering search and rescue, offshore, defence, charter and flying training activities from i ...

. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

on 27 August 1996 and became Vice-Lord Lieutenant on 18 February 1999. He is a younger brother of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

and a Liveryman of Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. His interests include gardening, shooting and fishing.

Family

Bathurst married Sarah Christian Pandora Peto, daughter of Major John Peto and granddaughter of

Sir Basil Peto, 1st Baronet Sir Basil Edward Peto, 1st Baronet (13 August 1862 – 28 January 1945) was a British businessman and Unionist politician. Education and early life Born at Westminster, Peto was the seventh son of Sir Morton Peto, 1st Baronet. He entered H ...

, in 1959. They have one son, Lieutenant General Sir Benjamin Bathurst, and three daughters.

References

Sources

* *

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bathurst, Benjamin People educated at Eton College Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Fleet Air Arm aviators Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 1936 births Living people Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies Deputy Lieutenants of Somerset Benjamin Members of Trinity House