Admiral Sir Guy Herbrand Edward Russell, (14 April 1898 – 25 September 1977) was a senior

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. He served as Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet from 1951 to 1953 during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

Second Sea Lord The Second Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (formerly Second Sea Lord) is deputy to the First Sea Lord and the second highest-ranking officer to currently serve in the Royal Navy and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establish ...

from 1953 to 1955, and Commandant of the Imperial Defence College from 1956 until his retirement in 1958.

Early life

Born on 14 April 1899 in St George Hanover Square, London, Russell was the second son of

Oliver Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill Arthur Oliver Villiers Russell, 2nd Baron Ampthill (19 February 1869 – 7 July 1935) was a British peer, rower, and civil servant. He served as Governor of Madras from October 1900 to February 1906, and as acting Viceroy of India from April t ...

, and his wife Margaret.The Peerage.com
/ref> Educated at Stonehouse School, Russell entered the

in 1911Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> and attended the

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course lasting ...

and Dartmouth.

Naval career

During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Russell went to sea as a midshipman aboard , which supported the Dardanelles landings. He would later serve aboard during the Battle of Jutland, and was mentioned in despatches for his war service. Russell saw service on a variety of ships, destroyers, cruisers, battleships, shore training establishments, and on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief Mediterranean, before his relatively early promotion to commander in 1931. This well-rounded record was combined with a reputation for adaptiveness and innovation. He completed the naval staff course at

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

in 1931 and became executive officer of , flagship of the Mediterranean fleet under Sir William Fisher. Russell continued to excel in this position, and was promoted to captain in 1936. After further studies at the

Imperial Defence College 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 level ...

, Russell became Assistant Director of Plans in 1938. On the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Russell first commanded the net layer , and then the cruiser . In late 1941, Russell became naval liaison officer to the

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

Viscount Gort Viscount Gort is the title of two peerages in British and Irish history. Gort is a small town in County Galway in the West of Ireland. The original title was in the Peerage of Ireland and is extant. A viscountcy with the same title as the Irish ...

, and subsequently followed Gort to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

as his chief of staff. After the relief of the island by

Operation Stone Age Operation Stoneage or Operation Stone Age (16–20 November 1942) was an Allied convoy operation to the Mediterranean island of Malta in the Second World War. To disguise the destination of the ships, some took on their cargo at Port Sudan in the ...

, Russell would move on to command and then , flagship of the Home Fleet. It was under his command that ''Duke of York'' sank the ''Scharnhorst'' at the

Battle of North Cape The Battle of the North Cape was a Second World War naval battle that occurred on 26 December 1943, as part of the Arctic campaign. The , on an operation to attack Arctic Convoys of war materiel from the Western Allies to the Soviet Union, was ...

, and he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

as a result, having already been twice mentioned in despatches during the war. A year later, he was appointed to a staff position, naval assistant to the

, and promoted rear admiral in 1945. He was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1943. Russell returned to the Imperial Defence College from 1946 until 1948, was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath that year, and then spent a year commanding the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of Home Fleet, earning the respect of the then Commander-in-Chief, Sir Rhoderick McGrigor. With the reserves until 1951, he was then appointed Commander-in-Chief, Far East Fleet and made 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 ...

. He served on that station until 1953, taking part in the

, and was promoted admiral in 1952. Returning from the Far East, he was made a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

and served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel until 1955. Russell's acute intelligence and bluff but kindly manner, combined with his broad experience, served him well in this position. He was Commandant of the Imperial Defence College from 1956 until his retirement in 1958.

Later life

After retiring, Russell devoted himself to education and the training of young people, at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

Cranleigh School Cranleigh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. History It was opened on 29 September 1865 as a boys' school 'to provide a sound and plain education, on the principles o ...

, Gordon Boys' School, and

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley, is a public school (independent boarding school for boys) near Radley, Oxfordshire, England, which was founded in 1847. The school covers including playing fields, a golf course, a lake, an ...

. An excellent

oarsman Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

(like his father), avid golfer and good shot, he died at his home in

Wisborough Green Wisborough Green is a village and civil parish in the north of the Chichester district of West Sussex, England, west of Billingshurst on the A272 road. Newbridge, where the A272 crosses the River Arun east of the village, was the highest poin ...

in 1977.

Family

He married (Helen) Elizabeth Blades, daughter of Rowland Blades, 1st Baron Ebbisham, in 1939. They had two sons and a daughter: * Dr. James Rowland Russell (28 March 1940 – 2 March 2015) married and left children. * Oliver Henry Russell (b. 7 May 1942) married to Clare Macpherson-Grant, cookbook author, and has children. The elder son has assumed his mother's family name. * Margaret Elizabeth Russell (b. 11 October 1945) married and has children.

References

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Guy Herbrand Edward 1898 births 1977 deaths Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy personnel of the Korean War Royal Navy officers of World War I Younger sons of barons People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne People from Wisborough Green Military personnel from London