Sir Alfred Lapthorn Blake, (6 October 1915 – 17 November 2013) was a British solicitor,

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

officer and

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

. He was Lord Mayor of

Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council is the local authority of the city of Portsmouth, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. Portsmouth has had a council since medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1997 the council ha ...

from 1958 to 1959 and director of the

Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and ...

from 1966 to 1978.

Early life

Blake was born on 6 October 1915 in

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hampshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 70,131 and the district had a pop ...

, Hampshire, England. He was educated from 1926 to 1932 at

Dauntsey's School Dauntsey's School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging boarding school, boarding and day school) for pupils aged 11–18 in the village of West Lavington, Wiltshire, England. T ...

, a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

in Wiltshire. He read law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, graduating

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

(LLB) in June 1938. He qualified as a solicitor in 1938.

Military service

On the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Blake volunteered for military service. He was one of the first 14 civilians to be commissioned into the

during the war. He attended and passed the Army Staff Course at

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which ...

. In 1943, he was posted to Italy as

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

to Brigadier Tom Churchill of the

2nd Special Service Brigade The 2nd Special Service Brigade was formed in late 1943 in the Middle East and saw service in Italy, the Adriatic, the landings at Anzio and took part in operations in Yugoslavia.Army Commandos 1940–45 By Mike Chappell, p 31 On 6 December 1944 ...

. He relinquished the rank of

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

temporary

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

on 5 October 1943. He took part in the Allied landings at

Anzio Anzio (, also ; ) is a town and ''comune'' on region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ve ...

in January 1944. On 17 January 1944, he was once more made an acting temporary major. He landed in Albania and was involved in the capture of

Sarandë Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; ) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Mediterrane ...

on 9 October 1944, and the liberation of

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

on 14 October 1944. In December 1944, he was appointed

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, f ...

45 Commando 45 Commando Royal Marines (pronounced "four-five commando") is a battalion sized unit of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within UK Commando Force, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of the Fleet Comman ...

based in the Netherlands. In January 1945, his unit came under heavy attack from Germans holding the Montforterbeek Canal. In March 1945, his

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

was wounded. On 23 March, he was made acting temporary lieutenant colonel, and took over command of 45 Commando. He led them over the Maas, Rhine, Weser, Aller and Elb rivers. In April 1945, he returned to the United Kingdom to command the Commando holding unit at

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in the North East Wales, north-east of Wales. It lies between the Cambrian Mountains, Welsh mountains and the lower River Dee, Wales, Dee Valley, near the England–Wales border, borde ...

, North Wales. He was made acting temporary lieutenant colonel again on 4 September 1945. Blake was demobilised in February 1946.

Career

Upon returning to civilian life, Blake was involved in creating the Royal Marines Association. It supports past and present Marines and their families. In 1948, he joined Blake Lapthorn, a Portsmouth

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

founded by his grandfather in 1869. He became a partner in 1949. He retired from the firm as Senior Partner in 1985 but continued as a consultant until 1999. Blake was an elected

. He served as chairman of the Education Committee. He was

Lord Mayor of Portsmouth This is a description of the role of The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth and a list of notable Mayors and the later Lord Mayors of the city of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. Portsmouth had elected a mayor annually since 1531. The city was awarde ...

from 1958 to 1959. Outside of his main career he gave his time to a number of activities. From 1 January 1966 to 30 June 1978, he was the director of the

. He was a

school governor In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, school governors are the overseers of a school. In state schools, they have three main functions: *Giving the school a clear vision, ethos and strategic direction *Holding the headteacher to account for th ...

of Portsmouth Girls' High School, where he rose to be chair, and

. He was an active member of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

, marking his sixtieth year of involvement in 2009. Blake died in

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps R ...

on 17 November 2013, at the age of 98.

Honours and decorations

In June 1945, Black was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(MC) "for courage, tenacity, and skill whilst serving with the Allied Armies in the Mediterranean". He was appointed

Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(CVO) in 1975 and promoted to

Knight Commander Knight Commander (or Dame Commander) is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant (and one of them continues as a German house order). The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the rec ...

of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in 1979 for his services to the

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, which has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and ...

. In 1991, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Hampshire. In 2003, he was made a Freeman of the City of Portsmouth.

References

External links

Obituary – The Daily TelegraphObituary – The Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Alfred 1915 births 2013 deaths Recipients of the Military Cross Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Dauntsey's School Alumni of the University of London People from Gosport Royal Marines Commando officers Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire Lord mayors of Portsmouth Royal Marines personnel of World War II Military personnel from Hampshire Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley