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 William Eric Campbell Tait (12 August 1886 – 17 July 1946) was a senior British naval officer, courtier and the fifth

Governor of Southern Rhodesia The governor of Southern Rhodesia was the representative of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch in the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia from 1923 to 1980. The governor was appointed by the Crown and acted as the local ...

after his naval retirement in 1944, serving from 1945 to 1946. He commanded various

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s between 1928 and 1937. He became

Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967. Immediately before the outbreak of the Sec ...

in 1942.

Naval career

Born in

Morice Town Morice Town is a suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. It named after Sir William Morice who owned the land at the time that it was being developed for housing for the employees in the Dockyard. It was originally a part of the ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

to Deputy Surgeon-General and author, William Tait, and his wife Emma, Tait entered the

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also 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 ...

in Dartmouth in 1902. Following his graduation, Tait became a career naval officer, serving in the Pacific, Atlantic,

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and China. He became a friend of the royal household of King George V, serving as a mentor to his two oldest sons, the future kings Edward VIII and George VI. After serving in

World War I 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 ...

, during which he was made a

Member 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 m ...

(MVO), Tait married Katie Grenfell, daughter of Captain

Hubert Grenfell Hubert Henry Grenfell, (12 June 1845 – 13 September 1906), was a British naval officer, and expert in naval gunnery. Life He was born at Rugby on 12 June 1845, the son of Algernon Grenfell, a cleric and schoolmaster, and his wife Maria Guerin P ...

, inventor of illuminated night sights for naval guns, on 3 November 1919. They had two daughters.ed. Matthew, H & Harrison, B. (2004) Oxford ''Dictionary of National Biography'', vol. 53, Oxford University Press. Under the name Cynthia Tait (1894–1962) his wife became a well-known botanical illustrator, particularly of South African flowers. Tait was promoted to

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in 1921 and

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in 1926, gaining his first command in 1928 as Commanding Officer of . There followed commands of and before service as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence before returning to the sea as Commanding Officer of . Made

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

, Tait was Naval Aide-de-camp to King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

in 1938,"Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945", ''Unit Histories'', Accessed 8 September 2008
/ref> a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

(CB) in 1940 and

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

in 1941. before becoming Commodore of the principal naval depot at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. It was in this position that Tait was recognised for the smooth mobilisation of the fleet at 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 ...

.Little, C (1946) "Admiral Sir Campbell Tait: An Appreciation", ''The Times'', 22 July 1946. After serving as Director of Personal Services at the Admiralty, Tait served as

from 1942, and in this capacity, he established and headed a Combined Headquarters in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, where he led the

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 ...

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Servi ...

and

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

, which was considered an important factor in maintaining allied domination around the Cape. Tait was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1943 and a Grand Officer of the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

1945 and was appointed Governor of

Southern Rhodesia Southern Rhodesia was a self-governing British Crown colony in Southern Africa, established in 1923 and consisting of British South Africa Company (BSAC) territories lying south of the Zambezi River. The region was informally known as South ...

on 20 February 1945.Rasmussen, R. Kent, & S. Rubert (1990) ''Historical Dictionary of Zimbabwe'', Second Edition, The Scarecrow Press, London. . Tait's tenure as Governor proved to be fleeting as, ailing for some time, Tait relinquished the Governorship in February 1946 after twelve months and died at Government House,

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, five months later, less than a month before his 60th birthday.''The Times'', "Sir Campbell Tait", 20 July 1946 There is an Admiral Tait Primary School in Harare, Zimbabwe, named in honour of Tait.

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tait, Campbell Royal Navy admirals Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Governors of Southern Rhodesia 1886 births 1946 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Members of the Royal Victorian Order Grand Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy admirals of World War II Military personnel from Plymouth, Devon