Admiral of the Fleet An admiral of the fleet or shortened to fleet admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to field marshal and marshal of the air force. An admiral of the fleet is typically senior to an admiral. It is also a generic ter ...

Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound (29 August 1877 – 21 October 1943) was a British senior officer of 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 ...

. He served in 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 a battleship commander, taking part in the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...

with notable success, contributing to the sinking of the German cruiser . He served as

First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...

, the professional head of the Royal Navy, for the first four years of the

Second World War 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 ...

. In that role his greatest achievement was his successful campaign against the German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s and the winning of the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

but his judgment has been questioned over the failed Norwegian Campaign in 1940, and his dismissal of Admiral

Dudley North Dudley North may refer to: *Dudley North, 3rd Baron North (1581–1666), English nobleman and politician *Dudley North, 4th Baron North (1602–1677), English nobleman and politician, son of the above *Sir Dudley North (economist) (1641&ndas ...

in 1940. His order in July 1942 to disperse Convoy PQ 17 and withdraw its covering forces, to counter a threat from heavy German surface ships, led to its destruction by submarines and aircraft. His health failed in 1943 and he resigned, dying shortly thereafter.

Early life

Born the son of Alfred John Pound, an Eton-educated

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

, by his marriage to Elizabeth Pickman Rogers, an American from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Pound's maternal grandfather was Richard Saltonstall Rogers, but was also descended on his mother's side from

Dudley Leavitt Pickman Dudley Leavitt Pickman (1779–1846) was an American merchant who built one of the great trading firms in Salem, Massachusetts, during the seaport's ascendancy as a trading power in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Pickman w ...

, an early

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

, merchant.Heathcote, p. 214 He was educated at Fonthill School in

East Grinstead East Grinstead () is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the northeast corner of the county, bord ...

, Sussex.

Early career

Pound joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS ''Britannia'' in January 1891 and was posted as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

to the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

in the Channel Squadron in January 1893.Heathcote, p. 215 He transferred to the

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 ...

in May 1894 on the China Station and then joined in the Training Squadron. Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 29 August 1896, he joined the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

in October 1897 and the battleship in January 1898. Promoted to lieutenant on 29 August 1898, he joined the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

school in September 1899 and qualified as a torpedo specialist in December 1901. He served as a torpedo officer in the cruiser on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast o ...

before transferring to the battleship in the Atlantic Fleet in January 1905 and then to the battleship in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

in March 1907. Pound joined the staff at the Ordnance Department of the Admiralty in January 1909 and then, having been 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 ...

on 30 June 1909, he transferred to the battleship in the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

in May 1911. He joined the staff of the Royal Naval War College in early 1913 and then transferred to the battleship in the Home Fleet in April 1914. Renown-7

First World War

Pound served throughout the First World War. After being promoted to

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 ...

on 31 December 1914, he became an Additional Naval Assistant to the

before being given command of the battleship in May 1915. He led her at the

with notable success, contributing to the sinking of the German cruiser . He returned to the Admiralty in July 1917 to become assistant director of plans and then director of the operations division (home) and was closely involved in the planning for the

Zeebrugge Raid The Zeebrugge Raid (; ) on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgium, Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent German vessels from leaving port. ...

.Heathcote, p. 216 He also planned the use of radio remote controlled vessels that were developed by the Navy's D.C.B. Section.UK National Archives ADM 1/8539/253 Capabilities of distantly controlled boats. Reports of trials at Dover 28 – 31 May 1918

Interwar career

Pound was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in the

1919 Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

and given command of the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of att ...

in October 1920 before becoming director of the planning division at the Admiralty in June 1923. He became a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 January 1925. Following

Roger Keyes Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, (4 October 1872 – 26 December 1945) was a British naval officer. As a junior officer he served in a corvette operating from Zanzibar on slavery suppression missions. Earl ...

' appointment as commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in May 1925, Pound became his

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

. Pound was promoted to

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 ...

on 1 March 1926 and became Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in April 1927. He went on to be Commander of the Battle Cruiser Squadron in May 1929 and, having been promoted to

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 ...

on 15 May 1930, he became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in August 1932. In the King's Birthday Honours 1930, Pound advanced to rank of Knight Commander of the

. On 16 January 1933 Pound was promoted to full

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 ...

he became

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of the

. In March 1936, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet. On 20 May 1937 Pound was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. In the 1939 New Year Honours, Pound advanced to the rank of

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

First Sea Lord

The Royal Navy during the Second World War A16722

Pound became First Sea Lord in June 1939Heathcote, p. 217 and was promoted to

on 31 July 1939. His health was doubtful even then, but other experienced admirals were in even poorer health.Kennedy, p. 107 He also became First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in October 1941. There are sharply divided opinions of Pound as First Sea Lord during the early years of the

. His admirals and captains at sea accused him of "back seat driving" and he had some clashes with Charles Forbes and John Tovey, commanders of the Home Fleet.

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, with whom he worked from September 1939, was involved with him on naval strategies such that he was referred to as "Churchill's anchor". He has also been described as a "cunning old badger" who had used guile to frustrate Churchill's Operation Catherine, a scheme to send a battle fleet into the Baltic, early in the war. Critically, Pound was at the helm of the Royal Navy on the day of the

sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse The sinking of ''Prince of Wales'' and ''Repulse'' was a naval engagement in World War II, as part of the war in the Pacific, that took place on 10 December 1941 in the South China Sea off the east coast of the British colonies of Malaya ( ...

on 10 December 1941 off the coast of

Kuantan Kuantan (Pahang Malay: ''Kontaeng''; Terengganu Malay: ''Kuatang/Kuantang'') is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the Largest cities in Malaysia, 12th largest city ...

, Malaysia by the Japanese Air Force. Perhaps Pound's greatest achievement was his defeat of the German

s and the winning of the

but he has been blamed for the Channel Dash when the Navy allowed the German battlecruisers and to slip into the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

undetected in February 1942, and criticised for ordering the dispersal of

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

Convoy PQ 17 in July 1942, in which 35 merchant ships were left without protection, leading to 24 of the 35 merchant ships being sunk with the loss of 153 men.Heathcote, p. 218 By March 1942 he was no longer Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff and accepted the need for a deputy first sea lord, with Admiral Sir Charles Kennedy-Purvis installed as such in July 1942. Pound refused a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

but was appointed to the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

on 3 September 1943, four years after the outbreak of the war.Stanley, p. 91

Resignation and death

Pound suffered from hip degeneration, which kept him from sleeping, causing him to doze off at meetings. In July 1943 Pound's wife died; by this time it was clear that his health was declining. He had sustained one stroke and the second, during the Quebec Conference the following month, was paralytic, indicative of a fast developing

brain tumour A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cancero ...

. Pound then resigned formally on 20 September 1943. He died from the tumour at the Royal Masonic Hospital in London on 21 October ( Trafalgar Day) 1943 and, after a funeral service in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, followed by cremation at

Golders Green Crematorium Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000 (the equivalent of £136,000 in 2021), ...

, CWGC Casualty Record. He is named on the CWGC Cremation Memorial there. his ashes were buried at sea in The Solent.

Family

In 1908 Pound married Betty Whitehead; they had two sons and a daughter.

Popular culture

In the 2024 movie ''

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare ''The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare'' is a 2024 action comedy war film directed, co-written and produced by Guy Ritchie, and starring Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding and Alex Pettyfer. Based on the 2014 book ' ...

'' a character named Admiral Pound is portrayed as being in favour of negotiating surrender with the Germans while being opposed to the Special Operations mission depicted.

References

Sources

* * * * Nailor, Peter. "Great Chiefs of Staff – Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, OM, GCB GCVO", ''RUSI Journal: Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies'' (1988) 133#1 pp 67–70. *

External links

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pound, Dudley 1877 births 1943 deaths British military personnel of the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Lords of the Admiralty Members of the Order of Merit Naval history of World War II People from Ventnor Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War I Admiralty personnel of World War II Sailors from the Isle of Wight Military personnel from the Isle of Wight 19th-century Royal Navy personnel