Admiral Sir Edward Neville Syfret, (20 June 1889 – 10 December 1972) was a senior officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

who saw service in both World Wars. He was knighted for his part in

Operation Pedestal Operation Pedestal ( it, Battaglia di Mezzo Agosto, Battle of mid-August), known in Malta as (), was a British operation to carry supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was a base from which British ...

, the critical

Malta convoy The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies ...

, in 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Naval career

Born the son of Edward Ridge Syfret of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

in South Africa and educated at

Diocesan College The Diocesan College (commonly known as Bishops) is a private, English medium, boarding and day high school for boys situated in the suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The school was established o ...

, South Africa and the

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, ...

, Syfret joined the Royal Navy in 1904 and, in his early service years, specialised in naval gunnery.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He played in a Navy v Army

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

match at Lord's in 1911 and 1912.

First World War

In World War I he became Gunnery Officer in the light cruisers HMS ''Aurora'', and . In 1927 he was Fleet Gunnery Officer,

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 t ...

Inter War Years

With the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

he was appointed to HMS Volunteer in 1928 before promotion to

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

the following year. In 1932 he was put in command of

HMS Caradoc Two ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Caradoc'', after Caradoc, a semi-legendary figure in Welsh history, or other figures of this name: * was an iron paddle gunboat launched in 1847 and sold in 1870. * was a light cruiser l ...

on the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

in 1932.

Second World War

Syfret served in the

initially as Captain of . In 1939 he became

Naval Secretary The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy officer who advises the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on naval officer appointing (and General Officers). Their counterpart in the British Army is the Military Secretary. The Royal Air Force equiv ...

. He was made commander of the

18th Cruiser Squadron The 18th Cruiser Squadron was a formation of cruisers of the Royal Navy from 1939 to 1942. The squadron was formed in September 1939 and was assigned to the Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the Unite ...

of the Home Fleet in 1941 and commanded the naval forces during

Operation Ironclad The Battle of Madagascar (5 May – 6 November 1942) was a British campaign to capture the Vichy French-controlled island Madagascar during World War II. The seizure of the island by the British was to deny Madagascar's ports to the Imperial ...

, the invasion of

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

in May 1942 and was convoy commander for

, a critical

Malta Convoy The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies ...

in August 1942. Following Pedestal he was made a KCB "for bravery and dauntless resolution in fighting an important convoy through to Malta in the face of relentless attacks by day and night from enemy submarines, aircraft and surface forces." He was appointed Commander of

Force H Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in 1940, to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. The force occupied an odd place within the ...

later that year and then, in 1943, became Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. After the war he became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet; he retired in 1948.

Family

In 1913 he married Hildegarde Warner. They had one son and one daughter.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Syfret, Edward Neville 1889 births 1972 deaths Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy admirals of World War II Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Legion of Merit Alumni of Diocesan College, Cape Town Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Royal Navy cricketers People from Cape Town People educated at Stubbington House School English cricketers Admiralty personnel of World War II Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College