Admiral Sir Frederick Robertson Parham, GBE, KCB, DSO (9 January 1901 – 20 March 1991) was a

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 ...

officer who went on to be

Commander-in-Chief, The Nore The Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, was an operational commander of the Royal Navy. His subordinate units, establishments, and staff were sometimes informally known as the Nore Station or Nore Command. The Nore is a sandbank at the mouth of the ...

Naval career

Educated at 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 las ...

, and the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

,The Papers of Admiral Sir Frederick Parham
/ref> Parham joined the

as a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

in 1913. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...

on HMS ''Malaya''. In 1937 he was given command of HMS ''Shikari''. He saw active service 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 ...

as Captain of the destroyer HMS ''Gurkha'', which was sunk by enemy action in 1940. From 1942 he had command of the cruiser which remains permanently moored as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small num ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. After the War Parham commanded the battleship HMS ''Vanguard'' and then, in 1949 became Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel. He was made Flag Officer (Flotillas) and Second in Command of 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 t ...

in 1951 and

Fourth Sea Lord The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies originally known as the Fourth Naval Lord was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom the post is currently known ...

and Chief of Supplies and Transport in 1954. Finally he was made

, in 1955. He retired in 1959. In retirement Parham chaired a Parliamentary Committee on

Inland Waterways Inland navigation, inland barge transport or inland waterway transport (IWT) is a transport system allowing ships and barges to use inland waterways (such as canals, rivers and lakes). These waterways have inland ports, marinas, quays, and wharfs. ...

.Inland Waterways
Hansard, 4 December 1959

Family

In 1926, he married Kathleen Dobrée; they had one son. Following the death of his first wife, he married Joan Charig Saunders in 1978.

References

External links

Imperial War Museum Interview
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Parham, Fregerick 1901 births 1991 deaths Royal Navy personnel of World War I People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Royal Navy officers of World War I Military personnel from Somerset People from Bath, Somerset Royal Navy admirals Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Lords of the Admiralty