Sir Henry Gordon Willmer,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, TD (11 August 1899''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007'' – 17 May 1983) was an English lawyer and judge. Willmer was from

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

, Cheshire, the son of Arthur Willmer and the brother of the academic Nevill Willmer and the first-class cricketer

Arthur Willmer Arthur Franklin Willmer (10 January 1890 – 20 September 1916) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Willmer was born at Claughton to Arthur Washington Willmer, a JP and cotton broker, and his wife Janet Mary Wil ...

. He was educated at

Birkenhead School Birkenhead School is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private, academically-selective, co-educational day school located in Oxton, Merseyside, Oxton, Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, in North West England. The school offers educational opportu ...

and

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th c ...

. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

by the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1924 and practiced at the Admiralty bar. He

took silk A King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarch is a woman, the title is Qu ...

in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. He had retired from the Territorial Army in 1938, but in 1940 was commissioned and served in the coastal artillery. He was appointed to the High Court shortly after the war, in December 1945, receiving the customary

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

, and was assigned to the

Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (England ...

. In 1958 he was appointed a

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

and was sworn of the Privy Council. He retired in 1969. In retirement he worked an arbitrator. During an illustrious career he "was the acknowledged master of Admiralty law" (''Tasman Orient Line CV v Alliance Group Ltd'') and sat as a

. He was awarded the honorary degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

by the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

in 1966.

References

1899 births 1983 deaths People educated at Birkenhead School English barristers 20th-century English judges Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford Officers of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights Bachelor Royal Artillery officers Military personnel from Birkenhead British Army personnel of World War II {{England-law-bio-stub