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 ...

Peter John Wilkinson, (born 28 May 1956) is a retired senior

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 ...

officer who served as Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel) from 2007 to 2010. He was National President of the

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants. Membership Service in th ...

from 2012 until 2016.

Early life

Wilkinson was born on 28 May 1956. He was educated at the

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, is a selective boys' grammar school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. As a state school, it does not charge fees for pupils to attend, but they must pass the 11 plus, an exam that some pr ...

, and the

University of Wales, Lampeter University of Wales, Lampeter () was a university in Lampeter, Wales. Founded in 1822, and incorporated by royal charter in 1828, it was the oldest Academic degree, degree awarding institution in Wales, with limited degree awarding powers sinc ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1978.

Military career

Wilkinson joined the

in 1975, where he initially served in submarines. He commanded the submarines HMS ''Otter'', ''Superb'', and ''Vanguard'', 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 ...

in 1995. He was captain of the 2nd

Submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

Squadron from 1999 to 2001.‘WILKINSON, Vice Adm. Peter John’, Who's Who 2008, A & C Black, 2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 200
accessed 26 Sept 2008
/ref> Wilkinson was the Director of Naval Service and Conditions (as a

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

) from 2001, and then

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 equi ...

and Director-General Human Resources (Navy) from 2004. From 2005 to 2007 he was Defence Services Secretary and Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel and Reserves). He was 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 ...

and appointed as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel) in August 2007.Ministry of Defence & Tri-service senior appointments
/ref> Wilkinson was appointed 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 ...

in the

2010 Birthday Honours The 2010 Birthday Honours for the Commonwealth realms were announced to celebrate the Queen's Birthday on 7 June 2010 in New Zealand, on 12 June 2010 in the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Sai ...

, and retired in August 2010.

Later life

In retirement Wilkinson became chairman of Seafarers UK, a charity supporting seafarers in need and their dependants across the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets, and

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...

of the Worshipful Company of Cooks. He is a trustee of the Armed Forces Memorial appeal, which has built a new memorial to service personnel who have lost their lives on duty. The memorial is located at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. After the resignation of Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely, he was appointed National President of the

in October 2012 and served until May 2016.Royal British Legion: About us
/ref>

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Peter Living people Royal Navy vice admirals 1956 births Royal Navy submarine commanders Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Alumni of the University of Wales, Lampeter Royal Navy logistics officers 20th-century Royal Navy personnel 21st-century Royal Navy personnel