David Stevenson (admiral)
Sir David Stevenson | |
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Mentioned in Despatches |
Early life
Stevenson was born in
Stevenson was educated at The Southport School and was active in most sports, athletics, football, cricket and represented his school in rowing.
He chose a naval career for himself, and joined the
After initial training in
Second World War
After courses in Britain from May 1938 to January 1939, he returned to Australia and was promoted to lieutenant in 1940 while in
In March 1943 he joined
He returned to HMAS Napier as Flotilla Navigating Officer, and remained in her until the end of the war, including a period of temporary command when
Post-war
Stevenson joined HMAS Swan for two years, as Flotilla Navigating Officer of the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla. After his Advanced Navigation Course in England, he was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1948.
He next served in
In 1952, promoted to
He joined
at this yard.Ashore in the UK, Stevenson completed the Royal Navy
In 1958, promoted to captain, Stevenson commanded HMAS Tobruk and was Captain (D) (commanding all RAN destroyers) in 1959–60. He then commanded HMNZS Royalist, New Zealand's only cruiser.
The family moved to
He returned to sea in 1964 to command
Senior appointments
In 1966 Stevenson studied at the
1968 brought promotion to
Stevenson was appointed Chief of Naval Staff, serving from 23 November 1973 to 22 November 1976 with the rank of vice admiral. He replaced Vice Admiral Sir Richard Peek, and was succeeded by Vice Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot. He served under Admiral Sir Victor Smith, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee.
Further honours flowed from this appointment:
In retirement, Sir David Stevenson became Chairman for the ACT for the Queen Elizabeth Fund for Young Australians. He also served for many years and also served on the board of the YMCA in Canberra.
In 1980 he was invited to be a consultant for the
After a number of strokes in the 10 years before his death, he became progressively more physically handicapped while remaining mentally alert. He died on 26 October 1998.
His funeral was held with Full Naval Honours on 6 November 1998, at the ANZAC Memorial Chapel of St Paul,
Family
Stevenson's older brother, James, died as a test pilot during the Second World War. His older sister Dorothy, was a prima-ballerina with the Royal Ballet and the Borovansky Ballet Company. His younger brother was Kenneth.
On 18 April 1944, Stevenson married Myra Clarke (died 1978) of
He married Margaret Wheeler Wright in 1979. In 1985 he and his wife retired to the Gold Coast, Queensland, near where he had attended school, where he continued his interests in golf, fishing, sailing, lawn bowls, travelling, reading and playing bridge. He was Patron of Queensland's N Class Destroyers Association for some years.
References
- ^ "No. 37603". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1946. p. 2887.
- ^ "No. 45000". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1969. p. 36.
- ^ It's an Honour Archived 29 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine – Companion of the Order of Australia
- ^ "No. 47103". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1976. p. 38.
External links
- The Life and Naval Career of Vice Admiral Sir Hugh David Stevenson, AC, KBE, Albert Birch; first published: Naval Historical Review – June 1977 edition
- Full Naval Honours Funeral for One of Navy’s Most Distinguished Admirals, Australian Defence Force media release and biography, 5 November 1998