Edward Ashmore

First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in the mid-1970s and in that role he advised the incoming Labour government on a major defence review and on the implications of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He went on to be acting Chief of the Defence Staff

, serving briefly in a caretaker capacity following the death of his predecessor.

Naval career

Born the son of Vice Admiral

China Station January 1938 and was promoted to sub-lieutenant on 1 September 1939.^[3] He was also involved in a confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy at Qingdao over the SS Vincent de Paul in January 1939.^[4]

Ashmore was posted to the

mentioned in despatches for distinguished service in the Far East on 11 June 1946.^[7]

After the war Ashmore qualified as a

6th Frigate Squadron sailing in the frigate HMS Blackpool in October 1958.^[6]

Ashmore became Deputy Director of Naval Plans at the Admiralty in June 1960, Director of Naval Plans there in November 1960 and then Chairman of the Service Directors of Plans at the

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1974 New Year Honours.^[18]

Ashmore became

First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on 1 March 1974.^[19] In that role he advised the incoming Labour Government on a major defence review and on the implications of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974.^[13] He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 9 February 1977^[20] and was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff that month serving in a caretaker capacity (following the death of his predecessor) before retiring at the end of August 1977.^[13]

Later career

In retirement he became a Director of Racal Electronics and a Governor of Suttons Hospital in London^[1] as well as Chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).^[21] He described his interests as the "usual".^[1] Ashmore died in April 2016 at the age of 96.^[22]

Family

In 1942 he married Elizabeth Mary Doveton Sturdee, daughter of Rear Admiral Sir Lionel Sturdee, 2nd Baronet. Together they had one son, Tom, and two daughters,^[1] Susan and Tamara; Tamara was killed in the Hither Green rail crash in November 1967.^[3]^[23]

References

^
ISBN 978-1-408-11414-8

^ "Obituary: Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Ashmore". The Telegraph. 2 August 2002. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Heathcote, p. 14
^ "Tsingtao January 1939". Global Maritime History. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
^ "No. 35713". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 September 1942. p. 4119.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Heathcote, p. 15
^ "No. 37603". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1946. p. 2886.
^ "No. 38210". The London Gazette. 17 February 1948. p. 1128.
^ "No. 39127". The London Gazette. 19 January 1951. p. 365.
^ "No. 40540". The London Gazette. 19 July 1955. p. 4172.
^ "No. 43394". The London Gazette. 28 July 1964. p. 6412.
^ "No. 43600". The London Gazette. 16 March 1965. p. 2632.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Heathcote, p. 16
^ "No. 44004". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1966. p. 6531.
^ "No. 44661". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 August 1968. p. 9347.
^ "No. 45251". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 December 1970. p. 13661.
^ "No. 45262". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1970. p. 2.
^ "No. 46162". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 1973. p. 2.
^ "No. 46239". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 March 1974. p. 3525.
^ "No. 47160". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 March 1977. p. 2825.
^ "Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1989)". Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
^ "Ashmore". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
^ The Times - obituary 18 May 2016

Sources

Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd.
ISBN 0-85052-835-6
.

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Peter Hill-Norton	Vice Chief of the Naval Staff 1969–1971	Succeeded by Sir Terence Lewin
Preceded by Sir William O'Brien	Commander-in-Chief Western Fleet 1971	Post disbanded
New title	Commander-in-Chief Fleet 1971–1973	Succeeded by Sir Terence Lewin
Preceded by Sir Michael Pollock	First Sea Lord 1974–1977	Succeeded by Sir Terence Lewin
Preceded by Sir Andrew Humphrey	Chief of the Defence Staff 1977	Succeeded by Sir Neil Cameron

First Sea Lords of the Royal Navy
Senior Naval Lords (1689–1771)	Arthur Herbert Sir John Chicheley Edward Russell Henry Priestman Earl of Orford Sir George Rooke Sir John Leake Sir George Byng Sir John Leake Sir George Byng Matthew Aylmer Sir George Byng Sir John Jennings Sir John Norris Sir Charles Wager Lord Archibald Hamilton Lord Harry Powlett Lord Archibald Hamilton Lord Vere Beauclerk Lord Anson Sir William Rowley Edward Boscawen Sir William Rowley Edward Boscawen John Forbes Earl Howe Sir Charles Saunders Augustus Keppel Sir Peircy Brett Sir Francis Holburne
First Naval Lords (1771–1904)	Augustus Hervey Sir Hugh Palliser Robert Man George Darby Sir Robert Harland Sir Hugh Pigot John Leveson-Gower Lord Hood Sir Charles Middleton James Gambier Sir Thomas Troubridge James Gambier John Markham James Gambier Sir Richard Bickerton William Domett Sir Joseph Yorke Sir Graham Moore Sir William Johnstone Hope Sir George Cockburn Sir Thomas Hardy The Hon. George Dundas Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir William Parker Sir Charles Adam Sir James Dundas The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Hyde Parker The Hon. Maurice Berkeley The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas William Martin The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey Sir Alexander Milne Sir Sydney Dacres Sir Alexander Milne Sir Hastings Yelverton Sir George Wellesley Sir Astley Key Sir Arthur Hood Lord John Hay Sir Arthur Hood Sir Richard Hamilton Sir Anthony Hoskins Sir Frederick Richards Lord Walter Kerr
First Sea Lords (1904–present)	Sir John Fisher Sir Arthur Wilson Sir Francis Bridgeman Prince Louis of Battenberg The Lord Fisher Sir Henry Jackson Sir John Jellicoe Sir Rosslyn Wemyss The Earl Beatty Sir Charles Madden, Bt Sir Frederick Field The Lord Chatfield Sir Roger Backhouse Sir Dudley Pound The Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope Sir John Cunningham The Lord Fraser of North Cape Sir Rhoderick McGrigor The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Sir Charles Lambe Sir Caspar John Sir David Luce Sir Varyl Begg Sir Michael Le Fanu Sir Peter Hill-Norton Sir Michael Pollock Sir Edward Ashmore Sir Terence Lewin Sir Henry Leach Sir John Fieldhouse Sir William Staveley Sir Julian Oswald Sir Benjamin Bathurst Sir Jock Slater Sir Michael Boyce Sir Nigel Essenhigh Sir Alan West Sir Jonathon Band Sir Mark Stanhope Sir George Zambellas Sir Philip Jones Sir Antony Radakin Sir Ben Key

Authority control databases
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Naval career

Later career

Family

References

Sources

Further reading