John Edelsten
Admiral Sir John Hereward Edelsten GCB GCVO CBE (12 May 1891 – 10 February 1966) was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth.[2]
Sir John Edelsten | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) John Edelsten (1953) | |
| Born | 12 May 1891[1] Enfield, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 10 February 1966[1] Liphook, Hampshire |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | 1st Battle Squadron 4th Cruiser Squadron Mediterranean Fleet Portsmouth Command |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
Early life
Edelsten was born 12 May 1891 in Enfield, Middlesex, England the third son to John Jackson Edelsten and Jessica Gooding.[3] John Jackson Edelsten owned a tea broker business.[4]
Naval career
Edelsten joined the Royal Navy in 1908.[5] He served in World War I and then became Deputy Director of Plans in 1938.[5]
He also served in World War II initially as Senior Naval Officer during operations against Italian Somaliland before becoming Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Station in 1941.[5] He was made Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (U-boat Warfare and Trade) in 1942 and Rear Admiral (Destroyers) for the British Pacific Fleet in 1945.[5]
After the War he commanded 1st Battle Squadron and then 4th Cruiser Squadron before becoming Vice Chief of the Naval Staff in 1947.[5] He was made Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet in 1950; this post was dual hatted from 1952 as NATO Commander Allied Forces Mediterranean.[5]
In this capacity he conducted a two-day visit to Israel. His last post was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth and NATO Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, Channel Command in 1952; he retired in 1954.[5]
He was also First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the Queen from 1953 to 1954.[6]
Edelsten was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1953 Coronation Honours.[6]
Family
On 14 December 1926, Edelsten married Frances Anne Hoile Masefield at the Holy Trinity Church in London.[7] Frances was born 14 October 1900 in Broughty Ferry, Forfarshire, Scotland to Henry Valentine Masefield and Caroline Gordon.[7]
References
- "The Papers of Vice-Admiral Sir John Edelsten". Janus. Cambridge University.
- "Obituary: Admiral Sir John Edelsten". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 11 February 1966. p. 18.
- Amarna, Cheri. "Edelsten/Taylor Family Tree". Ancestry.com.
- "Edelsten, Sir John Hereward (1891–1966), naval officer". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/65600. Retrieved 10 June 2020. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- Sir John Hereward Edelsten Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, kcl.ac.uk; accessed 8 April 2016.
- "No. 39853". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 May 1953. p. 2704.
- Ancestry.com. London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Rhoderick McGrigor |
Vice Chief of the Naval Staff 1947–1949 |
Succeeded by Sir George Creasy |
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Power |
Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet 1950–1952 |
Succeeded by Lord Mountbatten |
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Power |
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1952–1955 |
Succeeded by Sir George Creasy |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Sir Rhoderick McGrigor |
First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 1953–1954 |
Succeeded by Sir Guy Russell |
| Preceded by Sir Percy Noble |
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1955–1962 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Reid |
| Preceded by Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith |
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom 1962–1966 |
Succeeded by Sir Peter Reid |