Wayne Cadman
Naval Service FOI Cell
Navy Command Headquarters
Navy Command
MP 1-4 Leach Building
Whale Island
PORTSMOUTH PO2 8BY
Telephone: 023 92625081
Our Ref: 03-02-2009-104416-007
Military: 93832 5081
Email: [email address]
16
February
2009
Mr P Ashby
Via E-Mail: [email address]
Dear Mr Ashby
Thank you for your correspondence received 30 January 2009 requesting a list of
the holders of the First Sea Lord post. Your enquiry has been considered to be a
request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).
Unfortunately we are unable to provide a list from 1828 (when the post was first
established) to 1904 as this information is not held centrally, however I am pleased
to attach a list from 1904 to the present day.
If you are unhappy with this response or you wish to complain about any aspect of
the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If
informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply
for an independent internal review by contacting the Director of Information
Exploitation, 6th Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, SW1A 2HB (e-mail Info-
[email address]). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made
within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution
has come to an end.
If you remain unhappy following an internal review, you may take your complaint to
the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of
Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate
the case until the internal review process has been completed. Further details of the
role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the
Commissioner’s website, http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk.
Yours sincerely
Wayne Cadman
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If you would like to take part in this study, please visit the following link to be taken directly to the
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If you have filled this survey out before, we invite you to fill it out again in light of the recent response
to your request.
FIRST SEA LORDS – to date (Feb 09)
Note – those in italics are deceased
Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB ADC
7/2/06 -
Admiral The Lord West GCB DSC ADC
17/9/02 – 7/2/06
Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh GCB ADC
16/1/01 – 17/9/02
Admiral The Lord Boyce GCB OBE ADC
8/10/98 – 16/1/2001
Admiral Sir Jock Slater GCB LVO ADC
10/7/95 – 8/10/98
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin Bathurst GCB ADC
2/3/93 – 10/7/95
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Julian Oswald GCB ADC
25/5/89 – 2/3/93
2/3/85 –25/5/89
Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Staveley GCB ADC
1/12/82 – 2/8/85
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Fieldhouse GCB GBE ADC
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach GCB ADC
6/7/79 – 1/12/82
1/3/77 – 6/7/79
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin GCB MVO DSC ADC
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Ashmore GCB DSC ADC
2/3/74 – 1/3/77
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Pollock GCB MVO DSC ADC
13/3/71 – 2/3/74
Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Hill-Norton GCB
4/7/70 – 13/3/71
13/8/68 – 4/7/70
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Le Fanu GCB DSC
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Vary Begg GCB DSO DSC
28/2/66 – 13/8/68
Admiral Sir David Luce GCB DSO OBE
9/8/63 – 22/2/66
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Caspar John GCB
23/5/60 – 9/8/63
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Lambe GCB CVO
1/5/59 – 23/5/60
Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Mountbatten of Burma KG GCB OM
18/4/55 – 1/5/59
GCSI GCIE GCVO DSO PC ADC DCL LLD DSc
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roderick McGrigor GCB DSO
20/12/51 – 18/4/55
Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Fraser of North Cape GCB KBE
6/9/48 – 20/12/51
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Cunningham GCB MVO
10/6/46 – 6/9/48
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Andrew Cunningham KT GCB OM DSO LLD
15/10/43 – 10/6/46
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound GCB OM GCVO
15/6/39 – 15/10/43
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse GCB GCVO CMG ADC
17/11/38 – 15/6/39
Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Chatfield GCB KCMG CVO LLD
21/3/33 – 17/11/38
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Frederick Field GCB DCMG
30/7/30 – 21/1/33
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Madden GCB OM GCVO DSO PC
30/7/27 – 30/7/30
DCL LLD
Admiral of the Fleet The Earl Beatty of the North Sea GCB OM GCVO
1/11/19 – 30/7/27
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rosslyn Wemyss GCB KCMG MVO
10/1/18 – 1/11/19
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Jellicoe GCB OM GCVO
4/12/16 – 10/1/18
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Jackson GCB GCVO FRS
27/5/15 – 4/12/16
Admiral of the Fleet 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone GCB OM GCVO
30/10/14 – 27/5/15
Admiral HRH Prince Louis of Battenburg GCB GCVO KCMG PC
9/12/12 – 30/10/14
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Francis Bridgeman GCB GCVO
5/12/11 – 9/12/12
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Arthur Wilson VC GCB OM GCVO
25/1/10 – 5/12/11
Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Fisher GCB OM GCVO
20/10/1904 – 25/1/10
