Admiral of the FleetSir Edward Beckwith Ashmore, GCB, DSC (11 December 1919 – 28 April 2016) was a senior Royal Navy officer. He saw active service in the Second World War and later commanded two frigates before achieving high command in the Navy. He served as 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.
The destroyer HMS Middleton in which Ashmore took part in the Arctic Convoys during the Second World War
Ashmore was posted to the destroyerHMS Jupiter in January 1940, early in the Second World War, and saw action during the Norwegian Campaign.[3] Promoted to lieutenant on 1 January 1941, he transferred to the destroyer HMS Middleton in June 1941 and took part in the Arctic Convoys and as well as a convoy to relieve Malta in June 1942: it was during this latter operation that he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[5] In August 1942 he went to Russia to help evacuate the survivors of the ill-fated Convoy PQ 17.[3] He attended signals and radar training courses in 1943 and was posted to the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, as Fleet Wireless Assistant in December 1943.[3] He became Squadron Signal Officer for the 4th Cruiser Squadron in September 1944 and helped provide naval support during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945.[6] In that capacity he experienced a Kamikaze air attack in July 1945 and observed the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on USS Missouri in September 1945.[6] He was mentioned in despatches for distinguished service in the Far East on 11 June 1946.[7]
After the war Ashmore qualified as a Russian interpreter and became Assistant Naval Attache in Moscow in 1946.[6] He joined the staff of the Royal Navy Signals School in September 1947 and, having been promoted to lieutenant commander on 1 January 1948,[8] he attended the Royal Naval Staff College in 1949.[6] He was appointed Squadron Communications Officer for the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron in October 1949 and, having been promoted to commander on 31 December 1950,[9] was posted to the Admiralty as Assistant Director (Communications) in the Radio Equipment Department.[6] He was given command of the frigateHMS Alert in June 1953 and returned to the Royal Navy Signals School as Second-in-Command in October 1954 before being promoted to captain on 30 June 1955.[10] He attended the Joint Service Staff College before becoming Chief Signals Officer at the Headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe in Oslo.[6] He went on to be Captain (F) of the 6th Frigate Squadron sailing in the frigate HMS Blackpool in October 1958.[6]
The frigate HMS Blackpool which Ashmore commanded in the late 1950s
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 Ministry of Defence in December 1961.[6] Promoted to commodore in March 1962, he became Commander of British Forces in the Caribbean and Senior Naval Officer West Indies in July 1963.[6]
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]
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