Arthur Hezlet
| Sir Arthur Richard Hezlet | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Baldy |
| Born | 7 April 1914 Pretoria, South Africa |
| Died |
7 November 2007 (aged 93) Bovagh, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy
|
| Years of service | 1928–1964 |
| Rank | Vice-admiral |
| Commands held | HMS H44, HMS Unique, HMS Ursula, HMS Upholder, HMS Trident, HMS Trenchant, HMS Newfoundland |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | KBE CB DSO and Bar DSC Legion of Merit (United States) Mentioned in Despatches |
| Other work |
N.I. president of the Royal British Legion RNLI Member of the general synod of the Church of Ireland council member of the University of Ulster, Author of several books. |
Sir Arthur Richard Hezlet (7 April 1914 – 7 November 2007) was a decorated Royal Navy submariner. He became the Royal Navy's youngest captain, aged 36, and its youngest admiral, aged 45. In retirement he became a military historian.
He was a recipient of the Order of the British Empire, the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Legion of Merit.
Hezlet was born in Pretoria, South Africa, where his father Major-General RK Hezlet, CB, CBE, DSO, was serving in the British Army.
Hezlet joined the Royal Navy in January 1928, aged 13. He attended the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and went to sea in 1932, serving as a midshipman on the battleships HMS Royal Oak and HMS Resolution. By 1936, he was the correspondence officer on the destroyer HMS Daring, later volunteering to serve on submarines. He served on HMS Regulus.
Hezlet was serving on the submarine HMS H43 at the outbreak of the Second World War, but quickly became First Lieutenant aboard the submarine HMS Trident. By early 1940, he was engaged in operations in the Norwegian Sea, as the Germans launched their occupation of Norway. He was mentioned in dispatches. Following the military disaster in Dunkirk, Trident was re-positioned in the English Channel to assist in repulsing an expected German attempt at invasion of mainland Britain.
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