Sir Campbell Tait | |
---|---|
Born | 12 August 1886 Morice Town, Devon |
Died | 17 July 1946 Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1902 - 1945 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held |
HMS Dragon HMS Capetown HMS Delhi HMS Shropshire Africa Station South Atlantic Station |
Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Member of the Royal Victorian Order Order of Orange-Nassau |
Admiral Sir William Eric Campbell Tait KCB MVO (12 August 1886 – 17 July 1946) was a senior British naval officer, courtier and the fifth Governor of Southern Rhodesia, serving from 1945-46.
Born in Morice Town, Devon to Deputy Surgeon-General and author, William Tait, and his wife Emma, Tait entered the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1902. Following his graduation, Tait became a career naval officer, serving in the Pacific, Atlantic, Mediterranean and China. He became a friend of the royal household of King George V, serving as a mentor to his two oldest sons, the future kings Edward VIII and George VI.
After serving in World War I, during which he was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO), Tait married Katie Grenfell, daughter of Captain Hubert Grenfell, inventor of illuminated night sights for naval guns, on 3 November 1919. They had two daughters.
Tait was promoted to Commodore in 1921 and Captain in 1926, gaining his first command in 1928 as Commanding Officer of HMS Dragon. There followed commands of HMS Capetown and HMS Delhi before service as Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence before returning to the sea as Commanding Officer of HMS Shropshire.