Sir Percy Noble | |
---|---|
Admiral Sir Percy Noble
as Head of the RN Admiralty Delegation |
|
Birth name | Percy Lockhart Harnam Noble |
Born |
Bengal, India |
16 January 1880
Died | 25 July 1955 London, UK |
(aged 75)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/branch | Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1894–1945 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands held |
|
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Relations | Colonel Charles Noble (father); Sir Allan Noble MP (son) |
Admiral Sir Percy Lockhart Harnam Noble, GBE, KCB, CVO (16 January 1880 – 25 July 1955) was a Royal Navy officer who served in both World Wars.
Noble rose to the rank of Admiral and was Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches for two crucial years during the Second World War, before being posted to the United States as Head of the RN Admiralty Delegation.
The son of an Indian Army officer, Colonel Charles Noble and Anne née Hay, he was educated at Edinburgh Academy, before being commissioned in the Royal Navy on 15 January 1894.
Promoted as Lieutenant on 1 April 1902, Noble was posted to the battleship HMS Hannibal serving in the Channel Fleet. He served in the Grand Fleet during the First World War. From 1918 to 1925 he commanded the cruisers HMS Calliope and HMS Calcutta and then the battleship HMS Barham before being appointed Senior Naval Officer, Harwich in 1925. He then commanded the HMS St Vincent based at Forton, Gosport from 1927. He was appointed Director of Operations Division at the Admiralty in 1928. He was then Director of Naval Equipment from 1931 before returning to sea in command of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron in 1932. He then returned to the Admiralty as Fourth Sea Lord in 1935, before returning as Commander-in-Chief, China Station in 1938.