Loben Maund
Encyclopedia
Loben Edward Harold Maund (26 September 1892 – 18 June 1957) was a rear admiral
of the British Royal Navy
, who served in World War I
and World War II
. He was the captain of the aircraft carrier when she was sunk in November 1941, but went on to serve in Combined Operations, playing an important role in the development of landing craft
.
, Hertfordshire
, the son of Edward Arthur Maund and Eleanora Hawkesworth. Entering the Navy on 15 September 1905, he was trained at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne
and Dartmouth
, and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant
on 30 July 1913.
Maund served throughout World War I
, being promoted to lieutenant
on 30 December 1914, serving on the Dover Patrol
, in the Grand Fleet and in Atlantic convoys
, and seeing action at the battle of Jutland
in mid-1916. From 1 March 1918 until January 1919 he served as commander of the destroyer .
He was promoted to lieutenant-commander
on 30 December 1922, and in mid-1923 had Wireless Signal duties in the Director of Training and Staff Duties Division, before being assigned in September as Staff Officer (Operations) to the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies
aboard the cruiser until January 1925. In 1926 he served aboard the cruiser in the Mediterranean, before being appointed Executive Officer of the cruiser in June 1927.
Promoted to commander
on 31 December 1927, Maund served as Naval Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence
until October 1930, then was appointed Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier in September 1931. He returned to shore to attend a Senior Officers' War Course at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich in late 1933, receiving promotion to captain
on 30 June 1934 to serve in the Training and Staff Duties Division, and as an Assistant Director of Plans at the Admiralty
from June 1935.
From August 1936 Maund spent a year as commander of the cruiser on the China Station
. In early 1938 he attended another senior officers' course at Greenwich, before being appointed Commandant of the Inter-Service Training and Development Centre
based at Portsmouth
, tasked with developing methods and equipment to use in Combined Operations. From April to June 1940 he served as Naval Chief of Staff to the Flag Officer, Narvik, during the Norwegian Campaign
, receiving a Mention in Despatches on 26 September 1940. He then served in the Operations Division of the Admiralty.
On 19 April 1941 he succeeded Captain Cedric Holland
in command of the aircraft carrier , taking part in the operation to sink the battleship Bismarck, for which was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE) on 14 October 1941, and three Malta Convoys
, receiving a second Mention in Despatches on 6 January 1942 for his part in "Operation Halberd
". On 13 November 1941 Ark Royal was hit by a torpedo from , and finally broke in two and sank the next morning. Following the sinking, a Board of Inquiry was established to investigate the loss. Based on its findings, Maund was court-martial
led for negligence in February 1942. He was found guilty on two counts of negligence: one of failing to ensure that properly constituted damage control parties had remained on board after the general evacuation, and one of failing to ensure the ship was in a sufficient state of readiness to deal with possible damage. The board tempered their judgement with an acknowledgement that a high standard was being expected of Maund, and that he was primarily concerned with the welfare of his crew.
On 17 May 1942 Maund was appointed Director of Combined Operations, Middle East, based at Alexandria
, with the rank of acting
rear admiral
, receiving a third Mention in Despatches on 21 December 1943 for his part in "Operation Husky" - the Allied invasion of Sicily
- in July 1943. Maund was officially placed on the Retired List on 8 July 1943, but on 25 August 1943 was appointed Director of Combined Operations, India, based in Bombay, and arriving there on 16 October. Maund returned to the UK and from 1 October 1944 until July 1945 served as Rear-Admiral, Landing Ships and Craft. He was promoted to rear admiral
on 1 March 1946.
, (1915–1943) and Loben Spencer died aged 3 years, one daughter Rosalind Mary born 1919. In 1933 he married Constance Alice Macartney Iredell.
Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)
Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....
of the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, who served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was the captain of the aircraft carrier when she was sunk in November 1941, but went on to serve in Combined Operations, playing an important role in the development of landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
.
Biography
He was born in Hemel HempsteadHemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, the son of Edward Arthur Maund and Eleanora Hawkesworth. Entering the Navy on 15 September 1905, he was trained at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
and Dartmouth
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
, and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
on 30 July 1913.
Maund served throughout World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, being promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 30 December 1914, serving on the Dover Patrol
Dover Patrol
The Dover Patrol was a Royal Navy command of the First World War, notable for its involvement in the Zeebrugge Raid on 22 April 1918. The Dover Patrol formed a discrete unit of the Royal Navy based at Dover and Dunkirk for the duration of the First World War...
, in the Grand Fleet and in Atlantic convoys
Atlantic U-boat Campaign (World War I)
The Atlantic U-boat Campaign of World War I was the naval campaign fought by German U-boats in Atlantic waters, that is, the seas around the British Isles, the North Sea, and the coast of France. Initially directed against the British Grand Fleet, later it was extended to include action against...
, and seeing action at the battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
in mid-1916. From 1 March 1918 until January 1919 he served as commander of the destroyer .
He was promoted to lieutenant-commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
on 30 December 1922, and in mid-1923 had Wireless Signal duties in the Director of Training and Staff Duties Division, before being assigned in September as Staff Officer (Operations) to the Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
aboard the cruiser until January 1925. In 1926 he served aboard the cruiser in the Mediterranean, before being appointed Executive Officer of the cruiser in June 1927.
Promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
on 31 December 1927, Maund served as Naval Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence
Committee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of World War II...
until October 1930, then was appointed Executive Officer of the aircraft carrier in September 1931. He returned to shore to attend a Senior Officers' War Course at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich in late 1933, receiving promotion to captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
on 30 June 1934 to serve in the Training and Staff Duties Division, and as an Assistant Director of Plans at the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
from June 1935.
From August 1936 Maund spent a year as commander of the cruiser on the China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
. In early 1938 he attended another senior officers' course at Greenwich, before being appointed Commandant of the Inter-Service Training and Development Centre
Inter-Service Training and Development Centre
The Inter-Service Training and Development Centre was a department under the British Chiefs of Staff set up prior to World War II for the purpose of developing methods and equipment to use in Combined Operations....
based at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, tasked with developing methods and equipment to use in Combined Operations. From April to June 1940 he served as Naval Chief of Staff to the Flag Officer, Narvik, during the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
, receiving a Mention in Despatches on 26 September 1940. He then served in the Operations Division of the Admiralty.
Cedric Holland
Cedric Swinton Holland CB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the First and Second World Wars, rising to the rank of vice-admiral....
in command of the aircraft carrier , taking part in the operation to sink the battleship Bismarck, for which was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) on 14 October 1941, and three Malta Convoys
Malta Convoys
The Malta Convoys were a series of Allied supply convoys that sustained the besieged island of Malta during the Mediterranean Theatre of the Second World War...
, receiving a second Mention in Despatches on 6 January 1942 for his part in "Operation Halberd
Operation Halberd
-Summary:During World War II, Operation Halberd was a British naval operation in September 1941 to escort a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta....
". On 13 November 1941 Ark Royal was hit by a torpedo from , and finally broke in two and sank the next morning. Following the sinking, a Board of Inquiry was established to investigate the loss. Based on its findings, Maund was court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
led for negligence in February 1942. He was found guilty on two counts of negligence: one of failing to ensure that properly constituted damage control parties had remained on board after the general evacuation, and one of failing to ensure the ship was in a sufficient state of readiness to deal with possible damage. The board tempered their judgement with an acknowledgement that a high standard was being expected of Maund, and that he was primarily concerned with the welfare of his crew.
On 17 May 1942 Maund was appointed Director of Combined Operations, Middle East, based at Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, with the rank of acting
Acting (rank)
An Acting rank, is a military designation allowing an commissioned- or non-commissioned officer to assume a rank—usually higher and usually temporary—with the pay and allowances appropriate to that grade. As such, an officer may be ordered back to the previous grade...
rear admiral
Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)
Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....
, receiving a third Mention in Despatches on 21 December 1943 for his part in "Operation Husky" - the Allied invasion of Sicily
Allied invasion of Sicily
The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
- in July 1943. Maund was officially placed on the Retired List on 8 July 1943, but on 25 August 1943 was appointed Director of Combined Operations, India, based in Bombay, and arriving there on 16 October. Maund returned to the UK and from 1 October 1944 until July 1945 served as Rear-Admiral, Landing Ships and Craft. He was promoted to rear admiral
Rear Admiral (Royal Navy)
Rear Admiral is a flag officer rank of the British Royal Navy. It is immediately superior to Commodore and is subordinate to Vice Admiral. It is a two-star rank and has a NATO ranking code of OF-7....
on 1 March 1946.
Post-naval career
Maund became a director of the scientific instrument makers A. Kershaw & Sons, Ltd. of Leeds, and wrote a book Assault from the Sea, published in 1949 by Methuen & Co., London, which was his account of the development of the Royal Navy's landing craft and their use operationally between 1939 and 1945. Rear-Admiral Maund died at Fittleworth, Sussex, on 18 June 1957.Personal life
Maund married Edith Mary Collins, and they had two sons Lieutenant Michael Richard Maund, FAAFleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
, (1915–1943) and Loben Spencer died aged 3 years, one daughter Rosalind Mary born 1919. In 1933 he married Constance Alice Macartney Iredell.