Nigel Cecil
Encyclopedia
Rear Admiral
Sir Oswald "Nigel" Amherst Cecil KBE
, CB
(born 11 November 1925), is a retired naval officer.
. He was educated at Ludgrove School
and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
and reached the rank of Commander
in 1959. From 1961–63, Cecil commanded HMS Corunna
in the Mediterranean and then HMS Royal Arthur
from 1963–65. In 1966, he was promoted to the rank of Captain
.
He returned to Dartmouth to command a training squadron from 1969–71. In 1968 he was made an Esquire (Esq.St.J. the lowest grade) in the Venerable Order of Saint John
.
Cecil received the acting rank of Commodore
in 1971 and was sent to South Africa
as a Naval attaché to Cape Town
until 1973. He was then a director of the Naval Operational Requirements from 1973–75. On 7 January 1975, he was appointed a Naval aide-de-camp
to The Queen
. He left this position on being promoted to Rear Admiral
on 7 July 1975. He then became the NATO Commander of the South East Mediterranean and Flag Officer
of Malta. In 1977, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
(CB).
Cecil left the island with the last of the British Forces in 1979 and on, 16 June 1979, was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(KBE). He retired from the navy on 15 September 1979.
On 9 September 1980, Cecil became Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
, a post he held for five years. Also in 1980, he was promoted to Knight of the Order of Saint John (K.St.J.).
Cecil lives with his wife of over forty years, on the Isle of Wight
.
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Sir Oswald "Nigel" Amherst Cecil KBE
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...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(born 11 November 1925), is a retired naval officer.
Naval career
Cecil is a paternal grandson of Lord William Cecil and the 2nd Baroness Amherst of Hackney and a maternal grandson of the 1st Baron CornwallisFiennes Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis
Colonel Fiennes Stanley Wykeham Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis CBE, TD, JP, DL,, was a British Conservative politician.-Early life:...
. He was educated at Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School
Ludgrove School is an independent preparatory boarding school for about 200 boys, aged from seven or eight years to thirteen. It is situated in the civil parish of Wokingham Without, adjoining the town of Wokingham in the English county of Berkshire.-History:...
and the Royal Naval College, 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 reached the rank of 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...
in 1959. From 1961–63, Cecil commanded HMS Corunna
HMS Corunna (D97)
HMS Corunna was a later or 1943 Battle-class fleet destroyer of the Royal Navy. She was named in honour of the Battle of Corunna, which took place during the Peninsular War in 1809 between British and French forces. Corunna was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited on the Tyne...
in the Mediterranean and then HMS Royal Arthur
HMS Royal Arthur (shore establishment)
HMS Royal Arthur was a shore establishment of the Royal Navy, initially at Ingoldmells near Skegness, and later at Corsham, Wiltshire.-Skegness:...
from 1963–65. In 1966, he was promoted to the rank of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
.
He returned to Dartmouth to command a training squadron from 1969–71. In 1968 he was made an Esquire (Esq.St.J. the lowest grade) in the Venerable Order of Saint John
Venerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
.
Cecil received the acting rank of Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
in 1971 and was sent to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a Naval attaché to Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
until 1973. He was then a director of the Naval Operational Requirements from 1973–75. On 7 January 1975, he was appointed a Naval aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. He left this position on being promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
on 7 July 1975. He then became the NATO Commander of the South East Mediterranean and Flag Officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
of Malta. In 1977, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB).
Cecil left the island with the last of the British Forces in 1979 and on, 16 June 1979, was made a Knight 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...
(KBE). He retired from the navy on 15 September 1979.
On 9 September 1980, Cecil became Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
The Lieutenant Governor is the representative on the Isle of Man of the Lord of Mann . He/she has the power to grant Royal Assent and is styled His Excellency. In recent times the Governor has either been a retired diplomat or senior military officer...
, a post he held for five years. Also in 1980, he was promoted to Knight of the Order of Saint John (K.St.J.).
Cecil lives with his wife of over forty years, on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.