Wilfred French
Encyclopedia
Sir Wilfred Franklin French KCB
, CMG
(1880-6 December 1958) was an officer in the British Royal Navy
.
French's career included time as flag captain of 1927-1929; CO of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron (1931-1932); and Vice-Admiral in charge of Malta
from 1934 to 1937. He received the KCB
in 1936.
At the start of the Second World War, French was Admiral Commanding Orkneys and Shetlands (ACOS). On 14 October 1939, the anchorage of Scapa Flow
was infiltrated by the , which sunk the battleship with the loss of 833 lives. The official report into the disaster cast blame for the weak defences at Scapa on French. Despite having earlier warned of the dangers of attack, and offering to bring a small boat or submarine into the anchorage to prove his point, French was forced to retire from active service, and was posted to Washington
as an administrative and maintenance representative.
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...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1880-6 December 1958) was an officer in 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...
.
French's career included time as flag captain of 1927-1929; CO of the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron (1931-1932); and Vice-Admiral in charge of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
from 1934 to 1937. He received the KCB
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...
in 1936.
At the start of the Second World War, French was Admiral Commanding Orkneys and Shetlands (ACOS). On 14 October 1939, the anchorage of Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
was infiltrated by the , which sunk the battleship with the loss of 833 lives. The official report into the disaster cast blame for the weak defences at Scapa on French. Despite having earlier warned of the dangers of attack, and offering to bring a small boat or submarine into the anchorage to prove his point, French was forced to retire from active service, and was posted to Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as an administrative and maintenance representative.