Dudley Pound
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Dudley Pound (August 29 1877 - October 21 1943) was a British naval officer who served as First Sea Lord, professional head of the Royal Navy from June 1939 to September 1943.
Early life
Pound was born on the Isle of Wight. His father was a barrister. His mother was an American, a difficult woman, and he had a strained relationship with her.Naval career
In 1891, Pound entered the navy as a cadet. He advanced rapidly, and by 1916 was a captain in command of the battleship HMS Colossus. He led her at the Battle of Jutland with notable success, sinking two German cruisers, beating off two destroyers and eluding five torpedoes.Interwar career
Pound was posted to naval planning after the war, becoming director of the planning division in 1922. During Roger Keyes's tenure as commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in the late 1920's, Pound was his chief of staff.He became Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1936, serving until 1939.
First Sea Lord
On July 31st, 1939, Sir Dudley Pound was appointed First Sea Lord. His health was doubtful even at this time, but other experienced admirals were in even poorer health. A naval medical officer was aware of an incipient brain tumour, but did not inform the Admiralty about it. He also suffered from hip degeneration, which kept him from sleeping, causing him to doze off at meetings.There are sharply divided opinions of Pound from this time. His staff at the Admiralty found him easy to work with. However admirals and captains at sea accused him of "back seat driving" and other errors, and he had some serious clashes with John Tovey, the commander of the Home Fleet. Churchill, with whom he worked from September, 1939 found him fairly easy to dominate.
Perhaps his greatest achievement was the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic. His most criticized decision was the ordering of the dispersal of Arctic Convoy PQ-17.
By 1943, it was clear that Pound's health was declining, and he resigned in September, 1943, dying on October 21, 1943.
Reference
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