John David Luce GCB DSO (1906 - 1971)

Born 23 Jan 1906 in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 6 Jan 1971 at age 64 in Fovant, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

David Luce GCB DSO was born in Wiltshire, England.

David Luce GCB DSO is Notable.

Early Life and Family

John David Luce was born at Halcomb, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England on 23rd January 1906. He was the son of John Luce and his wife, Mary (nee Tucker). Although his first name was John he was known as David, probably to avoid being confused with his father. ^[1] By the time of the 1911 Census David's parents had moved to Alverstoke, Hampshire. ^[2]

In 1935 David married Mary Adelaide Norah Whitham. ^{[3] [4]}

Naval Career

Like his father David became a Royal Naval officer, becoming a Cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in September 1919. After several years service he specialised in submarines, taking and passing the Submarine Command Course in 1935. His first command was HMS/M H44. Subsequently he commanded submarines Regulus, Rainbow and Cachalot. He was awarded the DSO on 12th November for the hazardous patrols he conducted in these vessels. Having been promoted to Commander on 31st December 1940 he filled several staff roles from March 1941 to August 1944. For his work at the Normandy landings he was awarded a bar to his DSO. ^[3]

After a period of Executive Officer of the cruiser HMS Swiftsure David was promoted to Captain and later commanded the cruisers HMS Liverpool and HMS Birmingham. He was then promoted again to Rear-Admiral and held several senior positions including Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Commander in Chief of the Far East Fleet. In August 1963 Admiral Luce was made First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, the professional head of the Royal Navy. He resigned from the Royal Navy 15th March 1966 in protest over the decision by the Secretary of State for Defence to cancel the CVA-01 aircraft carrier programme. ^[3]

Sir David died in Lansdowne Nursing Home, Bath, Somerset on 6th January 1971. ^[5]

Honours and Awards

08.06.1963 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)
01.01.1960 Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)
01.01.1957 Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)
12.11.1940 Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
14.11.1944 Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
02.10.1942 Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
19.05.1953 Mention in Despatches (MID)
Grand Officer, Military Order of Aviz (Portugal) Aviz ^[3]

Research Notes

Confirmation of John David Luce's has not been found in the GRO or FreeBMD.
Honor-65 13:05, 9 March 2024 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ Birth: "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2FF1-N4B : 1 October 2014), John David Luce, 1906; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England.
2. ↑ 1911 Census: "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWQ7-Q6K : 21 December 2022), John David Luce in household of Mary Dorothee Luce, Alverstoke, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} World War II Unit Histories: Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 Accessed 8 Mar 2024
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "David Luce," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Luce&oldid=1185151904 (accessed March 9, 2024).
5. ↑ Death: "Death Index" (https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=C0MSGOd9wND55h3FJ4GnlA&scan=1 : accessed 9 Mar 2024) FreeBMD, database entry for Luce, John David (DoB 25 Mr 1906), 1971 March Quarter, Bath. Volume 7c Page 666.