Charles Little (Royal Navy officer)
Royal Navy Admiral (1882–1973)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Charles James Colebrooke Little GCB GBE (14 June 1882 – 20 June 1973)[1] was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.
Sir Charles Little | |
|---|---|
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Little in 1937, Commander-in-Chief of the China Station | |
| Born | 14 June 1882 |
| Died | 20 June 1973 (aged 91) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
Branch |  Royal Navy |
Service years | 1897–1945 |
Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Fearless HMS Cleopatra HMS Iron Duke China Station |
Conflicts | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire |
Naval career
Little joined the Royal Navy at the training ship Britannia in 1897.[2] He served in World War I and commanded the cruiser HMS Fearless and the Grand Fleet Submarine Flotilla from 1916 to 1918.[2]
After the War he commanded the cruiser HMS Cleopatra in the Baltic Sea and then, in 1920, became Director of the Trade Division at the Admiralty.[2] He was appointed Captain of the Fleet for the Mediterranean Station in 1922 and then became a Senior Staff Officer at the Royal Naval War College in 1924.[2] He became Captain of the battleship HMS Iron Duke in 1926 and Director of the Royal Naval Staff College in 1927.[2] He became Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron in 1930 and Rear Admiral Submarines in 1931.[2] He was appointed Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff in 1932, promoted vice-admiral on 1 September 1933,[3] and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the China Station in 1936.[2] In 1938 he became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.[2] In this capacity he was instrumental in establishing the Admiralty Torpedo, Mining and Electrical Training Establishment at Roedean School in Brighton.[4]
He served in World War II becoming Head of British Joint Staff Mission to Washington D. C. in 1941 and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1942.[2] He retired in 1945.[2]
He lived at Thakeham in West Sussex.[5]
