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Guy Griffiths (admiral)

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Guy Griffiths
Born(1923-03-01)1 March 1923
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died5 March 2024(2024-03-05) (aged 101)
AllegianceAustralia
Service / branchRoyal Australian Navy
Years of service1937–1980
RankRear Admiral
CommandsNaval Support Command (1979–80)
HMAS Melbourne (1973–75)
HMAS Hobart (1965–67)
HMAS Parramatta (1961–63)
Battles / wars
AwardsOfficer of the Order of Australia
Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Cross
Alma materRoyal Australian Naval College

Rear Admiral Guy Richmond Griffiths, AO, DSO, DSC (1 March 1923 – 5 March 2024) was a senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy.[1] After serving in the Second World War and surviving the sinking of HMS Repulse in 1941, he served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was Chief of Naval Personnel and Flag Officer Naval Support Command in the 1970s.

Early life and education

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Griffiths was born in Sydney, New South Wales, on 1 March 1923, and grew up in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. He entered the Royal Australian Naval College as a cadet midshipman in 1937.

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After graduation, Griffiths was posted to the Royal Navy for further training and joined the battle cruiser HMS Repulse. He survived the sinking of the Repulse by Japanese air attack on 10 December 1941.[2] He served on several ships later in the Second World War. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1944 and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in May 1945 "For gallantry, skill and devotion to duty while serving in HMS Shropshire in the successful assault operations in the Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island."[1]

Griffiths saw service as Gunnery Officer on HMAS Sydney in the Korean War and commanded the guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart in the Vietnam War. As commander of HMAS Melbourne, he assisted in relief operations in Darwin after Cyclone Tracy hit in 1974. In 1976 he was promoted to rear admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Personnel. In January 1979 he took up his final posting as the Flag Officer Naval Support Command. He retired in 1980.[1]

Later career

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Griffiths was personnel director of Wormald International from 1980 to 1983 and was the national president of the Australian Veterans and Defence Services Council from 1980 to 2004.[2] He died on 5 March 2024, at the age of 101.[3][4]

Honours

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Griffiths received the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) in May 1945,[5][6] and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in May 1968.[7][8]

He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1979 Queen's Birthday Honours "for service to the Royal Australian Navy over a period of forty-two years and particularly as Chief of Naval Personnel."[9]

Bibliography

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  • Jones, Peter (2021). Guy Griffiths: The Life & Times of an Australian Admiral. North Melbourne: Arcadia. ISBN 9781922454676.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Rear Admiral Guy Richmond Griffiths". Royal Australian Navy: Biographies. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Rear Admiral Guy Richmond Griffiths AO DSO DSC RN". Navy Victoria Network. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  3. ^ Jones, Peter (5 March 2024). "Obituary: RADM Guy Griffiths". Australian Naval Institute. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths, Australian survivor of the 1941 sinking of HMS Repulse – obituary". The Telegraph. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Guy Richmond Griffiths DSC". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Issue 37058". The London Gazette. 27 April 1945. p. 2298.
  7. ^ "Guy Richmond Griffith DSO". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Issue 44732". The London Gazette. p. 13225.
  9. ^ "QB79 – Queen's Birthday 1979 Honours" (PDF). Governor General of Australia. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
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