Mountbatten,
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas;
1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, cr. 18.10.1947;
Baron Romsey,  cr. 18.10.1947;
Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, cr. 13.06.1946


Younger son of Adm. of the Fleet 1st Marquess of Milford Haven and Princess Victoria, daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse, KG, and of Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's Daughter; was known as Prince Louis Francis of Battenberg until, in 1917, his father relin- quished title and assumed surname of Mountbatten. Married (1922), Hon. Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley (died 1960, in North Borneo, on tour as Superintendent­ in­Chief, St John Ambulance Brigade), daughter of Lord Mount Temple, PC (Countess Mountbatten of Burma, CI, GBE, DCVO, LLD); two daughters (Third Officer Patricia Edwina Victoria Mountbatten, WRNS).

25.06.1900
Frogmore House, Windsor
-
27.08.1979
Donegal Bay, Ireland, killed by a bomb planted on his boat by the IRA

Midsh.

15.07.1916

A/S.Lt.

15.05.1918

S.Lt.

15.01.1919

Lt.

15.04.1920

Lt.Cdr.

15.04.1928

Cdr.

31.12.1932

Capt.

30.06.1937

Cdre. 1st cl.

1941

R.Adm.

02.01.1946

A/V.Adm.

18.03.1942-...

V.Adm.

22.06.1949

A/Adm.

04.10.1943-05.1946 & 1952-1953

Adm.

27.01.1953

Adm. of the Fleet

22.10.1956 (half-pay 07.1965)

 

-

Earldom

18.10.1947

services SEA

Knight of the Garter

KG

03.12.1946

services SEA

-

PC

1947

?

-

Viscountcy

13.06.1946

HM's birthday 46

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath

GCB

09.06.1955

HM's birthday 55

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

KCB

10.04.1945

services as SAC, SE Asia

Companion of the Order of the Bath

CB

21.09.1943

?

Member of the Order of Merit

OM

15.07.1965

?

Grand Master of the Star of India

GMSI

24.03.1947

ex-officio

Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire

GCIE

24.03.1947

ex-officio

Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

GCVO

1937

?

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order

KCVO

18.07.1922

?

Member of the Royal Victorian Order

MVO

11.10.1920

visit HRH Prince of Wales to Australia & N Zealand

Distinguished Service Order

DSO

01.01.1941

New Year 41

Mention in Despatches

MID

09.08.1940

action with enemy light forces 05.40

Mention in Despatches

MID

21.03.1941

Operation Medium (bomb. Cherbourg, 10.10.40)

War Cross, 2nd Class (Greece)

GrWC

28.04.1942

Battle of Crete 41

Special Grand Cordon of the Order of the Cloud and Banner (China)

Cl&Bn

10.04.1945

services to the Chinese Republic 42-45

Distinguished Service Medal (Navy) (USA)

DSM

09.10.1945

SAC, SE Asia 16.11.43 - 17.05.45

Order of the Star of Nepal (Nepal)

StNep

1946

?

Legion of Merit (US)

LM

1943

?

Grand Cross of the Order of George I (Greece)

Geo I

05.11.1946

services SEAC

Grand Cross of the Legion d'Honneur (France)

LegH

1946

?

Croix de Guerre (France)

CdeG

1946

?

Order of the White Elephant (Siam)

WhEl

1946

?

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (Neth.)

NethLion

13.01.1948

services to the Netherlands

Not for War Service: CStJ (19.12.1928), KStJ (18.06.1940); Grand Cross of: Isabella Catolica (Spain), 1922; Crown of Rumania, 1924; Star of Rumania, 1937; Mil. Order of Avis (Portugal), 1951; The Seraphim (Sweden), 1952; Agga Maha Thiri Thudhamma (Burma), 1956; Grand Cross, Order of Dannebrog (Denmark), 1962; Grand Cross of the Order of the Seal of Solomon of Ethiopia, 1965 
FRS 1966; Hon. DCL (Oxford); Hon. LLD (Cambridge, Leeds, Edinburgh, Southampton, London, Sussex); Hon. DSc (Delhi and Patna); AMIEE 1927; AMRINA 1939.

 


Education: Locker's Park; RN Colleges Osborne and Dartmouth; Christ's College, Cambridge (Hon. Fellow, 1946)

1913

 

 

Naval Cadet

1916

 

 

HMS Lion

1917

 

 

HMS Queen Elizabeth (battleship)

1918

 

 

HMS K 6 (submarine)

1918

 

 

HMS P 31 (submarine)

1920

 

 

HMS Renown (Prince of Wales' Tour, Australia and New Zealand)

1921

 

 

HMS Repulse (battlecruiser)

1921

 

 

HMS Renown (Prince of Wales' Tour to India, Japan, and the Far East)

1923

 

 

HMS Revenge (battleship)

01.10.1924

-

(01.1925)

qualifying for Signal Duties, Signal School, Portsmouth [HMS Victory]

1925

 

 

RN College, Greenwich

1926

 

 

Fleet Wireless and Signal Officer, Reserve Fleet

14.12.1926

-

1928

Assistant Fleet Wireless Officer, Mediterranean Fleet [HMS Warspite (battleship)]

1928

-

1929

Signal and Wireless Officer, 2nd Destroyer Flotilla

19.07.1929

-

(02.)1931

Senior Wireless Instructor, Signal School, Portsmouth [HMS Victory]

07.08.1931

-

1933

Fleet Wireless (W/T) Officer, Mediterranean Fleet [HMS Queen Elizabeth (battleship)

1933

 

 

qualified as interpreter in French and German

(01.1934)

 

 

no appointment listed

1934

 

 

Commanding Officer, HMS Daring (destroyer) (Mediterranean)

14.12.1934

-

(02.1936)

Commanding Officer, HMS Wishart (destroyer) (Mediterranean)

03.07.1936

-

(07.1937)

Naval Air Division, Admiralty [HMS President]

(02.1938)

-

(08.1938)

no appointment listed

08.08.1938

-

(10.1938)

Senior Officers' Technical Course, Portsmouth [HMS Victory]

(04.1939)

 

 

no appointment listed

27.06.1939

-

23.05.1941

Commanding Officer, HMS Kelly (flotilla leader) & Captain (D) 5th Destroyer Flotilla (ship sunk)

08.1941

-

10.1941

Commanding Officer, HMS Illustrious (aircraft carrier)

19.10.1941

-

18.03.1942

Commodore Combined Operations
[assumed command 27.10.1941]

18.03.1942

-

(08.)1943

Chief of Combined Operations

1942

-

1943

member of British Chiefs of Staff Committee

08.1943

-

05.1946

Supreme Allied Commander SE Asia

24.03.1947

-

08.1947

Viceroy of India

17.03.1947

-

06.1948

Governor-General of India
[16.05.1947-14.08.1947 absence on leave]

27.10.1948

-

(05.1950)

Flag Officer Commanding 1st Cruiser Squadron, and as Second-in-Command,  Mediterranean Fleet [HMS Liverpool]

(09.)1950

-

(02.)1952

a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty: Fourth Sea Lord

15.05.1952

-

1954

Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean [HMS St Angelo]

1953

-

1954

concurrently Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces, Mediterranean

(04.)1955

-

1959

a Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty: First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff

16.07.1959

-

1965

Chief of UK Defence Staff and Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee [HMS President]

 

 

 

Designated by the Home Secretary to examine into and report on prison security, October 1966-. Chairman, Council of Atlantic Colls, 1968-.

Governor and Captain of the Isle of Wight, 19.07.1965; Lord-Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight, since 1974; Personal ADC to the Queen since 1953 (Personal Naval ADC to King Edward VIII, 23.06.1936, and to King George VI, 01.02.1937-1952); Colonel of the Life Guards, 29.01.1965; Colonel Commandant of the Royal Marines, 03.08.1965; Honorary Lieutenant-General and Air Marshal, 1942, and Honorary Colonel: Calcutta Light Horse, 1947; 292 Airborne Field Regt, 1947-1955; 428th The Princess Beatrice IoW Rifles Heavy AA Regt, RA (TA), 1950-1955; 289 Parachute Regt, RHA (TA), 1956-31.03.1967; 4/5th Battalion The Royal Hampshire Regiment (TA), 17.09.1964-1971;The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Territorials (T&AVR), 01.04.1967-31.03.1969; an Elder Brother of Trinity House; Grand President: Brit. Commonwealth Ex-Services League, 1946-1974; Royal Life Saving Society; Royal Over-Seas League; Pres. of Council of SSAFA; King George's Fund for Sailors; Royal Naval Film Corporation, Royal Naval Saddle Club, Sailors Home and Red Ensign Club, Gordon Smith Inst., Liverpool, Training Ship Mercury and Commando Benevolent Fund; Society of Genealogists; Britain-Burma Society; Past Pres., Society of Film and Television Arts; Member and Past Pres., Inst. of Electronic and Radio Engineers; Chm. and Founder, National Electronics Research Council; Commodore Sea Scouts; Member and Past Prime Warden Shipwrights' Company; Honorary Member Honourable Company of Master Mariners; Member Mercers', Vintners' and Grocers' Companies; Royal Swedish Naval Soc.; Inner Magic Circle; Sword of Honour and Freedom of City of London, 1946; High Steward, 1940, and First Freeman, 1946, of Romsey; Freedom of City of Edinburgh, 1954; Freedom of Paimpol, 1961
PublishedTime only to look forward (speeches) (1949); Report to the Combined Chiefs of Staff by the Supreme Allied Commander SE Asia (1947), 1950; Reflections on the transfer of power and Jawaharlal Nehru (1968)
Literature: Richard Hough, Mountbatten : hero of our time (1981); Philip Ziegler, Mountbatten : the official biography (1985); Eugene L. Rasor, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 1900-1979 : historiography and annotated bibliography (1998).


Lord Mountbatten (1900-1979)