Guy Hallifax

Rear-Admiral Guy Waterhouse Hallifax CMG (21 June 1884 –28 March 1941) was a South African military commander. He served in the Royal Navy from 1899 to 1935, and ended his RN career on the staff of the last British governor-general of South Africa, the Earl of Clarendon. He stayed in South Africa in retirement, and on the outbreak of World War II in 1939, he was recruited by the South African government to organise a navy, which was named the Seaward Defence Force.

Royal Navy Career
he joined HMS Britannia in 1899, and in the last war served as first lieutenant and torpedo lieutenant on board H.M.S. Ajax. After being attached to the Interallied Commission in Berlin he served in H.M.S. Valiant, Home Fleet, from 1921 to 1923. He then attended various disarmarmament meetings at Geneva and was promoted captain in 1924. Two years later he commanded the cruiser HMS Carlisle, of the China Squadron, remaining there until 1928. He was later appointed naval attach in Paris and also served in that capacity in Madrid, Brussels and The Hague. He returned to active naval duties when he was appointed in command of HMS Malaya from 1932 to 1934. In 1935 he became Director of the Signal Division of the Admiralty, and was promoted Rear-Admiral, retired, in the same year.

Rear-Admiral Hallifax went out to South Africa as secretary to Lord Clarendon, who was then Governor-General in South Africa, in 1936, and continued in this capacity for the first four months of the governor-generalship of Sir Patrick Duncan

South African Navy
As Director of the Seaward Defence Force, he established a small fleet of minesweepers and anti-submarine vessels for coastal defence, and organised naval detachments in the major ports.

Promotions
Confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant 15 July 1903.

Sub-Lieutenant to Lieutenant 15 January 1905.

Commander to Captain 30 June 1924.

Captain to Rear-Admiral 3 October 1935.

Placed on the Retired List 4 October 1935.

Death
He was killed in an aeroplane crash at Baboon Point, 74 km north of Saldanha-32.31667°N, 18.31667°W while returning from a tour of inspection to the newly established naval detachment in Walvis Bay.