Henry Oliver

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Francis Oliver, GCB, KCMG, MVO (22 January 1865 – 15 October 1965) was a British naval officer.

Naval career
Oliver entered the Royal Navy in July, 1878 as a Naval Cadet in the Navigating Branch, before transferring to the Executive Branch. In 1913 he became the Director of the Intelligence Division of the Admiralty War Staff. Oliver married Beryl Joseph on 10 June 1914. On 14 October 1914, two months after the outbreak of the First World War, he was promoted to Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill. In November 1914, Oliver became Chief of the Admiralty War Staff with the acting rank of Vice-Admiral. In May 1917 he was elevated to Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff and became an additional Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty.

In 1917, he was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class, which was duly published in the London Gazette.

In early 1918 he left the Admiralty and reverted to his substantive rank of Rear-Admiral, commanding the First Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet. When the Grand Fleet was disbanded, the older ships were reformed as the Home Fleet under Oliver's command. On 1 January 1919 Oliver was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral. In Autumn 1919 the Home Fleet was redesignated the Reserve Fleet and remained under Oliver's command.

In 1920 he became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel, and remained at the Admiralty until 1924, being promoted to the rank of Admiral on 1 November 1923. His final command was that of the Atlantic Fleet, which he held from 1924 to 1927, striking his flag in Revenge on 15 August 1927 after the customary period of three years. Oliver was promoted to the Navy's highest rank, Admiral of the Fleet, on 21 January 1928 and promoted to GCB on 4 June. He was placed on the Retired List on 21 January 1933. When he reached the age of 100 it was estimated that during his thirty-year period of retirement he received £76,000 in retired pay.

Honours and awards

 * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
 * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
 * Member of the Royal Victorian Order
 * Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class (Japan)
 * Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
 * Navy Distinguished Service Medal (United States)