Edward Parry (Royal Navy officer)

Admiral Sir William Edward Parry KCB (1893–1972) was an officer of the Royal Navy and the Royal Indian Navy.

Naval career
Parry joined the Royal Navy 1905 and served in World War I. He was appointed Officer in charge of the Anti-Submarine Establishment at Portland in 1936. During World War II, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Division commanding HMS Achilles at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939. He assumed command of HMS Renown (1916) in 1943. He took part in the Normandy landings and served on the staff of Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force in 1944. After the War he became Deputy Head of the Naval Division at the Allied Control Commission in Germany. Parry was the second Chief of Naval Staff (Commander-in-Chief) of the Royal Indian Navy in August 1948. He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1950 New Year Honours before retiring in 1951.

In the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, Parry was played by Jack Gwillim.

Honours and awards

 * Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath 2 January 1950 (CB 23 December 1939)
 * Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) 17 July 1945
 * Officier de la Légion d'honneur (France) 1944