| Vice-Admiral John Dundas | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John George Lawrence Dundas |
| Born | 1893 |
| Died | 1952 |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy |
| Rank | Vice-Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Folkestone HMS Nigeria |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
Vice-Admiral John George Lawrence Dundas, CB, CBE (1893–1952) was a Royal Navy officer who served as the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1944–1945. Born on 3 November 1893, Dundas was the son of the Hon. Cospatrick Thomas Dundas, DL, JP (1862–1906) and his wife Maud FitzWilliam (1871–1949), a daughter of the Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam and a granddaughter of the 5th Earl FitzWilliam. Dundas's father was a grandson of the 1st Earl of Zetland and, when his elder brother inherited the earldom in 1873, Cospatrick was afforded the style of a peer's younger son. After his death in 1906, Maud remarried (in 1912) to the army officer and colonial administrator Major Sir Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux.[1] Dundas entered the Royal Navy in 1907 as a cadet.[2] He was commissioned as a full Sub-Lieutenant in December 1914[3] and promoted to Lieutenant a year later.[4] During the First World War, Dundas served on torpedo boats and on HMS Hercules.[2] Promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in December 1923,[5] He completed training at the Naval Staff College in 1924 and served as the gunnery officer for the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.[2] In 1928, he was promoted to Commander.[2] Between 1930 and 1932, he was gunnery officer to the Mediterranean Fleet; after serving on HMS Valient, he attended staff training at Camberley in 1935 and was promoted to Captain. In 1936, he studied at the Imperial Defence College.[2] He commanded the sloop Folkestone in 1936–1937[6] and in 1938 was appointed Assistant Director of Plans at the Admiralty. Several months into the Second World War, he was given command of the light cruiser Nigeria (1940–1942),[6] and was involved in escorting the Russian convoys.[2] He created a new manoeuvre called the "Dundas zig-zag".[2] Dundas was Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1942 to 1943, when was appointed Chief of Staff, Levant.[2] Promoted to Rear-Admiral in 1944, he was Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff from 1944 to 1945. He retired in 1946 and afforded the rank of Vice-Admiral in 1948.[2] He died on the 26 March 1952.[7]
Citations[]
- ↑ Burke's Peerage (2003), vol. 1, p. 1081, and vol. 3, p. 4285.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "Vice-Admiral J. G. L. Dundas", The Times (London), 29 March 1952, p. 9.
- ↑ The London Gazette, 11 December 1914 (issue 29003), p. 10582.
- ↑ The London Gazette, 17 December 1915 (issue 29405), p. 12562.
- ↑ The London Gazette, 18 December 1923 (issue 32889), p. 8820.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Halpern, p. 546
- ↑ "Dundas, Vice-Admiral John George Lawrence", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 23 January 2020.
Bibliography[]
- Halpern, Paul G., ed (2016). The Mediterranean Fleet, 1930–1939. Publications of the Navy Records Society. 163. London: Routledge for the Navy Records Society. ISBN 978-1-4724-7597-8.
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