18 Facts About Henry Oliver

Henry Oliver became Naval Secretary to Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, and then chief of the Admiralty War Staff before serving as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff.

Henry Oliver served as commander of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet in the last year of the war.

Henry Oliver joined the armoured frigate Agincourt, flagship of the Second-in-Command of the Channel Squadron, in September 1880 and, having been promoted to midshipman on 21 January 1881, he transferred to the corvette Amethyst on the South America Station in March 1882.

Henry Oliver then became navigating officer in the cruiser Wallaroo on the Australia Station in February 1894, navigating officer in the cruiser Blake in the Channel Squadron in January 1898 and navigating officer in the cruiser Niobe on the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station in December 1898 in which he served during the Second Boer War.

Henry Oliver was appointed fleet navigator, demonstrating his skills on one occasion by leading the entire Channel Fleet into a southern Irish anchorage in thick fog with the ships anchoring by signal.

Henry Oliver proposed a number of ideas for improving the organisation and training of the Navy's navigation branch, and was directed by Admiral Jacky Fisher, then the Second Sea Lord, to put them into effect.

Henry Oliver gained the somewhat unflattering nickname of 'Dummy' from his unsmiling countenance and reluctance to speak unless he had to.

Henry Oliver became Naval Secretary to Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, in October 1914 and chief of the Admiralty War Staff in November 1914.

Henry Oliver was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1916.

Henry Oliver was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral on 1 January 1919, and in February 1919 he was given temporary command of the Battle Cruiser Force.

Henry Oliver became commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron in March 1919.

Henry Oliver became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in September 1920 and in that capacity implemented the extensive expenditure cuts recommended by the Committee on National Expenditure chaired by Sir Eric Geddes in January 1922 and the large reductions in numbers of ships which were agreed under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty in February 1922.

Henry Oliver was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 21 January 1928 and advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 4 June 1928 before retiring in January 1933.

Henry Oliver attended the funeral of King George V in January 1936.

In retirement Henry Oliver became deputy chairman of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Henry Oliver died at his home in London on 15 October 1965.

Henry Oliver was reputed, throughout his naval service, to be the worst-dressed officer in the Navy but was renowned for his work ethic; he rarely took any leave and often worked fourteen hours a day, including at weekends.

In June 1914 Henry Oliver married Beryl Carnegy White ; they had no children.