Julian Oswald
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....

 Sir John Julian Robertson Oswald GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

 (11 August 1933 – 19 July 2011) was a British naval officer who served as Chief of the Naval Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff is the formal title for the office of:* Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy* Chief of the Naval Staff, Pakistan NavyNavies of other countries have similar titles:* Chief of Navy, Royal Australian Navy...

 and First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...

.

Naval career

Educated at Beaudesert Park School
Beaudesert Park School
Beaudesert Park School is a prep school in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire for 4-13 year olds. There are about 400 pupils in the prep school and the pre-prep combined...

 and Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...

, Oswald joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in 1947. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1960 and then Lieutenant Commander in 1964. Next followed a number of staff and sea tours when he was promoted to Commander and then Captain. He commanded HMS Bacchante
HMS Bacchante (F69)
HMS Bacchante was a Leander-class frigate of the Royal Navy. Bacchante was built by Vickers on the Tyne, launched on 29 February 1968 and commissioned on 17 October 1969....

 from 1971 to 1972.

Following his tours as Commanding Officer of HMS Newcastle
HMS Newcastle (D87)
The eighth HMS Newcastle was a Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy, launched in 1975.In November 1997, Newcastle made her way to the Caribbean to assume duties as West Indies Guard Ship "WIGS"...

, between 1977 and 1979 and Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...

 from 1980 to 1982, he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed an Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff in 1982.

He went on to become Flag Officer, Third Flotilla in 1985 and Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
Commander-in-Chief Fleet is the admiral responsible for the operation, resourcing and training of the ships, submarines and aircraft, and personnel, of the British Royal Navy...

 from 1987 to 1989.

He was First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...

 from 1989 to 1993 when he left the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

.

Later career

In retirement he became Chairman of Sema Group
Sema Group
Sema Group plc was an Anglo-French IT services company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Schlumberger in 2001.-History:...

 plc and was also the president of T.S. Newfoundland (Wolverhampton Unit) Sea Cadet Corps. He was also an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...

.

Further reading

  • The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995, Heathcote T. A., Pen & Sword Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0-85052-835-6

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