Sir Harold Burrough | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 4 July 1889 |
| Died | 22 October 1977 (aged 88) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1903–1949 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMSLondon Nore Command |
| Conflicts | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order |
AdmiralSir Harold Martin Burrough,GCB, KBE, DSO (4 July 1889 – 22 October 1977) was a seniorRoyal Navy officer and Assistant Chief of Naval Staff to theRoyal Navy duringWorld War II.
Born the tenth son of Rev. Charles Burrough and his wife Georgina Long, Burrough began his career as a naval cadet in 1903 after being educated atSt Edward's School, Oxford. He first saw action duringWorld War I as a gunnery officer aboardHMSSouthampton,[1] later taking part in theBattle of Jutland in 1916.[1] In 1930 he was given command ofHMSLondon.[1] He was made Commander of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla in 1935 and ofHMSExcellent in 1937.[1] He was made Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1939.[1]
In September 1940 he was appointed Rear-Admiral Commanding10th Cruiser Squadron. During the Second World War he was awarded theDSO afterOperation Archery a raid on the Norwegian islands ofVågsøy andMåløy on 27 December 1941 in which nine enemy ships were sunk by the Navy andRoyal Air Force and the garrisons were wiped out by the raiding force. Burrough would serve on the Naval Staff for two years until 1942. In July of that year he was given command of the close escort force forOperation Pedestal, and subsequently placed in command of Allied naval forces in the assault onAlgiers duringOperation Torch, as well as directing theNorthwest Africa landings.
After becomingFlag Officer Commanding Gibraltar and Mediterranean Approaches in September 1943, Burrough succeeded Admiral SirBertram Ramsay as Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief, Expeditionary Force (ANXF), following Ramsay's death after an aircraft accident in January 1945.[2][1] Planning the Allied naval strategy and operations, working closely with U.S. GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower during the final years of the war, Burrough was one of the signatories to the German Surrender Documents on 7 May 1945 atRheims,France.
He remained as naval commander occupying post-war Germany, where among his duties he authorised the formation of theGerman Mine Sweeping Administration. He then becameCommander-in-Chief, The Nore in 1946. He retired in 1949, being createdKnight Grand Cross of the order of the Bath (GCB) that year.[1][3] He died on 22 October 1977 frompneumonia at the Moorhouse Nursing Home,Hindhead,Surrey.
Burrough married in 1914, Nellie Wills, daughter of C.W Outhit ofHalifax,Nova Scotia, and had two sons and three daughters. His wife died in 1972.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Flag Officer Commanding Gibraltar and Mediterranean Approaches 1943–1945 | Succeeded by Post disbanded |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, The Nore 1946–1948 | Succeeded by |