Sir Henry Leach | |
|---|---|
 Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Leach in 1972 | |
| Born | (1923-11-18)18 November 1923 |
| Died | 26 April 2011(2011-04-26) (aged 87) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1937–1982 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | First Sea Lord Commander-in-Chief Fleet Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff First Flotilla HMS Albion HMS Galatea HMS Dunkirk |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Korean War Malayan Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Falklands War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath |
| Relations | John Leach (father) |
Admiral of the FleetSir Henry Conyers Leach,GCB, DL (18 November 1923 – 26 April 2011) was aRoyal Navy officer who, asFirst Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff during the early 1980s, was instrumental in convincing the British prime ministerMargaret Thatcher thatretaking the Falkland Islands from Argentina was feasible. On account of the determination he showed in the matter, journalist and political commentatorAndrew Marr described him as Thatcher's "knight in shining gold braid".[1]
Henry Leach was born the third son ofJohn Leach, a naval officer, and Evelyn Burrell Leach (née Lee). He was educated atSt Peter's Court,Broadstairs, and theRoyal Naval College, Dartmouth.[1]
Leach joined theRoyal Navy as acadet in 1937. After theSecond World War started in 1939, he served on the battleshipHMS Rodney in the South Atlantic and the cruiserHMS Edinburgh in the Indian Ocean.[1] Promoted tomidshipman on 1 January 1941,[2] he was assigned toHMS Prince of Wales. Before he could take up the post, however, his father was given command, so he was reassigned toHMS Mauritius.Mauritius soon went into refit inSingapore, during which time Leach was assigned to thewar room there as a plotting officer.[1]
While in Singapore,Prince of Wales was sunk by the Japanese off Singapore, and Leach's father died in this action.[3] Hisobituary inThe Daily Telegraph noted that "[s]urvivors of the action remembered a forlorn midshipman searching for his father, who was among those lost. Only two nights earlier, Leach and his father had enjoyed agin sling and a swim."[1][4] His next post was on the destroyerHMS Sardonyx before being promoted tosub-lieutenant on 1 October 1942 and posted toHMS Duke of York, the flagship of theHome Fleet, in January 1943.[1]
Leach was promoted tolieutenant in October 1943.[2] Leach was in command of the "A" turret and he was involved in theBattle of the North Cape in December 1943.[2] In autumn 1944, he was posted toHMS Javelin as the navigating officer. During his posting onJavelin, a mutiny broke out whilst Leach was the duty officer: he "conducted himself well under difficult circumstances" and, after the mutiny was put down, the captain and first lieutenant were re-appointed. Leach was given the position as first lieutenant and the ship was transformed within a few weeks.[1]
In April 1946, Leach transferred to the destroyerHMS Chequers. He was at this post for only a short time as he decided to gain his qualifications as a gunnery specialist at the shore establishmentHMS Excellent.[1] After qualifying, he remained at the school as a gunnery instructor until he was posted as gunnery officer to the Second Minesweeping Flotilla in theAegean Sea.[2] He was promoted tolieutenant commander on 1 February 1952 and attended theRoyal Naval Staff College, before becoming a staff officer for theNaval Brigade in London for thecoronation of the Queen.[2] In July 1953, he was posted as gunnery officer of the 5th Cruiser Squadron inHMS Newcastle and saw service at the end of theKorean War. He also saw service in theMalayan Emergency of 1955 when HMSNewcastle supported the Army and Royal Marines.[2] He was promoted tocommander on 30 June 1955 and served as application commander responsible for bringing the navy's firstsurface-to-air missile, theSea Slug, into service.[1] He was then posted to theAdmiralty in 1957 and was given his first command in charge of the destroyerHMS Dunkirk in theMediterranean in 1959.[5]
Leach was posted to the Training Directorate in the Admiralty in July 1961 and then attended theJoint Service Defence College before receiving promotion tocaptain on 31 December 1961.[5] He became Chief Staff Officer (Plans and Operations) for theFar East Fleet in July 1962 and organised naval support for British ground forces deployed during theIndonesia–Malaysia confrontation.[5] He was appointed captain of the 27th Escort Squadron, which he commanded from theLeander-class frigateHMS Galatea, in November 1965.[5] An appointment at theMinistry of Defence followed when he became Director of Naval Plans there in February 1968 before he was given another command, that of theaircraft carrierHMS Albion, in March 1970.[5] Leach was a strong supporter of the abolition of thedaily issue ofrum at that time.[5] He was appointed NavalAide-de-Camp tothe Queen on 7 July 1970.[6]
Leach became Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Policy) at the Ministry of Defence in April 1971, receiving promotion torear admiral on 7 July 1971,[7] and then becameFlag Officer First Flotilla in May 1974, with promotion tovice admiral on 6 July 1974.[8] He commanded the flotilla fromHMS Blake.[9] He becameVice-Chief of the Defence Staff in January 1976,[5] and having been appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1977New Year Honours,[10] he was promoted to fulladmiral on 30 March 1977[11] on appointment asCommander-in-Chief Fleet andNATO Commander-in-Chief, Channel and Commander-in-Chief Eastern Atlantic.[5] He was advanced toKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1978Birthday Honours.[12]
Leach was appointedFirst Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff on 6 July 1979[13] and in that role fiercely resisted naval cuts proposed by Defence SecretaryJohn Nott.[14]
On 31 March 1982, shortly before theArgentine invasion of the Falklands, Leach brushed aside serious doubts from theSecretary of State for Defence SirJohn Nott and addressed the Prime Minister on the appropriate response to any possible invasion.[15] The Chief of the Defence Staff at the time was on his way back from a foreign visit, and in addressing the Prime Minister, Leach effectively bypassed the Acting Chief of the Defence Staff.[1] When he was asked if retaking the islands was possible, he replied "Yes we can recover the islands." He then added "and we must!"Thatcher replied "Why?" Leach exclaimed "Because if we do not, or if we pussyfoot in our actions and do not achieve complete success, in another few months we shall be living in a different country whose word counts for little."[1]
Leach then explained how the task force would take shape and what ships would be involved: when asked about the lack of available aircraft carriers, Leach reassured the Prime Minister that the two small carriers available would suffice.[1] Thatcher approved this and preparations were made to send a task force to set sail to retake the Falklands.[1] On account of his determination,Andrew Marr referred to Leach as Thatcher's "Knight in Shining Gold Braid" in his documentary seriesHistory of Modern Britain.[1] Upon his retirement in December 1982, Leach was promoted toAdmiral of the Fleet.[16]
In retirement, Leach published his memoirs entitledEndure no Makeshifts.[1] He involved himself in several charitable organisations and acted as President of the Sea Cadet Association from 1983 to 1993.[1] He was the Chairman of the Council of theKing Edward VII Hospital as well as being a chairman of the Royal Navy Club of 1765 & 1785 (United 1889).[17]
In 2004, it was announced that the newNavy Command Headquarters building of the Royal Navy atWhale Island,Portsmouth, was to be named the "Sir Henry Leach Building" in his honour.[18]
Leach lived atWonston inHampshire[19] and served asDeputy Lieutenant ofHampshire.[20] His interests included shooting, fishing and gardening.[21] He died on 26 April 2011 at the age of 87.[1] A Service of Thanksgiving held in his honour was attended by representatives of the British Royal Family, including the then First Sea LordAdmiral Sir Mark Stanhope in attendance on behalf ofthe Queen andthe Duke of Edinburgh.[22]
Leach married Mary Jean McCall, daughter of AdmiralSir Henry McCall, in 1958. They had two daughters.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff 1975–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief Fleet 1977–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | First Sea Lord 1979–1982 | Succeeded by |
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