John Talbot Savignac Hall | |
|---|---|
 Hall as Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy | |
| 1stCommander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy | |
| In office 15 August 1947 – 20 June 1948 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Governor General | Lord Mountbatten |
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Office Abolished |
| 1stChief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy | |
| In office 21 June 1948 – 14 August 1948 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Governor General | C. Rajagopalachari |
| Prime Minister | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Edward Parry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 November 1896 |
| Died | 21 January 1964 (aged 67) |
| Awards | Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom British India India |
| Branch/service |  Royal Navy Royal Indian Navy Indian Navy |
| Years of service | 1914–1950 |
| Rank | Rear-Admiral |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
Rear-AdmiralJohn Talbot Savignac Hall,CIE (30 November 1896 – 21 January 1964) was aRoyal Navy officer who became the first post-Independence Commander-in-Chief andChief of Naval Staff of theRoyal Indian Navy.[1]
Hall was born inKent, the third son of Dr. William Hamilton Hall,FSA. He was educated at Elstow School inBedford and then served in the Merchant Navy before being co-opted into the Royal Navy on his 18th birthday.
Hall served aboardHMS London off Gallipoli in theDardanelles Campaign. In 1921, he was commissioned as alieutenant in the Royal Indian Marine, and was promoted tolieutenant-commander in 1928. The following year, he became theexecutive officer on HMISLawrence aminesweeper and then transferred to another minesweeper, HMISClive in 1930. In 1932, he was appointed commanding officer of the patrol boat HMISBaluchi. He held this command until 1934. From February to July 1937, Hall was appointed Officer-in-Charge, Navy Office Section for the Defence Department (Navy Branch) of the Government of India. In April 1937, he was promoted tocommander. In 1938, he was appointed Staff Officer (Plans), Naval HQ, aboardHMIS Dalhousie.[1]
Hall was promoted tocommodore 2nd Class on 1 December 1942,[2] and appointed chief of staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the RIN. In January 1944, he was promoted to captain and appointed a Companion of theOrder of the Indian Empire.[3] He was then appointed as the Senior Naval Staff Officer and RIN liaison officer to theIndia Office, serving in this capacity until 1946. Hall then commandedHMSAchilles. Upon Indian independence, he was selected to become the first post-Independence Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Indian Navy. Hall served for one year, when he was replaced by AdmiralEdward Parry.
Afterwards, in his permanent rank of captain, Hall commanded a destroyer squadron withHMISDelhi (later INSDelhi) as his flagship. On 1 April 1950, he was promoted to the substantive rank of rear-admiral in the newly renamedIndian Navy.[4] He retired from active duty on 1 September 1950, with the rank ofrear-admiral.[5] From 1951 to 1959, he served as acivil defence officer for northeastEssex. Hall died in London in 1964, aged 67.
In 1933, he married Agnes Maud Shereen; the couple had one daughter (Elizabeth Anne) and a son (also John) who died in a missile hook-up accident while training with the Fleet Air-arm of the Scottish coast near HMSFulmar, RNAS (now RAF) Lossiemouth.
| Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1947–1948) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy (1948-1950) | ||
| Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy (1950-1955) | ||
| Chief of the Naval Staff (1955–present) |
| |
**Seconded from theRoyal Navy | ||