Biographical Data

Leir, Richard Hugh

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Title Rear-Admiral (CF)
Official Number O-41490
 
Birth 19/11/1921 Death 28/05/2015
Place Penticton Place Victoria
Area BC Area BC
Country Canada Country Canada
 
Titles
Honours
Awards
Qualifications psc.
 
Biography
After his naval service he became a labour arbitrator in Wilkinson, Leir & Associates 1976-1982. He was elected as the Chairman of the Maritime Museum of British Columbia in 1974.
 
Military Service
He was appointed as a Naval Cadet RCN (With seniority dated 14/08/1940). He served in the Royal Naval College Dartmouth (RCN Direct Entry No. 52) 1940. He was appointed as a Midshipman RCN 01/01/1941. He served in H.M.S. Nelson for Training 1941. He served in H.M.S. Prince of Wales for Training. He was appointed as an A/Sub-Lieutenant RCN. He served in H.M.S. Exeter 1942. He was appointed as a Sub-Lieutenant RCN (With seniority dated 01/12/1941). (He was a Prisoner of War). He was appointed as a Lieutenant RCN (With seniority dated 16/09/1943). He served in H.M.S. Victory for Retraining 1945. He served in the RCN Barracks Esquimalt 1946. He served in the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla Mediterranean Fleet for Second Palestine War 1946-48. He served in H.M.S. Venus. He served in H.M.S. Chevron. He served in H.M.S. Brissenden. He served in HMCS Nonsuch as Staff Officer 1948. He served in HMCS Athabaskan as Operations Officer (Korean War Service) 1949-51. He served on Staff of Naval Training NDHQ 1951. He was appointed as a Lieutenant-Commander RCN (With seniority dated 16/09/1951). He served as Sea Training Officer for Commanding Officer 4th Escort Squadron 1952. He served in HMCS Sioux as Executive Officer 1953. He served in HMCS Crusader (In command) 1954. He was appointed as a Commander RCN (With seniority dated 01/07/1955). He served in HMCS Sussexvale (In command) 1955. He served in the RN Staff College 1955. He served in HMCS Stadacona as Officer-in-Charge Junior Officers' Technical and Leadership Courses 1956. He served in HMCS Venture as Executive Officer 1957. He served as the Commanding Officer Fleet School 1959. He served in HMCS Skeena (II) (In command) 1962. He was appointed as a Captain RCN (With seniority dated 01/01/1963). He served as Commandant HMCS Venture Naval Officers Training College 1962. He served as Commander First Canadian Escort Squadron and Senior Officer-in-Command 1963. He was appointed as a Commodore RCN 1965. He served as Commander ASW Carrier Group. He served as Commander Canadian Fleet. He served in National Defence College of Canada (Course 21) 1967. He served as Director General Recruiting and Training NDHQ 1968. He was appointed as a Rear-Admiral (CF) (With seniority dated 19/06/1970). He served as Commander Maritime Forces Pacific and Commander Western Command 1970-73. He served as Chief of Maritime Operations NDHQ 1973. (He was retired 1975.)
 
Vessels Owned
Aircraft Flown
Named Features
 
Anecdotes
(He survived the sinking in the South China Sea while serving in H.M.S. Prince of Wales 1942. He survived the sinking in the Battle of the Java Sea while in H.M.S. Exeter 1942. he was rescued by H.M.S. Express and taken to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where he joined H.M.S. Exeter, only to be sunk again. He was captured by the Japanese and made a Prisoner of War in the Dutch East Indies 1942-1945. He was mistakenly "Discharded Dead by the RCN" - in error. After the war he was retrained and requalified as an officer.
 
References
Government of Canada The Canadian Navy List Ottawa ON; MacFarlane, John M. (1994);
Last update
2015-06-07 00:00:00

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