Admiral Sir Reginald Henry Portal, KCB, DSC (6 September 1894 – 18 June 1983) was a Royal Navy officer and naval aviation pioneer who served in both world wars.[1][2][3]
Sir Reginald Portal | |
|---|---|
 Portal in 1943 | |
| Born | 6 September 1894 Hungerford, Berkshire |
| Died | 18 June 1983 (aged 88) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1907–1951 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Unit | Fleet Air Arm |
| Commands | HMS York HMS Royal Sovereign Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Air) Flag Officer, Naval Air Stations (Australia) Flag Officer, Air (Home) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Cross |
| Spouse(s) | Helen Anderson |
| Children | 4 |
| Relations | Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford (brother) |
Early life and family
editBorn near Hungerford, Berkshire, Reginald Portal was the second son of Edward Robert Portal, a country gentleman. His elder brother was Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, later Marshal of the Royal Air Force the Viscount Portal of Hungerford. The family was Huguenot in origin and Reginald Portal was related to the goldsmith and dramatist Abraham Portal, and more distantly so to Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal.
Naval career
editPortal joined the Royal Navy in 1907 and served in the battleship HMS Neptune before the First World War. As an air observer, he received the Distinguished Service Cross during the war for conspicuous bravery in combat over the Dardanelles, when he was wounded.[4] He was assigned to the seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal as an observer, before returning to general service on the battleship HMS Colossus.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Reginald Henry Portal". The Dreadnought Project. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Admiral Sir Reginald Portal". The Times. 22 June 1983. p. 10.
- ^ "Adml Sir Reginald Portal". The Daily Telegraph. 21 June 1983. p. 14.
- ^ "Naval Honours for the Dardanelles". The Daily Telegraph. 1 June 1916. p. 11.