Edward Parry (Royal Navy officer)

Admiral Sir William Edward Parry, KCB (8 April 1893 – 21 August 1972) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

For the earlier admiral, see William Edward Parry.

Sir Edward Parry
Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke on the bridge of HMS Kelvin during a visit to France shortly after the Normandy landings, 12 June 1944. Behind the Prime Minister stands Rear Admiral Edward Parry.
Born(1893-04-08)8 April 1893
London, England[1]
Died21 August 1972(1972-08-21) (aged 79)
London, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1905–1951
RankAdmiral
Commands heldNew Zealand Division
HMS Renown
Royal Indian Navy
Battles/warsFirst World War
Second World War
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States)
Officer of the Legion of Honour (France)

Parry joined the Royal Navy 1905 and served in the First World War.[2] He was appointed Officer in charge of the Anti-Submarine Establishment at Portland in 1936.[2] In 1938 he attended the Imperial Defence College.[1]

During the Second World War, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the New Zealand Division commanding HMNZS Achilles at the Battle of the River Plate in December 1939.[2] In this battle he was wounded in the legs when shrapnel hit the bridge. He assumed command of HMS Renown in 1943.[2] He took part in the Normandy landings and served on the staff of Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Force in 1944.[2] After the war he became Deputy Head of the Naval Division at the Allied Control Commission in Germany.[2] Parry became Director of Naval Intelligence in July 1946 and Chief of Naval Staff (Commander-in-Chief) of the Royal Indian Navy in August 1948.[2] He was advanced to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1950 New Year Honours[3] before retiring in 1951.[2]

In the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, Parry was played by Jack Gwillim.

References
  1. "Royal Navy officer histories". Unit Histories. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
  2. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. "No. 38799". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1949. p. 39.
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