Roderick Macdonald (Royal Navy officer)


Sir Roderick Macdonald

Born25 February 1921
Batavia, Java
Died19 January 2001 (aged 79)
Portree, Scotland
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
Years of service1939 - 1979
RankVice-Admiral
CommandsNaval Forces in Borneo
HMS Bristol
Battles / warsWorld War II
Indonesian Confrontation
Cyprus Emergency
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Mentioned in Despatches
Other workArtist

Vice-Admiral Sir Roderick Douglas Macdonald KBE (25 February 1921 – 19 January 2001) was Chief of Staff of Naval Home Command.

Educated at Fettes College, Macdonald joined the Royal Navy in 1939.[1] He saw action during World War II during the Norwegian Campaign.[1] After the War he commanded various ships and was mentioned in dispatches for actions against EOKA.[1] Between 1965 and 1966 he commanded naval forces in Borneo. During the early 1970s he commanded HMS Bristol.[1]

In 1973 he was appointed Chief of Staff[2] Naval Home Command and then in 1976 he became Chief of Staff of Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe at NATO.[1] He retired in 1979.[1]

Later career

In retirement he became a distinguished artist[1] and retired to his home on the Isle of Skye where he was chieftain of the annual Highland games.[3] In 1993, his book 'The Figurehead' was published detailing his early war time career in the Royal Navy ISBN 978-1-85821-056-8. He is buried in Portree cemetery on Skye.

References