Admiral Sir Maurice James Mansergh KCB CBE
Maurice was born on October 14, 1896 at Brentford, Middlesex, the son of Ernest Lawson (1866-1933), and Emma Cecilia Fischer Hogg, of Elm Lea, Woking. Admiral Sir Maurice James Mansergh KCB CBE (1896–1966) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Mansergh joined the Royal Navy in 1914 at the start of World War I and served on the battleship HMS Zealandia and was promoted to midshipman on May 15, 1914. On March 15, 1916, he was promoted to A/S.Lt. (Acting Sub-Lieutenant), to Sub-Lieutenant on September 11, 1916, and to Lieutenant on October 30, 1917.
Maurice married Violet Elsie Hillman (1900 - 2003) at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Hove on April 9, 1921.
From 1921, he specialized in navigation and on October 30, 1925 was promoted to Lt.Cdr. (Lieutenant Commander). He attended the RN Staff College in 1933, and served on the staff of Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean from 1934 to 1935. He then served as Executive Officer on HMS Rodney from 1936 to 1937 and was promoted to Captain on June 30, 1937.
1938 saw him at the Imperial Defence College. In 1939 he became Director of the Trade Division at the Admiralty where his main role was the protection of shipping. He served in World War II as Deputy Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Trade). He received the CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on January 1, 1941 and served as Captain on HMS Gambia from November 25, 1941, until June 23, 1943.
After leaving Gambia, he was made Deputy Chief of Staff and subsequently Chief of Staff to the Allied Naval Commander-in-Chief for the Normandy Invasion Expeditionary Force in 1943, where he stayed until the end of the war in 1945. He had been Mentioned in Despatches on November 28, 1944 and attained the CB (Companion of the Order of the Bath on April 10, 1945.
After the war he became Commodore commanding 15th Cruiser Squadron, becoming Rear-Admiral on July 5, 1946 and the same year he became Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty. In 1948, he was appointed Commander of the 3rd Aircraft Carrier Squadron, and Fifth Sea Lord and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Air) in 1949. On September 30, 1949, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in 1951. On January 1, 1952 he received the KCB (Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, promoted to Admiral on March 18, 1953 and retired on March 30, 1954 after 40 years of service.
He passed away on September 29, 1966 in London.
His brothers werealso military men being Vice Admiral Sir Cecil Aubrey Lawson Mansergh, KBE, CB, DSC, and Brigadier Geoffrey Ernest Mansergh, CBE, MC.
Admiral Sir Maurice James Mansergh KCB CBE in 1951
Images from National Portriat Gallery x90530 and x100261