John Dundas (Royal Navy officer)

Royal Navy officer (1893–1952)

Vice-Admiral

John Dundas

CB CBE

Birth name| John George Lawrence Dundas
Born| 3 November 1893
Died| 26 March 1952(1952-03-26) (aged 58)
Allegiance|  United Kingdom
Branch|  Royal Navy
Rank| Vice-Admiral
Commands| HMS Folkestone
HMS Nigeria
Battles / wars| World War I
World War II

Vice-Admiral John George Lawrence Dundas, CB, CBE (3 November 1893 – 26 March 1952) was a Royal Navy officer who served as the Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff from 1944 to 1945.

## Biography

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Born on 3 November 1893, Dundas was the son of the Hon. Cospatrick Thomas Dundas, DL, JP (1862–1906) and his wife Maud FitzWilliam (1871–1949), a daughter of the Hon. George Wentworth-FitzWilliam and a granddaughter of the 5th Earl FitzWilliam. Dundas's father was a grandson of the 1st Earl of Zetland and, when his elder brother inherited the earldom in 1873, Cospatrick was afforded the style of a peer's younger son. After his death in 1906, Maud remarried (in 1912) to the army officer and colonial administrator Major Sir Harry Edward Spiller Cordeaux.[1]

Dundas entered the Royal Navy in 1907 as a cadet.[2] He was commissioned as a full Sub-Lieutenant in December 1914[3] and promoted to Lieutenant a year later.[4] During the First World War, Dundas served in torpedo boats and in HMS Hercules.[2] Promoted to Lieutenant-Commander in December 1923,[5] He completed training at the Naval Staff College in 1924 and served as the gunnery officer for the 2nd Cruiser Squadron.[2] In 1928, he was promoted to Commander.[2] Between 1930 and 1932, he was gunnery officer to the Mediterranean Fleet; after serving on Valiant, he attended staff training at Camberley in 1935 and was promoted to captain. In 1936, he studied at the Imperial Defence College.[2] He commanded the sloop Folkestone in 1936–1937[6] and in 1938 was appointed assistant director of Plans at the Admiralty. Several months into the Second World War, he was given command of the light cruiser Nigeria (1940–1942),[6] and was involved in escorting the Russian convoys.[2] He created a new manoeuvre called the "Dundas zig-zag".[2]

Dundas was chief of staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet from 1942 to 1943, when was appointed chief of staff, Levant.[2] Promoted to rear-admiral in 1944, he was assistant chief of the Naval Staff from 1944 to 1945. He retired in 1946 and afforded the rank of vice-admiral in 1948.[2] He died on 26 March 1952.[7]

## Citations

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1. ^ Burke's Peerage (2003), vol. 1, p. 1081, and vol. 3, p. 4285.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Vice-Admiral J. G. L. Dundas", The Times (London), 29 March 1952, p. 9.
3. ^ The London Gazette, 11 December 1914 (issue 29003), p. 10582.
4. ^ The London Gazette, 17 December 1915 (issue 29405), p. 12562.
5. ^ The London Gazette, 18 December 1923 (issue 32889), p. 8820.
6. ^ a b Halpern, p. 546
7. ^ "Dundas, Vice-Admiral John George Lawrence", Who Was Who (online ed., Oxford University Press, December 2019). Retrieved 23 January 2020.

### Bibliography

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* Halpern, Paul G., ed. (2016). The Mediterranean Fleet, 1930–1939. Publications of the Navy Records Society. Vol. 163\. London: Routledge for the Navy Records Society. ISBN 978-1-4724-7597-8.