Roy Dowling
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir Roy Russell Dowling KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO (28 May 1901 – 15 April 1969) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Navy
(RAN). He served as Chief of Naval Staff
, the RAN's highest-ranking position, from 1955 until 1959, and as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, forerunner of the role of Australia's Chief of the Defence Force
, from 1959 until 1961.
in northern New South Wales. His parents were sugar cane inspector Russell Dowling and his wife Lily. The youth entered the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay
in what was then the Federal Capital Territory
, in 1915. An underachiever academically, he excelled at sports, and achieved the position of chief cadet captain before graduating in 1918 with the King's Medal. The following year he was posted to Britain as a midshipman
, undergoing training with the Royal Navy
and seeing service on HMS Ramillies
and HMS Venturous
. By January 1923 he was back in Australia, aboard the cruiser HMAS Adelaide
. He was promoted to lieutenant in March. In April 1924, Adelaide joined the Royal Navy's Special Service Squadron on its worldwide cruise
, taking in New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Panama, and the West Indies, before docking in September at Portsmouth
, England. There Dowling left the ship for his next posting, studying to be a gunnery officer and serving in that capacity at HMS Excellent.
After his return to Australia in December 1926, Dowling spent eighteen months on HMAS Platypus
and HMAS Anzac, where he continued to specialise in gunnery. In July 1928 he took on an instructional role at the gunnery school in HMAS Cerberus on Western Port Bay, Victoria. He married Jessie Blanch in Melbourne
on 8 May 1930; the couple had five children. Jessie accompanied him on his next posting to Britain commencing in January 1931. He was promoted to lieutenant commander
on 15 March, and was appointed gunnery officer on the light cruiser HMS Colombo
in May. Returning to Australia, Dowling became squadron gunnery officer aboard the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra in April 1933. The ship operated mainly within Australian waters over the next two years. In July 1935, Dowling took charge of the gunnery school at Cerberus. He was promoted to commander on 31 December 1936. The following month, he assumed command of the newly commissioned Grimsby class sloop
HMAS Swan
, carrying out duties in the South West Pacific.
Following the outbreak of World War II, Dowling was again posted to Britain and served as executive officer
on the cruiser HMS Naiad
, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat
off Egypt in 1942 during the Battle of the Mediterranean
. Having survived that ordeal, he was appointed Director of Plans at the Navy Office in Melbourne. The following year he was made Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. In 1944 he was given command of the cruiser HMAS Hobart
, in which he supported the invasion of Borneo
as well as the Aitape–Wewak campaign, earning the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO).
, HMAS Sydney, commissioned in England on 16 December 1948. In April the following year, two months after the ship's belated acceptance into service due to teething troubles, Dowling embarked Sydney for Australia with two squadrons of fighters aboard. In June 1950, he was given the post of Chief of Naval Personnel. He went on to be Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet
in July 1953. On 24 February 1955, he became First Naval Member & Chief of Staff
, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1957. On 23 March 1959, he succeeded Lieutenant General Sir Henry Wells
as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), a role predating that of the modern-day Chief of the Defence Force
.
, Dowling retired from the military on 27 May 1961. Though keen to secure a diplomatic appointment, nothing was offered to him and he instead busied himself with church affairs in Canberra. The government did, however, give him responsibility for organising the Queen's royal tour in 1962. He was rewarded with appointment as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in March 1963, and became the Queen's permanent Australian secretary in Novemnber the same year. Dowling was also the Australian Red Cross Society
's Canberra chairman from 1962 to 1967. He died of a heart attack
on 15 April 1969 in Canberra Hospital
. Survived by his wife and children, he was cremated.
Vice Admiral (Australia)
Vice admiral is the second-highest active rank of the Royal Australian Navy and was created as a direct equivalent of the British rank of vice admiral. It is a three-star rank...
Sir Roy Russell Dowling KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO (28 May 1901 – 15 April 1969) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN). He served as Chief of Naval Staff
Chief of Navy (Australia)
The Chief of Navy is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence...
, the RAN's highest-ranking position, from 1955 until 1959, and as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, forerunner of the role of Australia's Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
, from 1959 until 1961.
Early career
Roy Russell Dowling was born on 28 May 1901 in Condong, a township on the Tweed RiverTweed River (New South Wales)
The Tweed River is a short river in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. Its drainage basin consists mostly of the erosion caldera of the Tweed Volcano, a huge extinct volcano of which Mount Warning is the volcanic plug...
in northern New South Wales. His parents were sugar cane inspector Russell Dowling and his wife Lily. The youth entered the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay
Jervis Bay is a large bay bounded by the state of New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, and a detached enclave of the Australian Capital Territory. HMAS Creswell is located between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch in the Jervis Bay Territory.-History:...
in what was then the Federal Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, in 1915. An underachiever academically, he excelled at sports, and achieved the position of chief cadet captain before graduating in 1918 with the King's Medal. The following year he was posted to Britain as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
, undergoing training with the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and seeing service on HMS Ramillies
HMS Ramillies (07)
HMS Ramillies was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after the Battle of Ramillies. The ship is notable for having served in both the First and Second World Wars...
and HMS Venturous
V and W class destroyer
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...
. By January 1923 he was back in Australia, aboard the cruiser HMAS Adelaide
HMAS Adelaide (1918)
HMAS Adelaide was a Town class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy , named after Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia...
. He was promoted to lieutenant in March. In April 1924, Adelaide joined the Royal Navy's Special Service Squadron on its worldwide cruise
Cruise of the Special Service Squadron
In 1923-24, HMS Hood and the Special Service Squadron sailed around the world on The Empire Cruise, visiting many ports of call in the countries which had fought together during the First World War. The Squadron departed Devonport on 27 November 1923 and headed for Sierra Leone...
, taking in New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Panama, and the West Indies, before docking in September at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England. There Dowling left the ship for his next posting, studying to be a gunnery officer and serving in that capacity at HMS Excellent.
After his return to Australia in December 1926, Dowling spent eighteen months on HMAS Platypus
HMAS Platypus (1917)
HMAS Platypus was a submarine depot ship and base ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy between 1919 and 1946. Ordered prior to World War I to support the Australian submarines AE1 and AE2, Platypus was not completed until after both submarines had been lost, and she was commissioned into the...
and HMAS Anzac, where he continued to specialise in gunnery. In July 1928 he took on an instructional role at the gunnery school in HMAS Cerberus on Western Port Bay, Victoria. He married Jessie Blanch in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 8 May 1930; the couple had five children. Jessie accompanied him on his next posting to Britain commencing in January 1931. He was promoted to lieutenant commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
on 15 March, and was appointed gunnery officer on the light cruiser HMS Colombo
HMS Colombo (D89)
HMS Colombo was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy, named after the former capital city of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name...
in May. Returning to Australia, Dowling became squadron gunnery officer aboard the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra in April 1933. The ship operated mainly within Australian waters over the next two years. In July 1935, Dowling took charge of the gunnery school at Cerberus. He was promoted to commander on 31 December 1936. The following month, he assumed command of the newly commissioned Grimsby class sloop
Grimsby class sloop
With the realisation that war was approaching, 13 Grimsby class sloops were laid down in the mid to late 1930s. Of these eight were built in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy, four in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy and one for India...
HMAS Swan
HMAS Swan (U74)
HMAS Swan , named for the Swan River, was a Grimsby class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy that served during World War II.-Design and construction:...
, carrying out duties in the South West Pacific.
World War II
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on the cruiser HMS Naiad
HMS Naiad (93)
HMS Naiad was a Dido-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company , with the keel being laid down on 26 August 1937. She was launched on 3 February 1939, and commissioned 24 July 1940....
, which was torpedoed by a German U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
off Egypt in 1942 during the Battle of the Mediterranean
Battle of the Mediterranean
The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940-2 May 1945....
. Having survived that ordeal, he was appointed Director of Plans at the Navy Office in Melbourne. The following year he was made Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. In 1944 he was given command of the cruiser HMAS Hobart
HMAS Hobart (1939)
HMAS Hobart was a Modified Leander class light cruiser which served in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Originally constructed for the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo, the ship entered service in 1936, and was sold to Australia two years later...
, in which he supported the invasion of Borneo
Borneo campaign (1945)
The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...
as well as the Aitape–Wewak campaign, earning the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO).
Post-war career
When another captain senior to Dowling was pronounced unfit for seagoing duty, the latter was given the opportunity to take command of RAN's first aircraft carrierAircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, HMAS Sydney, commissioned in England on 16 December 1948. In April the following year, two months after the ship's belated acceptance into service due to teething troubles, Dowling embarked Sydney for Australia with two squadrons of fighters aboard. In June 1950, he was given the post of Chief of Naval Personnel. He went on to be Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet
Commander Australian Fleet
Commander Australian Fleet , also referred to as Fleet Commander Australia , is a senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy , holding full command of all Navy combat forces and responsibility for all maritime operations within the Australian Defence Force...
in July 1953. On 24 February 1955, he became First Naval Member & Chief of Staff
Chief of Navy (Australia)
The Chief of Navy is the most senior appointment in the Royal Australian Navy, responsible to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence...
, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1957. On 23 March 1959, he succeeded Lieutenant General Sir Henry Wells
Henry Wells (general)
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Wells KBE, CB, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army. Serving as Chief of the General Staff from 1954 to 1958, Wells' career culminated with his appointment as the first Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, a position marking him as the professional head of...
as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), a role predating that of the modern-day Chief of the Defence Force
Chief of the Defence Force (Australia)
Chief of the Defence Force is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force . The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the Minister of Defence, in a coequal arrangement with the Secretary of Defence, the most senior public servant in the Department of Defence.The position is a...
.
Later life
Succeeded as Chairman of COSC by Air Marshal Sir Frederick SchergerFrederick Scherger
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
, Dowling retired from the military on 27 May 1961. Though keen to secure a diplomatic appointment, nothing was offered to him and he instead busied himself with church affairs in Canberra. The government did, however, give him responsibility for organising the Queen's royal tour in 1962. He was rewarded with appointment as a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in March 1963, and became the Queen's permanent Australian secretary in Novemnber the same year. Dowling was also the Australian Red Cross Society
Australian Red Cross
The Australian Red Cross is one of the many national Red Cross societies around the world. The Australian organisation was established in 1914, nine days after the commencement of World War I, by Karen Tenenbaum, when she formed a branch of the British Red Cross.the organisation grew at a rapid rate...
's Canberra chairman from 1962 to 1967. He died of a heart attack
Coronary occlusion
A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack.In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored: the myocardium is however damaged....
on 15 April 1969 in Canberra Hospital
Canberra Hospital
The Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra. It is a tertiary level centre with 500 beds and caters to a population of about 520,000...
. Survived by his wife and children, he was cremated.