Fought In Noval Battles Of Two World Wars

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 14859, 22 December 1948, Page 5

Fought In Noval Battles Of Two World Wars

New Chief Of Staff

Appointed

R.N. Officer For Western

Europe Command

(N.Z. Press Association)

Captain R. M. Dick, C.8.E., D.S.C., R.N., has been appointed Chief of Staff to the Flag Officer Western Europe (Admiral Jaujard) to serve in the rank of Commodore Ist Class. Captain Dick, who has served in the Royal Navy for 38 years, took part in important naval engagements in both World Wars.

As a midshipman, he took part in the Battles of the Falkland Islands and Jutland, and towards the end of World War I he was awarded the D.S.C. for services in operations in the White Sea.

In World War 11, as a Captain, he took part in the Battle of Cape Matapan when serving on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean (Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope). Captain Dick was born on October 14, 1897, and has two children. His mother was born and brought up at the Chateau D’Hardelot, near Boulogne, which belonged to his grandfather. An aunt, the composer of the well-known song “Because,” took her pen-name, Guy d’Hardelot, from that of her family, and the Chateau. He entered the Royal Navy i'n 1910, and his knowledge of French and the French people soon made him invaluable to the Service as an interpreter in French. He also qualified as a Signal Officer and in 1925, when serving in the battleship Queen Elizabeth he was Flag Lieutenant to the late Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes, and Assistant Fleet Signal Officer. He also served under Admirals of the Tleet Lord Cork and Lord Chatfield. Captain Dick had his first command in 193 G in the destroyer H.M.S. Dainty. The inter-war. period also gave him experience in many types of warships, including the battleshin, cruiser and destroyer. Shortly before the outbreak of World- War II he served in the Flans Division at the Admiralty, but in November, 1939, he went to the Mediterranean to join the staff of the Commander-in-Chief as Deputy Chief of Staff, which appointment he held until he became Chief of Staff. During these two periods, from 1939 t c 1944, he served under Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope and subsequently, for a short period, continued as Chief of Staff under Admfral of the Fleet Sir John H. D. Cunningham. He received the Italian Commander-in-Chief on his arrival at Malta to surrender, and ho counter-signed the Italian Armistice as representative of the Commander-in-Chief. In Julv, 1944, Captain Dick took command of H.M.S. Belfast and also became Flag Capta.'n and Chief Staff Officer to the Rear-Admiral Commanding Second Cruiser Squadion. He took the cruiser to the Far East where the ship was one of the first ’contingent of warships to enter Shanghai when 4.000 British mmmees wcr° releas'd from detention camps there. On returning to this country he became the Director of the Tactical and Staff Duties Division of the Naval Staff, which appointment he held until tpe present time.