Alban Curteis

Admiral Sir Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis KCB CVO DSO (13 January 1887 – 27 November 1961) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic.

Sir Alban Curteis
Born13 January 1887
Died27 November 1961 (1961-11-28) (aged 74)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Years of service1902 – 1944
RankAdmiral
Commands heldHMS Verity
HMS Despatch
HMS Nelson
2nd Cruiser Squadron
2nd Battle Squadron
Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order

Education

Curteis was educated at New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, followed by HMS Britannia, Dartmouth.[1]

Curteis joined the Royal Navy in 1902 and served in World War I.[2] He was appointed Commanding Officer of HMS Verity in 1922 and Flag Captain commanding HMS Despatch and Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the America and West Indies Station in 1928.[3] He was appointed Flag Captain commanding HMS Nelson and Captain of the Fleet to the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet in 1931 before becoming Captain of the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in 1933.[3] He became Captain of the Fleet for the Home Fleet in 1935 and went on to be Commander of the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport in 1938.[3]

He served in World War II as Commander of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron from 1940 and then as Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Home Fleet from 1941.[2] In June 1942 he led Operation Harpoon, a mission to re-supply Malta which was becoming very short of food and medical supplies; the plan was to despatch a naval convoy from Alexandria but in the event the convoy came under Italian naval attack and suffered heavy losses.[4] He was made Senior British Naval Officer, Western Atlantic in 1942 and retired in 1944.[2]

Family

In 1915 he married Helen Morrall; they had one son and one daughter. In 1941 he married Freda Morrall.[3]

References
  1. "Alban Thomas Buckley Curteis - The Dreadnought Project". www.dreadnoughtproject.org. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  2. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  3. "Unit Histories". Archived from the original on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  4. Order of Battle Italian Attack on Operation Harpoon Convoy and Battle of Pantelleria 15 June 1942
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