Roderick Douglas Macdonald
Vice Admiral Sir Roderick Douglas Macdonald KBE (25 February 1921 – 19 January 2001) was Chief of Staff of Naval Home Command.
Sir Roderick Macdonald | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 February 1921 Batavia, Java |
| Died | 19 January 2001 (aged 79) Portree, Scotland |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1939 - 1979 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | Naval Forces in Borneo HMS Bristol |
| Battles/wars | World War II Indonesian Confrontation Cyprus Emergency |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Despatches |
| Other work | Artist |
Naval career
Educated at Fettes College, Macdonald joined the Royal Navy in 1939.[1] He saw action during World War II during the Norwegian Campaign.[1] After the War he commanded various ships and was mentioned in dispatches for actions against EOKA.[1] Between 1965 and 1966 he commanded naval forces in Borneo. During the early 1970s he commanded HMS Bristol.[1]
In 1973 he was appointed Chief of Staff[2] Naval Home Command and then in 1976 he became Chief of Staff of Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe at NATO.[1] He retired in 1979.[1]
Later career
In retirement he became a distinguished artist[1] and retired to his home on the Isle of Skye where he was chieftain of the annual Highland games.[3] In 1993, his book 'The Figurehead' was published detailing his early war time career in the Royal Navy ISBN 978-1-85821-056-8. He is buried in Portree cemetery on Skye.
References
- Sir Roderick Macdonald: Obituary The Independent, 26 January 2001
- Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- Obituary: Vice Admiral Sir Roderick Macdonald Daily Telegraph, 5 February 2001