Andrew Browne Cunningham Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope

ABC joined Royal Navy in 1897 and thereafter steadily rose in rank; he commanded a destroyer in the First World War and in the interwar years a destroyer squadron and his first battleship, HMS Rodney (1930). In the late 1930s he attained flag rank and served at the Admiralty. In 1939 he was appointed CinC Mediterranean Fleet, an appointment which he regarded the best in the Royal Navy. During his years in the Mediterranean he kept the enemy at bay and protected British convoys and troop movements and, later, the allied landing. In October 1943 he succeeded admiral Pound as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff; he was promoted Admiral of the Fleet and kept his post until his retirement in 1946. By many he is considered Britain's greatest admiral since Nelson.