# Edmund Anstice

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edmund_Anstice
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Edmund_Anstice.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Anstice
> Source revision: 1352394131
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

[Vice-Admiral](/source/Vice_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) **Sir Edmund Walter Anstice**, (5 May 1899 – 30 August 1979[1]) was a senior [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer and aviator who served as [Fifth Sea Lord](/source/Fifth_Sea_Lord) from 1951 to 1954.

## Early life and training

The second son of Major John Christian Appold Anstice, he joined the Royal Navy in August 1914, and was trained at the Royal Naval Colleges at [Osborne](/source/Royal_Naval_College,_Osborne) and [Dartmouth](/source/Britannia_Royal_Naval_College) before seeing service in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). He was commissioned as a [sub-lieutenant](/source/Sub-Lieutenant) on 15 January 1918. In 1919 he was stationed at [HMS *President*](/source/HMS_President_(shore_establishment)) while attending a course at [Cambridge University](/source/Cambridge_University), receiving promotion to [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) on 15 February 1920.[1]

## Naval career

### Naval aviator

On attachment to the [Fleet Air Arm](/source/Fleet_Air_Arm) of the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) (RAF; all naval aviation being under the control of the RAF at that time), he attended [No. 1 Flying Training School](/source/No._1_Flying_Training_School_RAF) at [Netheravon](/source/RAF_Netheravon), Wiltshire, from June 1924 until January 1925, before being posted to No. 462 Flight, [Fleet Air Arm](/source/Fleet_Air_Arm), aboard the aircraft carrier [HMS *Furious*](/source/HMS_Furious_(47)) in the [Atlantic Fleet](/source/Atlantic_Fleet_(United_Kingdom)), receiving the RAF rank of [flight lieutenant](/source/Flight_lieutenant) on 1 July 1927. On 1 September he became Flight Commander of No. 464 Flight, Fleet Air Arm, aboard the carrier [HMS *Courageous*](/source/HMS_Courageous_(50)). He was promoted to [lieutenant commander](/source/Lieutenant_commander) on 15 February 1928 and, in October 1929, transferred to the battlecruiser [HMS *Renown*](/source/HMS_Renown_(1916)).[1]

Anstice returned to *Courageous* in November 1930 to serve as Flight Commander of No. 463 Flight for the next two years. He was promoted to Navy [commander](/source/Commander) on 31 December 1932, and to the RAF rank of [squadron leader](/source/Squadron_leader) on 1 January 1933, and from 26 September was attached to the Directorate of Training at the [Air Ministry](/source/Air_Ministry). On 19 June 1936 he returned to *Courageous* once more, this time as Senior FAA Officer and Squadron Aviation Officer,[1] receiving promotion to [wing commander](/source/Wing_commander_(rank)) on 1 July.[2] On 28 July 1937 he was appointed Executive Officer of the [heavy cruiser](/source/Heavy_cruiser) [HMS *Shropshire*](/source/HMS_Shropshire_(73)) in the [Mediterranean Fleet](/source/Mediterranean_Fleet), remaining there until receiving promotion to the rank of [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)) on 30 June 1939.[1]

### Second World War

Anstice spent the early part of the Second World War, from October 1939, serving at the [Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty), and was appointed Deputy Director of the Naval Air Division in February 1941. He returned to sea duty in August 1942 serving briefly as Commanding Officer of the [escort carrier](/source/Escort_carrier) [HMS *Striker*](/source/HMS_Striker_(D12)), before taking command of [HMS *Fencer*](/source/HMS_Fencer_(D64)) until 19 January 1944. In March he returned to shore duty at [HMS *Monck*](/source/HMS_Monck), the Combined Training Headquarters at [Largs](/source/Largs), [Ayrshire](/source/Ayrshire), where he served as Chief of Staff for Aircraft Carrier Training.[1]

### Post-war flag officer

Anstice was appointed Commanding Officer of [Royal Naval Air Station Lee-on-Solent](/source/RNAS_Lee-on-Solent_(HMS_Daedalus)) as a [commodore](/source/Commodore_(Royal_Navy)) (2nd class) on 30 October 1945.[1]

In November 1946 he was appointed Director of Naval Aviation Planning for the [Royal Australian Navy](/source/Royal_Australian_Navy), and in October 1947 as appointed to the newly created post of Fourth Member of the [Australian Commonwealth Naval Board](/source/Australian_Commonwealth_Naval_Board) to advise the board on all matters related to naval aviation.[3]

Promoted on 10 July 1948 to [rear admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(Royal_Navy)), he served as Flag Officer of the Training Squadron, then from 26 August 1949 as [Flag Officer, Flying Training](/source/Flag_Officer,_Flying_Training) based at [RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin)](/source/RNAS_Donibristle_(HMS_Merlin)). He was made a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) in the [1950 New Year Honours](/source/1950_New_Year_Honours) and,[1] promoted to [vice admiral](/source/Vice_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on 15 September 1951, he served on the [Board of Admiralty](/source/Board_of_Admiralty) as [Fifth Sea Lord](/source/Fifth_Sea_Lord) and Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (Air). Anstice was appointed a [Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath](/source/Knight_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) in the [1953 Coronation Honours](/source/1953_Coronation_Honours),[1] and retired from the Navy on 16 September 1954.[1]

## Personal life

In 1928 Anstice married Lesley Ritchie of [Sydney](/source/Sydney), Australia. They had two sons.[1] He lived at Inverdunning House in [Dunning](/source/Dunning,_Perth_and_Kinross) in [Perthshire](/source/Perthshire).[4] Anstice died on 30 August 1979.[1]

## References

1. ["Royal Navy Officers 1939–1945 (A)"](http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersA5.html). *unithistories.com*. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

1. ["Half-Yearly Promotions"](http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201913.html). *[Flight](/source/Flight_International)*. 9 July 1936. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

1. ["New member of Naval Board"](http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22511504). *[The Melbourne Argus](/source/The_Argus_(Australia))*. 3 October 1947. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

1. ["Vice-Admiral Sir Edmund Anstice"](http://thepeerage.com/p8333.htm#i83321). *thepeerage.com*. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Edmund Anstice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Anstice) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Anstice?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.