Ralph Leatham
{{short description|Royal Navy admiral (1888-1954)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Admiral
| name = Sir Ralph Leatham
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KCB}}
| office = Governor of Bermuda
| monarch = George VI
| termstart = 1945
| termend = May 1946
| predecessor = William Addis
| successor = Alexander Hood
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1888|3|3|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1954|3|10|1888|3|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = Hemsworth, West Yorkshire
| death_place =
| image = Vice Admiral Leatham 1942 A 7229.jpg
| caption = Leatham on his appointment as Vice Admiral Malta
| spouse = {{marriage|Enid Birks|1910}}
| children = 2
| module = {{Infobox military person
| embed = yes
| allegiance = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| branch = {{navy|United Kingdom}}
| serviceyears = 1900–1946
| rank = Admiral
| commands = HMS Yarmouth
HMS Durban
HMS Ramillies
{{HMS|Valiant|1914|6}}
1st Battle Squadron
East Indies Station
FO-in-Charge, Malta & Malta Dockyard
Levant Station
Plymouth Station
| unit =
| battles = World War I
World War II
| awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
| laterwork =
}}
}}
Admiral Sir Ralph Leatham, KCB (3 March 1888 – 10 March 1954) was a Royal Navy officer who served as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth during World War II.
Naval career
Leatham joined the Royal Navy in 1900 as a cadet on the training ship Britannia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/LEATHAM.shtml|title=LEATHAM, Sir Ralph (1886-1954), Admiral|date=5 February 2011|website=Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205224148/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/LEATHAM.shtml|archive-date=5 February 2011}} He served on various ships during World War I.{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6612|title=World Ships Forum}} After the War he went on to command HMS Yarmouth, HMS Durban, HMS Ramillies and {{HMS|Valiant|1914|6}}. He was appointed Commander of the 1st Battle Squadron on 14 June 1938 holding that post until February 1939.
He served in World War II as Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station from 12 April 1939 until 16 July 1941. He was next appointed as Admiral Superintendent Malta Dockyard and Flag Officer in Charge, Malta from January 1942 taking part in actions against the Italian Navy until December 1942. He became Deputy Governor of Malta in 1943 and was briefly temporary Commander-in-Chief, Levant before becoming Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth later in 1943. He retired in 1946.
In retirement he became Governor of Bermuda.
Family
In 1910 he married Enid Birks; they had one son and one daughter.{{Cite web|url=https://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersL.html|title=Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945 -- L|website=unithistories.com}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Ralph Leatham}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box
| title = Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
| before = Sir James Somerville
| after = Sir Geoffrey Arbuthnot
| years = 1939–1941
}}
|-
{{s-bef
| before = Sir Wilbraham Ford
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Flag Officer, Malta
| years = 1941–1942
}}
{{s-aft
| after = Sir Stuart Bonham Carter
}}
|-
{{succession box
| title = Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
| years = 1943–1945
| before = Sir Charles Forbes
| after = Sir Henry Pridham-Wippell
}}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef
| before = Lord Burghley
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Governor of Bermuda
| years = 1946–1949
}}
{{s-aft
| after = Sir Alexander Hood
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leatham, Ralph}}
Category:19th-century Royal Navy personnel
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Category:Royal Navy admirals of World War II
Category:Military personnel from Yorkshire