Terence Lewin, Baron Lewin

Infobox Military Person
name= Admiral of the Fleet The Lord Lewin
lived= 19 November 1920 – 23 January 1999
placeofbirth= Dover, Kent, United Kingdom
placeofdeath=


caption= The then Admiral Sir Terence Lewin
(Crown Copyright)
nickname=
allegiance= flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
serviceyears=1939 - 1982
rank= Admiral of the Fleet
branch=
commands=First Sea Lord
Commander-in-Chief Fleet
HMS Hermes (R12)
HMS Tenby (F65)
HMS Urchin (R99)
HMY Britannia
HMS Corunna (D97)
unit=
battles=World War II
Falklands War
awards=Knight of the Order of the Garter
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
Distinguished Service Cross
Mention in Despatches (3)
laterwork=
Admiral of the Fleet Terence Thornton Lewin, Baron Lewin, KG, GCB, LVO, DSC (19 November 1920 - 23 January 1999) is a former First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy.

Biography

Naval career

Educated at The Judd School in Tonbridge where he was head prefect in 1938, he entered the Navy in 1939. He spent much of World War II on HMS "Ashanti": he served with distinction being mentioned in dispatches three times and being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross [ [http://www.robinlewin.co.uk/Lord%20Lewin.html Family biography] ] .

He was given command of HMS "Corunna" in 1955, HM Yacht "Britannia" in 1957, HMS "Urchin" in 1962, HMS "Tenby" in 1963 and HMS "Hermes" in 1966 [Heathcote, Anthony pg 157] .

He was appointed Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1968 and Flag Officer Second in Command Far East Fleet in 1969. In 1971 he became Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and in 1973 he went on to be Commander-in-Chief Fleet [Heathcote, Anthony pg 158] .

He was appointed First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff in 1977. He was Chief of the Defence Staff and member of the War Cabinet during the Falklands War [Heathcote, Anthony pg 158] and it was for this role and also his longer term contribution to the restructuring of the Armed Forces in the 1980s that he was created a life peer, as Baron Lewin, of Greenwich in Greater London, and appointed a Knight of the Order of the Garter. He has been called one of the greatest military leaders of the late 20th century.

Lord Lewin had a building named after him at the maritime warfare school, H.M.S Dryad.

At The Judd School in Tonbridge, a house is named after him (Lewin). The house colour is light blue.

Later life

He retired from service in late 1982 and went on to Chair the Trustees of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. He died at home in January 1999.

In popular culture

Lewin was portrayed by John Woodvine in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial "The Falklands Play".

References

Further reading

* "Lewin of Greenwich", Rear-Admiral Richard Hill, Weidenfeld Military, 2000, ISBN 978 030435 329 3
* "The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995", Heathcote T. A., Pen & Sword Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0 85052 835 6
* [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/71891 ‘Lewin, Terence Thornton, Baron Lewin (1920–1999)’] , Richard Hill, "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography", Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edition, May 2007. (Subscription required for online access).