Gerard Muirhead-Gould

Rear Admiral Gerard Charles Muirhead-Gould (29 May 1889-26 April 1945) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Muirhead-Gould joined the Royal Naval Cadets in January 1904.Grose, Peter (2007). "A Very Rude Awakening", p 85] During World War I, he earned a Distinguished Service Order, and was recognised as a Chevalier (Knight) of the Légion d'honneur and a Chevalier of the Order of the Redeemer. Between 1933 and 1936 Muirhead-Gould was a member of the Naval Intelligence Division, assigned to the British Embassy in Berlin. During this time he kept Winston Churchill informed of the German military buildup, particularly in relation to the Treaty of Versailles and the later Anglo-German Naval Agreement.

During the war, a heart condition prevented Muirhead-Gould from going to sea.Grose, Peter (2007). "A Very Rude Awakening", p 262] The sinking of British battleship HMS "Royal Oak" on 14 October 1939, while at anchor in Scapa Flow by German submarine "U-47" resulted in an Admiralty Board of Inquiry into how a submarine could have penetrated the harbour's defences, and what could be done to prevent a recurrence.Grose, Peter (2007). "A Very Rude Awakening", p 15] Muirhead-Gould, then a Commander, was one of the three senior officers on the Board.

In February 1940, Muirhead-Gould became the Naval Officer In Command of Sydney Harbour, a posting that lasted until September 1944, although he was not popular among the officers and sailors of the Royal Australian Navy under his command.Grose, Peter (2007). "A Very Rude Awakening", p 86] He was the senior Allied officer during the relatively unsuccessful Japanese midget submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. At some point Churchill considered Muirhead-Gould for the position of the Chief Director of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), although nothing came of this.

Muirhead-Gould's previous experience in Germany resulted in his transfer in September 1944 to the captured German naval base at Wilhelmshaven. There he suffered a fatal heart attack on 26 April 1945.

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