Guido James Willis KBE AO (1923-2003) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

VADM Sir Guido James (James) Willis KBE AO

Born 18 Oct 1923 in Learmonth, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Son of Jack Rupert Law Willis and [mother unknown]

Brother of Alan Antony Willis

[spouse(s) unknown]

[children unknown]

Died 15 Jun 2003 at age 79 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kenneth Evans

[send private message]

Profile last modified 3 Apr 2024 | Created 11 Jun 2023

This page has been accessed 57 times.

Biography

James Willis KBE AO is Notable.

Vice Admiral Sir James Willis KBE AO was a senior officer in the Royal Australian Navy. He saw active service during both the Second World War and the Korean War, and was Chief of Naval Staff from 1979 to 1982.

James Willis KBE AO was born in Victoria, Australia

Guido James Willis was born on 18th October 1923 in Learmonth, a picturesque township located some twenty kilometres north west of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. James, as he was known, was the son of Doctor J R L Willis and mother unknown. ^[1] The family soon after settled in Mount Gambier, South Australia; the town built on the volcano with the famous Blue Lake. James maintained adherence to the Church of England (Anglican Church) all his life.

James Willis KBE AO is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Royal Australian Navy 1937-1982
was promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Staff

After graduating from Wesley College in Melbourne, as his father and paternal grandfather had done before him, James entered the Royal Australian Naval College (RANC) in 1937. ^[2]^[3] His younger brother, Alan, followed him to RANC three years later, ^[4] the year James graduated and was appointed Sub Lieutenant aboard Australia's heavy cruiser, HMAS Canberra.

In December 1941, the month Japan entered the Second World War by invading Malaya and bombing Pearl Harbor, he was transferred to the Royal Navy's destroyer HMS Kingston, escorting convoys in the Mediterranean. Just months later he joined the battleship HMS Valiant, before undertaking a course in Britain. Returning to Australia in April 1943 he was posted to HMAS Nepal, recently transferred to the RAN from the Royal Navy and operating in the Indian Ocean. He was promoted to Lieutenant in August 1943. Early in 1945, James was posted to the British Pacific Fleet as executive officer of the frigate HMAS Barcoo, seeing action in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) until the end of the war.

Following the war, James was given his first command, the corvette HMAS Latrobe. In 1947 he undertook navigation and fighter direction training in Britain, topping the course with a record mark of 100 percent for astronomical navigation. Upon his return to Australia he joined the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.

James married Doctor Helen Seymour Turner in late 1949 in Victoria. ^[5] The couple had three children, Susan, Janet and Alan, however, the marriage ended in divorce before 1976.

He next served a six month-long deployment to Korean waters during the Korean War aboard the destroyer HMAS Warramunga as flotilla navigation officer. ^[6] He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and sent once more to England, this time as a senior instructor with the Royal Navy's navigation training school HMS Dryad for two years; before attending the Royal Navy's staff college at Greenwich. He returned to Australia commanding the newly-acquired destroyer HMAS Tobruk, whereupon he re-joined HMAS Sydney as fleet navigation officer. Upon her arrival in Australia in early 1956, he transferred to the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. The Southeast Asian conflicts saw both the Sydney and Melbourne in the waters about Malaya and Borneo, serving the needs and dictates of the SEATO, FESR and ANZUK treaties. ^[7]

He commanded HMAS Quiberon (destroyer), HMAS Vampire (destroyer) and HMAS Yarra (frigate), and was promoted to Captain in 1962. With the Yarra, James visited the Vietnam War, yet in is infancy, twice in 1966. ^[8] After attending Imperial Defence College in London in 1967, he served as Director-General of Operations and Plans in the Navy Office for three years when he returned to Australia. He later commanded HMAS Melbourne until 1972, mostly 'ferrying' troops and equipment to and from South Vietnam, ^[8]when he was appointed the commodore in charge of the light destroyer project. James was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1973. He served as Chief of Naval Personnel, Chief of Naval Materiel and Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Staff. In 1976 he was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). That year, Alan was also promoted to Rear Admiral; the brothers being the first to serve together at that rank in Australia.

James married Marjorie Campbell-Smith in 1976. By so doing, he became step-father to Marjorie's three children.

On 21st April 1979, James was promoted to Vice Admiral and became Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), the commander of the RAN. On 13th June 1981, he was created Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his service to the RAN, ^[9] becoming the last CNS to receive this honour. ^[10] After an illustrious career spanning six decades, James retired from the Navy on 21st April 1982 at HMAS Harman, Canberra. ^[2]

James maintained active association in the Anglican Church and was the first Chairman of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn

After retirement, James and Marjorie divided their time between Canberra and Tuross Head, a seaside village on New South Wales' south coast. He became the first Chairman of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. They settled in Adelaide, South Australia in 1998.

Aged 79 years, he passed away on 15th June 2003 in Adelaide. He was survived by Marjorie, children Susan, Janet and Alan, stepsons Michael, Andrew and Alexander, and eleven step-grandchildren.

Guido James Willis KBE AO (1923 - 2003)

Biography

Sources

See also