Hugh Balfour

Hugh Balfour
CB LVO
Born (1933-04-29)29 April 1933
Malta
Died 29 June 1999(1999-06-29) (aged 66)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Navy
Years of service 1951–90
Rank Rear-Admiral
Commands held HMS Sheraton
HMS Whitby
HMY Britannia
HMS Phoebe
HMS Exeter
Royal Navy of Oman
Battles/wars Falklands War
Awards Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of Oman
Other work Communications consultant

Rear-Admiral Hugh Maxwell Balfour CB, LVO (29 April 1933 29 June 1999) was a senior Royal Navy officer.[1]

Education

Hugh Balfour was born in Malta and educated at Ardvreck School, Crieff and Kelly College, Tavistock.[2][1]

Navy

Balfour joined the Royal Navy in 1951 and qualified as a signal officer in 1959.[3] He served on HMS Rothesay (F107) from 1960-1962 before gaining his first command in 1963 as a lieutenant on the Ton-class minesweeper, HMS Sheraton.[4]

Between 1965-1967 he served as staff officer operations and senior communications officer to the senior naval officer West Indies (Snowi).[2] He then went on to command HMS Whitby (F36), and took part in the Beira Patrol off the coast of Mozambique.[4]

Balfour's next appointment was as commander (communications) at HMS Dryad, the Royal Navy Tactical School.[2] He then became commander of HMY Britannia from 1972-1974.[2] In 1974 he was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.[5][2]

In 1976 he was appointed captain of HMS Phoebe (F42) and in 1977 he commanded Operation Journeyman, a small task force of ships that succeeded in deterring the Argentines from invading the Falkland Islands.[3][2]

On his return to the United Kingdom (UK) he became deputy director of command, control and communications. He then served as chief signals officer from 1979 to 1981.[2]

Balfour was serving as captain of HMS Exeter (D89) when the Argentines invaded the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982.[4] The ship was on duty in the Caribbean, acting as a guardship for British troops protecting Belize from Guatemalen teritorial claims.[4] Whilst waiting for orders he prepared his ship for battle with a series of exercises.[4]

Following the loss of HMS Sheffield (D80), Balfour received orders to sail for the Falkland Islands on 5 May.[4] On the way, Exeter had a secret meeting with the tanker British Esk.[2] Balfour had a tactical briefing from Sam Salt, the captain of HMS Sheffield, who was returning with his surviving crew to Britain.[4]

Exeter reached the task force on 22 May, two days after the amphibious assault to retake the Islands had started.[2] Her main role was to protect the task force and provide early warning of incoming aircraft and missiles using the Type 1022 radar.[4] During the conflict, Exeter shot down three Argentine aircraft (two A-4C Skyhawks on 30 May, and a Learjet 35A on 7 June; all with Sea Dart missiles).

From 1983-1985 Balfour was director of the Maritime Tactical School and promoted to Rear-Admiral.[2] Between 1985-1990 he was commander of the Royal Navy of Oman and awarded the Order of Oman on his retirement.[2] In 1990 he was also appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath.[6]

On his retirement from the Royal Navy he became a communications consultant.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Balfour, Rear-Adm. Hugh Maxwell. Who Was Who 2016 (November 2015 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Rear-Admiral Hugh Balfour". The Independent. 22 August 1999. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Rear Admiral Hugh Balfour". The Herald (Glasgow). 7 August 1999. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Hugh Balfour". The Guardian. 2 August 1999. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  5. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 46310. p. 6796. 7 June 1974. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  6. The London Gazette: no. 52173. p. 2. 15 June 1990. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
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