Who was Vice Admiral Sir Guy Charles Cecil Royle KCB, CMG?

Vice Admiral Sir Guy Charles Cecil Royle KCB, CMG, was the first member of the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board and Chief of the Naval Staff.

Between 1924 and 1934, after service in the First World War, Royle held the post of naval attaché in the British Embassy, Tokyo and became a specialist in the field of naval aviation. In 1933 he commanded the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious for a year, followed by two years as Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, London. He took the appointment of Vice-Admiral Commanding Aircraft Carriers from 1937 to 1939, and returned to sea duty commanding the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, between 1939 and 1940.

He then took a position in the Admiralty again, as Fifth Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Service between 1940 and 1941. He was knighted in 1941 and in June 1941, he was appointed to the position of Chief of the Naval Air Service of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) until 1945. He retired from the RAN in 1946 and was appointed Yeoman Usher of the Black Rod and from 1948 was Secretary to the Lord Great Chamberlain. He died on 4 January 1954, aged 69.

Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm Today

The Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) celebrated its 75th anniversary on Sunday 3rd July by hosting an open day at HMAS Albatross, Nowra, with aviation and static displays, a performance by the Navy band, and stalls from NSW Police Force, Shoalhaven City Council and community groups. 

The Fleet Air Arm provides the Navy with aviation capabilities to fight and win at sea.

Commander Fleet Air Arm, Commodore David Frost said the Fleet Air Arm had proved itself time and time again since its formation in 1947.

“The Fleet Air Arm has contributed to Australian Defence Force operations in war and peacetime, including the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and the Middle East,” Commodore Frost said.

”More recently, it has contributed to Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations in Fiji and Tonga, and also bushfire and flood relief in eastern Australia.”

“The 75^th anniversary of the Fleet Air Arm is a significant milestone and as much about the future as the past.”

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BrandNet, the team behind Navy Shop, has been working with the Australian Defence Force for more than 30 years and are proud and honoured to have been part of many significant moments in the lives of Navy personnel, their families and friends.