Bernard Rawlings

Admiral Sir Henry Bernard Hughes Rawlings GBE KCB (21 May 1889 – 30 September 1962) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served in both world wars. During the Second World War he commanded the battleship HMS Valiant, held senior staff and flag appointments, and served as Flag Officer, Eastern Mediterranean. He later became second-in-command of the British Pacific Fleet and commanded the British carrier force, Task Force 57, during operations against Japan in 1945, including the Okinawa campaign.

Early life and naval career

Rawlings was born at St Erth, Cornwall, England, on 21 May 1889. He was educated at Stubbington House School and joined the Royal Navy in 1904.

During the evacuation of Crete in May 1941, Rawlings flew his flag in the light cruiser HMS Orion, which acted as flagship during the withdrawal of Commonwealth troops from Heraklion. The operation was delayed by embarkation difficulties and by the loss of the destroyer HMS Imperial, leaving the force exposed to German air attack in daylight as it passed south through the Kaso Strait. Cruisers such as HMS Orion, HMS Ajax and HMS Gloucester played a prominent role in these operations.

In March 1943 Rawlings was appointed Flag Officer, West Africa, with the acting rank of vice-admiral, and was promoted to substantive vice-admiral in November 1943. In December 1943 he became Flag Officer, Eastern Mediterranean, a major operational command during the later stages of the war in that theatre. The force included the fleet carriers HMS Illustrious, HMS Indomitable, HMS Indefatigable and HMS Victorious, together with battleships, cruisers, destroyers and support vessels.

Task Force 57 operated under demanding conditions. Its carriers were repeatedly attacked by Japanese aircraft, and several were damaged, but the armoured flight decks of British carriers enabled them to resume operations comparatively quickly. A 1948 report on the British Pacific Fleet stated that fifteen British aircraft had been shot down through mistaken identification during the Okinawa campaign.

After the Okinawa operations, Rawlings continued to serve with the British Pacific Fleet as Allied forces prepared for further operations against the Japanese home islands. The war ended before those operations were carried out. Rawlings retired from the Royal Navy in 1946 with the rank of admiral.

Later life and death

Rawlings died at Bodmin, Cornwall, England, on 30 September 1962, aged 73.

Honours

Rawlings was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire. He was also awarded the United States Legion of Merit for his wartime service.

Legacy

Rawlings's reputation rests largely on his senior commands during the Second World War, particularly his Mediterranean service and his command of Task Force 57 in the Pacific. As second-in-command of the British Pacific Fleet, he played an important role in the Royal Navy's return to large-scale operations in the Pacific and in demonstrating the value of British carrier forces during the final phase of the war against Japan.