Cecil Harcourt

Admiral Sir Cecil Halliday Jepson Harcourt (translated to Chinese as ; 11 April 1892 – 19 December 1959) was a British naval officer. He was the de facto governor of Hong Kong as commander-in-chief and head of the military administration from September 1945 to May 1946. He was called by the Chinese name "Ha Kok", a reference to the fourth-century Chinese nobleman .

Military career Harcourt was born in Bromley, Kent, England, to Halliday Harcourt and Grace Lilian (née Jepson) on 11 April 1892. He was educated at Fonthill, East Grinstead, and later at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth (1904–1908).

In 1939, Harcourt was appointed Director of the Admiralty's Operations Division. In 1941 he was Flag Captain of the Home Fleet, while commanding HMS Duke of York. In August 1942 until January 1943 he commanded the 10th Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet. From 1942 to 1944 he took part in the North Africa campaign, the capture of Tunisia, Pantelleria, Lampedusa, and Sicily, and the landing at Salerno. In 1944, he became Naval Secretary. In 1945, he was Flag Officer Commanding 11th Aircraft Carrier Squadron,

On 16 September, Harcourt received the surrender of Japan (under Major-General Umekichi Okada and Vice-Admiral Ruitarō Fujita) in Government House. He was the de facto governor of Hong Kong as commander-in-chief and head of the military administration until May 1946. On 18 December 1945, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). In 1946, he was promoted to vice-admiral. Her sister Griselda became the second wife of the pianist Louis Kentner. After Evelyn Suart's death in 1950, Harcourt married Stella, widow of Air Commodore David Waghorn, in 1953.

Honours Harcourt's honours: Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), 1940 Legion of Merit, November 1942 Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), 1943 Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB), 18 December 1945 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Cloud and Banner, 1946 Order of St. Olav, 1951 Order of the Dannebrog, 1952 Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), 1953

Namesakes Harcourt Road, Hong Kong Harcourt Garden, Hong Kong