Philip Wilcocks

Rear Admiral Philip Lawrence Wilcocks, (14 April 1953 – 9 April 2023) was a British senior Royal Navy officer who served as Rear Admiral Surface Ships.

Early life Philip Wilcocks was born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on 14 April 1953 to Lieutenant Commander Arthur Frederick Wilcocks and Marjorie Wilcocks. He was educated at Oakham School and Wallington County Grammar School, before joining the Royal Navy in 1971.

Naval career Following initial sea training, Wilcocks was awarded the Queen's Telescope and the Queen's Gold Medal.

After qualifying as a principal warfare officer in 1981, Wilcocks served in the frigate , which included service in the Falklands War in 1982, when he was actively involved in directing naval fire support to land forces including the attack by the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment along Wireless Ridge just prior to the Argentinian surrender. His ship survived an Exocet missile attack.

Specialising in air warfare, Wilcocks became squadron operations officer to the Captain 3rd Destroyer Squadron in and . He took up the post of Deputy Chief of Joint Operations at the Permanent Joint Headquarters on promotion to rear admiral in early 2004; and chairman of Maritime Films; he joined the board of Centerprise International in 2016. A churchwarden at Dore Abbey and lay co-chair of Abbeydore Deanery, he became a member of the Bishops Council for the Diocese of Hereford in 2012; he was also part of the Church of England Diocese Peer Review Panel. He was also the Chairman of GoAGT, a company providing armed guards for ships which was declared insolvent in 2014.

Wilcocks was president of the HMS Hood Association, and in 2017 became chairman of the board of Governors of Hereford Cathedral School.

Death Wilcocks died on 9 April 2023, at the age of 69.