Robert Raikes (Royal Navy officer)

Sir Robert Raikes
Born	1885
Died	1953
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1900–1944
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	South Atlantic Station
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Distinguished Service Order

Admiral Sir Robert Henry Taunton Raikes KCB CVO DSO (1885–1953) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station.

Naval career

Raikes joined the Royal Navy in 1900.^[1] He served in World War I, earning the DSO in 1916,^[2] and went on to be Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth^[3] before becoming Director of the Royal Navy Staff College at Greenwich in 1932.^[1] He was made Chief of Staff of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1934 and Admiral in charge on a temporary basis at Alexandria in Egypt during the Abyssinian war in 1936 before becoming Rear Admiral Submarines in 1936.^[1] He served in World War II initially as Vice Admiral commanding the Reserve Fleet destroyers on the Northern Patrol before becoming Commander-in-Chief, South Atlantic Station in 1940.^[1] He went on to be Flag Officer, Aberdeen from 1942 to 1944.^[1]

He lived at Mantyley Chase in Newent in Gloucestershire.^[4]

Family

He married Ida Guinevere Evans.^[4] His son, Iwan Raikes, also served in the Royal Navy and became Flag Officer, Submarines.^[5] His nephew, Dick Raikes, also served in the Royal Navy and launched the Cockleshell heroes on their raid in canoes against German shipping in the Gironde estuary in 1942.^[3]

References