William Munro Kerr

Sir William Munro Kerr
Sir William Munro Kerr
Born	4 March 1876; Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Died	26 October 1959 (aged 83); Lymington, Hampshire, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1892–1936
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands	Reserve Fleet (1932–34); Chief of the Australian Naval Staff (1929–31); 1st Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet (1928–29); HMS Eagle (1925–26); HMS Ajax (1924–25); HMS Calliope (1924_; Rosyth Dockyard (1921–23); HMS Caradoc (1917–19); HMS Centurion (1916)
Battles / wars	First World War
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire; Companion of the Order of the Bath

Vice Admiral Sir William Munro Kerr KBE, CB (4 March 1876 – 26 October 1959) was a Royal Navy officer who served as First Naval Member and Chief of the Australian Naval Staff from 1929 to 1931.

Naval service

Kerr joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in 1892.^[1] In November 1901, Kerr—by then a lieutenant—was lent to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich for the compass course.^[2] In May the following year he was appointed lieutenant in charge of navigation at HMS Hermione, serving at the Mediterranean station.^[3] After serving in the First World War, he was appointed Captain of the Dockyard and King's Harbour Master at Rosyth in 1921 and Rear Admiral of the 1st Battle Squadron of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1928.^[4] He went on to be First Naval Member and Chief of the Australian Naval Staff in 1929^[5] and, having been promoted to vice admiral in 1931,^[1] he became Commander-in-Chief of the Reserve Fleet later that year.^[6] He retired in 1936.^[7]

^ ^a ^b Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904–1945
^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36598. London. 29 October 1901. p. 8.
^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36760. London. 6 May 1902. p. 11.
^ Mediterranean Fleet The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 March 1928
^ Four New Admirals Evening Post, 23 May 1929
^ Royal Navy October 1932
^ Whitaker's Almanack 1937

Military offices
Preceded by William Napier	Chief of the Australian Naval Staff 1929–1931	Succeeded by Sir George Hyde
Preceded by Sir Frank Larken	Commander-in-Chief, Reserve Fleet 1932–1934	Succeeded by Edward Astley-Rushton

v t e Chiefs of the Royal Australian Navy
Director, Commonwealth Naval Forces	Sir William Rooke Creswell
First Naval Members, Australian Commonwealth Naval Board	Sir William Rooke Creswell Sir Percy Grant Sir Allan Everett Percival Hall-Thompson William Napier Sir William Munro Kerr Sir George Hyde Sir Ragnar Colvin Sir Guy Royle Sir Louis Keppel Hamilton Sir John Augustine Collins Sir Roy Dowling Sir Henry Burrell Sir Hastings Harrington Sir Alan McNicoll Sir Victor Smith Sir Richard Peek Sir David Stevenson
Chiefs of the Naval Staff	Sir Anthony Synnot Sir James Willis David Leach Michael Hudson Ian MacDougall Rodney Taylor
Chiefs of Navy	Rodney Taylor Donald Chalmers David Shackleton Chris Ritchie Russ Shalders Russell Crane Raymond Griggs Timothy Barrett Michael Noonan Mark Hammond