Reginald Portal Explained

Sir Reginald Portal
Birth Date:6 September 1894
Birth Place:Hungerford, Berkshire
Allegiance:United Kingdom
Branch:Royal Navy
Serviceyears:1907–1951
Rank:Admiral
Unit:Fleet Air Arm
Commands:HMS York
HMS Royal Sovereign
Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Air)
Flag Officer, Naval Air Stations (Australia)
Flag Officer, Air (Home)
Battles:
Awards:Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Distinguished Service Cross
Spouse:Helen Anderson
Children:4
Relations:Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford (brother)

Admiral Sir Reginald Henry Portal, (6 September 1894 – 18 June 1983) was a Royal Navy officer and naval aviation pioneer who served in both world wars.[1] [2] [3]

Early life and family

Born near Hungerford, Berkshire, Reginald Portal was the second son of Edward Robert Portal, a country gentleman. His elder brother was Charles Frederick Algernon Portal, later Marshal of the Royal Air Force the Viscount Portal of Hungerford. The family was Huguenot in origin and Reginald Portal was related to the goldsmith and dramatist Abraham Portal, and more distantly so to Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal.

Naval career

Portal joined the Royal Navy in 1907 and served in the battleship HMS Neptune before the First World War. As an air observer, he received the Distinguished Service Cross during the war for conspicuous bravery in combat over the Dardanelles, when he was wounded.[4] He was assigned to the seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal as an observer, before returning to general service on the battleship HMS Colossus.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Reginald Henry Portal. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220314/http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Reginald_Henry_Portal . 2022-03-14 . live. The Dreadnought Project.
  2. News: 22 June 1983 . Admiral Sir Reginald Portal . 10 . The Times.
  3. News: 21 June 1983 . Adml Sir Reginald Portal . 14 . The Daily Telegraph.
  4. News: 1 June 1916 . Naval Honours for the Dardanelles . 11 . The Daily Telegraph.