Stanley McArdle

Rear-Admiral Stanley Lawrence McArdle, CB, MVO, GM, JP (27 September 1922 – 4 December 2007) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy, and a recipient of the George Medal for his efforts in the rescue of survivors from the ferry MV Princess Victoria in 1953.

Stanley Lawrence McArdle
Lieutenant Commander Stanley McArdle c.1945
Born(1922-09-22)22 September 1922
Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Died4 December 2007(2007-12-04) (aged 85)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Years of service1938–1980
RankRear-admiral
Commands held
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsCompanion of the Order of the Bath
Member of the Royal Victorian Order
George Medal
Other workDirector of British Bus and Endless Holdings
Governor of Godolphin School, Salisbury.

Early life

McArdle was born in Lochmaben, Dumfriesshire, on 27 September 1922, the son of a colour sergeant in the Royal Marines. He was educated at the Royal Hospital School, Holbrook.

McArdle joined HMS St Vincent at Gosport in 1938 as a boy seaman, 2nd class and saw service worldwide as a torpedoman before being the only successful candidate at a fleet board for promotion to officer in Colombo at the end of the Second World War.

In January 1953 he was awarded a George Medal for his part in HMS Contest's rescue of survivors from the ferry MV Princess Victoria.[1][2][3]

His ship, the destroyer HMS Contest, was at Rothesay when it picked up a distress signal. The ferry's stern doors had been ripped open by a storm, and water had flooded the car deck. When Contest arrived the ferry had already sunk, but McArdle and Chief Petty Officer Wilfred Warren managed to pluck several survivors to safety.[4]

He trained the naval guard for King George VI's funeral in 1952, for which he was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order.

He served in the Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade at the Admiralty in 1969 and he became Director General Personal Services and Training until 1977. His last appointment was as Flag Officer Spithead and Port Admiral Portsmouth, when he was made Companion of the Order of the Bath.[5]

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References
  1. "Tragic loss of a princess and her people". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  2. coast radio
  3. Princess Victoria by Bob O'Hara
  4. "Stanley McArdle". Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  5. The Times Obituary Lives in Brief: Rear-Admiral Stanley McArdle

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