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Rear Admiral Guy Richmond GRIFFITHS, AO DSO DSC RAN
Guy’s childhood was that of a country boy with plenty of free time to muck about in the bush, go rabbit shooting or help with the harvest. He initially went to school at Rothbury Public and then West Maitland Technical College where some of the pupils’ surnames would become synonymous with the success of the Australian wine industry. In the late 1920s drought hit the area. Combined with the Depression and an outbreak of downy mildew, it made life very difficult for those in the wine industry. At the time, the young Guy was conscious that the family ‘didn’t have many pennies to rub together.’ Although Guy was mad keen on the machinery of wine producing, the associated hardships dampened any interest he had in ever following in his father’s footsteps. In 1937 he joined the RAN as one of seventeen 13-year old cadet-midshipmen, selected from nearly 500 applicants, and his success was proudly reported in the Maitland Daily Mercury. He excelled as a sportsman and gained colours for rugby, hockey, rowing and athletics and was made the Chief Cadet Captain of the College in 1939. After graduation from the College in late 1940 he and four other graduates were posted for further training to HMAS Australia, which was currently in the North Atlantic. However, by the time they arrived in England and reported to Australia House they were informed that the Australia was somewhere between Cape Town and Fremantle on it's way home. In March 1941 the Admiralty decided the five midshipmen would progress their training in HMS Repulse. The Repulse was involved in the search for the German battleship Bismarck, however, after all the high-speed steaming she was low on fuel and had to detach to top up. Whilst at anchor news came through on the demise of the Bismarck. Guy later recalled "the whole ship fell absolutely flat, and frustrated on not being involved". On 10 December 1941 HMS Repulse was sunk off the east coast of Malaya, by Japanese air attack, while in company with the battleship HMS Prince of Wales.
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Guy said: "It really wasn't a day for rejoicing, I can tell you. It was a dark day, a very dark day for the Royal Navy losing the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse. After rescue Midshipman Griffiths was posted to the battleship HMS Revenge. He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant in 1942 and, in early 1943, he served briefly in the destroyer HMS Vivian before joining the cruiser HMAS Shropshire, on commissioning, in May 1943. During the next two years he saw action in the South West Pacific, including the battles of Leyte Gulf, Lingayen Gulf and Surigao Strait during the fighting to liberate the Philippines. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1944 and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in May 1945 - "For gallantry, skill and devotion to duty as an Air Defence Operator while serving in HMAS Shropshire in the successful assault operations in the Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island". After the war, he completed the specialist course in gunnery at HMS Excellent (Portsmouth) and then conducted two years exchange service with the Royal Navy at HMS Drake (Devonport) before returning to Australia. From 1950-52 he served as Gunnery Officer in the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney and saw service in the Korean War during October 1951-January 1952. Griffiths was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in mid-1952 and posted as the Gunnery Officer in the destroyer HMAS Anzac; later that year the destroyer operated in the Korean theatre and he saw further active service. Griffiths undertook the Royal Naval Staff Course in 1954 and then served in the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne during 1955-56. Griffiths was promoted to Commander in late 1956 and posted as the Staff Officer Operations and Intelligence on the staff of the Flag Officer Commanding the Australian Fleet. In late 1958 he was posted to Navy Office in Canberra as the Deputy Director Manpower. In 1961, he became the commissioning Commanding Officer of the destroyer escort HMAS Parramatta. This was followed by duty as the Director of Tactics and Weapons Policy at Navy Office, Canberra. In 1964 he was promoted to Captain and in December 1965 he took command of the guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart. The ship saw action in Vietnamese waters in 1967 and he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO): ‘For devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy as Captain of HMAS Hobart’.
Under his leadership Hobart also received a Commendation from the Secretary of the USN, the first for an Australian ship. In part, the citation read: For exceptionally meritorious service .... while engaged in combat operations in direct support of Free World objectives in Southeast Asia. As an element of Task Unit 70.8.9, HMAS Hobart provided the naval gunfire support for United States and Allied forces on shore in the Republic of Vietnam and, as an element of Task Goup 77.1 in the Gulf of Tonkin, supported naval operations against North Vietnamese logistics routes and lines of communication. Undeterred by frequent, vigorous, acfurate enemy shore fire, Hobart was responsible for the destruction of numerous enemy installations, earning an enviable reputation as an aggressive, eager and dauntless member of the United States SEVENTH Fleet. From late 1967 he served in Malaysia as Naval Adviser to the Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Malaysian Navy and in 1970 attended the Imperial Defence College, London. In 1971 he was posted as Director-General Operations and Plans at Navy Office, Canberra and was promoted to Commodore in the same year. From late 1973 to mid-1975 he commanded the aircraft carrier Melbourne, which was flagship of the Australian Fleet and in addition to its normal operations the ship participated in Operation NAVY HELP DARWIN after Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city on Christmas Day 1974. In June 1976 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed Chief of Naval Personnel. In January 1979 he took up his final posting in the Navy as the Flag Officer Naval Support Command. In June 1979 Rear Admiral Griffiths was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "For service to the Royal Australian Navy over a period of 42 years and particularly as Chief of Naval Personnel". Rear Admiral Griffiths retired from the Navy in January 1980 after 43 years' service.
Rear Admiral Griffiths is married with one son and one daughter and his interests include golf, skiing, reading and family history research. He was:
Currently he is:
In 2010 a new accommodation block at
HMAS Creswell was opened and named the Griffiths Block in
his honour.
UPDATE:
Sadly, Guy Griffiths,
who dedicated his life to the service of our country and to
his fellow veterans, passed away on
the 05 March 2024, four days after he celebrated his 101st
birthday. Sources:
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Guy Griffiths was born in Sydney on 1 March 1923. He
grew up in the Hunter Valley and descended from four
pioneering, wine-producing families – Busby, Kelman, Holmes
and Griffiths.
