Sir Charles Forbes

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Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Morton Forbes (1880-1960) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in World War I, seeing action in the Dardanelles Campaign and at the Battle of Jutland and, as captain of a cruiser, was present at the surrender of the German fleet. During World War II, he served as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet: his fleet suffered heavy losses including the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and nine destroyers during the Norwegian Campaign in spring 1940. He went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in May 1941 and in that capacity he organised the defense of Plymouth from air attack, prosecuted attacks on enemy shipping using the harbor at Brest as well as other ports along the French coast, and also initiated the St Nazaire Raid in March 1942 before retiring in August 1943.