Sir Charles Daniel
Sir Charles Daniel, who lived at the Manor House in Manor Road in the 1960s and 1970s, was the Third Sea Lord and controller of the Royal Navy from 1945 to 1949. He was born and bred in Yorkshire. His links with Little Shelford started in in 1963 when the widower married Beatrice Pendlebury Worsley, widow of his brother-in-law John Pares Wilson who had lived with her at the Manor House until he died in 1958.
Daniel's naval career began with HMS Orion from 1912 to 1918. During World War 1, he was mentioned in despatches, was present at the Battle of Jutland and was awarded 2 medals.
In 1918 he specialised in Signals and Wireless. He was involved with the orders and signals surrounding the surrender of the German Fleet in 1918.
Daniel was promoted to Commander in 1928 and was made Experimental Commander of the Signal School from 1928 to 1930. After passing the Naval and Royal Air Force Staff Colleges (1931-32), Daniel became Commander of HMS Glorious, (1933-34), then a full Captain in 1934. He next passed the Imperial Defence College in 1935 and joined the Admiralty Plans Division, for the Joint Planning Committee, (1936-38).
He became Captain of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla (earning a DSO) from 1938 until 1940, when he was brought back to the Admiralty as Director of Plans on the Naval Staff, (1940-41) and awarded a CBE. From 1941 to 1943 Daniel returned to sea as captain of HMS Renown, then in 1943 was made Rear-Admiral and became Flag Officer for Combined Operations. From 1944 to 1945 he served as Vice-Admiral (Administrative) for the British Pacific Fleet and Rear-Admiral Commanding the 1st Battle Squadron in the British Pacific Fleet.
At the end of the war, Daniel became Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy, from 1945 to 1949 (and was awarded the KCB and made a Vice-Admiral in 1946). He then served for two years as Commandant of the Imperial Defence College from 1949 to 1951, becoming a full Admiral in 1950 and retired from the Navy in 1952. He then served as Chairman of the Television Advisory Committee for ten years, from 1952 to 1962. He died on 11 February 1981 in what is believed to have been a riding accident.
His papers are held by Churchill College, Cambridge.
