# Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland

The Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland (FOSNI) was a senior post in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It was based at HM Naval Base Clyde, and the holder of the post was the Royal Navy’s senior officer in Scotland. The post of FOSNI, dating from 1946, was re-scoped and re-named in 1994 to Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England & Northern Ireland (FOSNNI), then named back in 2015, before being dis-established in 2020.

## History

The Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland was the most senior naval position in Scotland and is the successor to appointments starting with the Senior Officer on the Coast of Scotland, established in 1913, just prior to the outbreak of the First World War. The title was altered to Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth in 1916. From 1946 the post became the Flag Officer Scotland & Northern Ireland. Between 1961 and 1994 the Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland was triple-hatted as Commander Northern Sub-Area (NORLANT) of Allied Command Atlantic (ACLANT), and as Commander Nore Sub-Area Channel (NORECHAN) of Allied Command Channel. Based at RAF Pitreavie Castle, NORECHAN was tasked to prevent Soviet Navy ships and submarines from entering the North Sea. When the command moved from Rosyth to HMNB Clyde in 1994, it took responsibility for a larger area, becoming the Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland. In 2015 the post reverted to Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland. The post was removed under the Royal Navy's Navy Command Transformation Programme and renamed Commodore Submarine Service (COSM).
Major subordinate stone frigates under C-in-C Rosyth on the outbreak of the Second World War included HMS Flora at Invergordon; HMS Bacchante (a shore establishment) at Aberdeen, HMS Claverhouse at Leith, and HMS Calliope on the Tyne. Bacchante had been commanded by the Senior Naval Officer, Aberdeen from 1915 to 1919 and then the Flag Officer-in-Charge, Aberdeen from 1942 to 1945. Wartime subsidiary bases included Aultbea on Loch Ewe. Facilities at Aultbea were established in February 1915 during World War I and partially deactivated in April 1919. Aultbea was reactivated during World War II in 1940 following the German attack on Scapa Flow and subsequent sinking of HMS Royal Oak, when the Home Fleet was temporarily based there. It was also a staging point for arctic convoys that operated out of Loch Ewe. It remained in operation until October 1967.

## Admirals Commanding

Flag Officers have been:

### Admiral Commanding on the Coast of Scotland; 1913–1916

Included:
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Robert Lowry | Admiral | July 1913 | June 1916 |

### Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth; 1913–1919

| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Frederick Hamilton | Admiral | June 1916 | October 1917 |
| 2 | Sir Cecil Burney | Admiral | October 1917 | March 1919 |

### Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland; 1919–1939

| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Herbert Heath | Admiral | March 1919 | April 1922 |
| 2 | Sir John Green | Vice-Admiral | April 1922 | June 1923 |
| 3 | Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt, Bt. | Rear-Admiral | June 1923 | June 1925 |
| 4 | Sir Walter Cowan | Vice-Admiral | June 1925 | June 1926 |
| 5 | Humphrey Bowring | Rear-Admiral | June 1926 | June 1928 |
| 6 | John Cameron | Rear-Admiral | June 1928 | July 1929 |
| 7 | Theodore Hallett | Rear-Admiral | July 1929 | July 1931 |
| 8 | the Hon. William Leveson-Gower | Vice-Admiral | July 1931 | July 1933 |
| 9 | Everard Hardman-Jones | Rear-Admiral | July 1933 | July 1935 |
| 10 | Robert Davenport | Rear-Admiral | July 1935 | July 1937 |
| 11 | Evelyn Thomson | Vice-Admiral | July 1937 | August 1939 |

### Commander-in-Chief, Rosyth; 1939–1946

| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Charles Ramsey | Admiral | August 1939 | June 1942 |
| 2 | Sir Wilbraham Ford | Admiral | June 1942 | June 1944 |
| 3 | Sir William Whitworth | Admiral | June 1944 | July 1946 |

### Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland; 1946–1994

| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | Sir Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton | Admiral | July 1946 | July 1948 |
| 2 | Sir Ernest Archer | Vice-Admiral | July 1948 | July 1950 |
| 3 | Sir Angus Cunninghame Graham | Vice-Admiral | July 1950 | August 1951 |
| 4 | John Crombie | Rear-Admiral | August 1951 | October 1953 |
| 5 | Sir Geoffrey Robson | Vice-Admiral | October 1953 | March 1956 |
| 6 | Sir John Cuthbert | Vice-Admiral | March 1956 | July 1958 |
| 7 | David Luce | Vice-Admiral | July 1958 | December 1959 |
| 8 | Sir Royston Wright | Vice-Admiral | December 1959 | September 1961 |
| 9 | Sir Arthur Hezlet | Vice-Admiral | September 1961 | June 1964 |
| 10 | Sir David Gregory | Vice-Admiral | June 1964 | July 1966 |
| 11 | Sir John Hayes | Vice-Admiral | July 1966 | July 1968 |
| 12 | Sir Ian McGeoch | Vice-Admiral | July 1968 | May 1970 |
| 13 | David Dunbar-Nasmith | Rear-Admiral | May 1970 | July 1972 |
| 14 | Martin Lucey | Rear-Admiral | July 1972 | August 1974 |
| 15 | Sir Anthony Troup | Vice-Admiral | August 1974 | June 1977 |
| 16 | Sir Cameron Rusby | Vice-Admiral | June 1977 | November 1979 |
| 17 | Sir Thomas Baird | Vice-Admiral | November 1979 | January 1982 |
| 18 | Robert Squires | Vice-Admiral | January 1982 | December 1983 |
| 19 | Sir Nicholas Hunt | Vice-Admiral | December 1983 | May 1985 |
| 20 | Sir George Vallings | Vice-Admiral | May 1985 | October 1987 |
| 21 | Sir Jock Slater | Vice-Admiral | October 1987 | February 1989 |
| 22 | Sir Michael Livesay | Vice-Admiral | February 1989 | March 1991 |
| 23 | Sir Hugo White | Vice-Admiral | March 1991 | November 1992 |
| 24 | Sir Christopher Morgan | Vice-Admiral | November 1992 | April 1996 |

### Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland; 1994–2015

Note: From 2005, the post holder also held the title of Flag Officer, Reserves and Flag Officer Regional Forces.
| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | John Tolhurst | Rear-Admiral | April 1996 | September 1997 |
| 2 | Michael Gregory | Rear-Admiral | September 1997 | August 2000 |
| 3 | Derek Anthony | Rear-Admiral | August 2000 | May 2003 |
| 4 | Nick Harris | Rear-Admiral | May 2003 | April 2006 |
| 5 | Philip Wilcocks | Rear-Admiral | April 2006 | December 2006 |
| 6 | Tony Johnstone-Burt | Rear-Admiral | December 2006 | February 2008 |
| 7 | Philip Jones | Rear-Admiral | February 2008 | September 2008 |
| 8 | Martin Alabaster | Rear Admiral | September 2008 | September 2011 |
| 9 | Christopher Hockley | Rear-Admiral | September 2011 | August 2014 |
| 10 | John Clink | Rear-Admiral | August 2014 | July 2015 |

### Flag Officer Scotland and Northern Ireland; 2015–2020

| S.No | Name | Rank | Assumed office | Left office |
| 1 | John Weale | Rear-Admiral | July 2015 | May 2020 |