page_title: Cedric Holland
section_title: Post First World War
hierarchical_section_title: Cedric Holland / Post First World War
caption_attribution_description: British heavy cruiser HMS KENT underway at Scapa Flow.
context_page_description: Cedric Swinton Holland CB was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the First and Second World Wars, rising to the rank of vice-admiral.
  Holland was born the son of an admiral, and he followed his father into the navy, rising through the ranks and serving on a number of ships. He was serving at the rank of lieutenant on a cruiser at the start of the First World War. He saw out the war aboard battleships in home water and the Mediterranean, punctuated with time ashore, and with a special interest in signalling and naval communications. He was promoted to lieutenant-commander after the war, and was in the Mediterranean during the Turkish War of Independence. He graduated to his own commands shortly after, commanding a cruiser on the China Station, then a destroyer in the Mediterranean. He became a naval attaché in Paris shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, and remained in the position until April 1940.
  Recalled to Britain at the fall of France, Holland assumed command of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which he commanded during several actions and operations.
context_section_description: Holland was gazetted on 4 April 1919 'for valuable services rendered in connection with the War'. For his services during the war he was made a Knight of the Order of the Crown of Italy. He continued an active career at sea, being promoted to lieutenant-commander on 31 August 1919 and serving as Squadron Wireless Officer aboard HMS Revenge, based in the Mediterranean in 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence.
  Holland was advanced to commander on 31 December 1924, and between July 1928 and August 1929 he commanded HMS Kent on the China Station, during which time he visited ports in China, South-East Asia and Japan. His service in this region allowed him to attend the funeral of Dr Sun Yat-sen on 31 May 1929, and the annual Naval Regatta at Wei-Hai-Wei. He was promoted to captain on 30 June 1932, and in 1934 he took command of the destroyer HMS Kempenfelt, serving in the Mediterranean until 1936.
  Holland was a skilled French speaker and was posted as Naval Attaché for France, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal from January 1938 to April 1940, and was the Head of the Naval Mission to the French Admiralty from the outbreak of war in September 1939 until April 1940.
caption: HMS Kent, which Holland commanded on the China Station between 1928 and 1929
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