Frederic John Walker Captain Frederic John Walker ( 3 June 1896 – 9 July 1944 ) ( his first name is given as Frederick in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and some London Gazette entries ) was a British Royal Navy officer noted for his exploits during World War II . Walker was the most successful anti - submarine warfare commander during the Battle of the Atlantic and was known more popularly as Johnnie Walker ( after the whisky ) . Early life and career . Walker was born in Plymouth , the son of Frederic Murray and Lucy Selina ( née Scriven ) Walker . He joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1909 and was educated at the Royal Naval Colleges at Osborne and Dartmouth , where he excelled . First serving on the battleship " Ajax " as a midshipman , Walker as a sub - lieutenant went on to join the destroyers " Mermaid " and " Sarpedon " in 1916 and 1917 respectively . Following the end of the First World War , Walker joined the " Queen Elizabeth " - class battleship " Valiant " . He married Jessica Eileen Ryder Stobart , with whom he had three sons and a daughter . Interwar Period , 1920s - 1930s . During the inter - war period Walker partook in the particularly unglamourous unfashionable field of anti - submarine warfare . He took a course at the newly founded anti - submarine training school of HMS " Osprey " , Portland which was established in 1924 . Walker would consequently become an expert in this particular type of warfare , and would be appointed to a post specialising in this field , serving on a number of capital ships . In May 1933 he was promoted to commander and took charge of the First World War destroyer " Shikari " . In December 1933 Walker took command of the " Shoreham " - class sloop " Falmouth " based on the China Station . In April 1937 Walker became the Experimental Commander at HMS " Osprey " . World War II . When the Second World War began , in 1939 , Walker ' s career seemed at an end . Still a Commander , he had been ignored for promotion to captain and indeed had been scheduled for early retirement . He gained a reprieve , however , due to the commencement of war and in 1940 was appointed as Operations Staff Officer to Vice - Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay . Even so , Walker still had not been given a command , despite expertise in anti - submarine warfare that would no doubt be indispensable in the Battle of the Atlantic . During Walker ' s time in that role the legendary Dunkirk evacuations took place , in which the British Expeditionary Force ( BEF ) was evacuated from France . The evacuation was an immense success , with over 330 , 000 British and French troops being taken to the United Kingdom . He was Mentioned in Despatches for his work during the evacuation . Walker finally received a command in October 1941 , taking control of the 36th Escort Group , commanding from the " Bittern " - class sloop " Stork " . The escort group comprised two sloops ( including " Stork " ) and six corvettes and was based in Liverpool , home of Western Approaches Command . Initially his Group was primarily used to escort convoys to and from Gibraltar . His first chance to test his innovative methods against the U - boat menace came in December when his group escorted Convoy HG 76 ( 32 ships ) . During the journey five U - boats were sunk , four by Walker ' s group , including " U - 574 " which was depth - charged and rammed by Walker ' s own ship on 19 December . The RN ' s loss during the Battle for HG76 was one escort carrier ( " Audacity " ) , one destroyer ( " Stanley " ) and two merchant ships . This is sometimes described as the first true Allied convoy victory in the Battle of the Atlantic . He was given the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) on 6 January 1942 for , " For daring , skill and determination while escorting to this country a valuable Convoy in the face of relentless attacks from the Enemy , during which three of their Submarines were sunk and two aircraft destroyed by our forces " . Walker ' s group succeeded in sinking at least three more U - boats during his tenure as commander of the 36th Group . He was awarded the first Bar to his DSO in July 1942 . In 1942 Walker left the 36th Group and became Captain ( D ) Liverpool , granting him some time to recuperate . He finally returned to a ship command when he became commander of the 2nd Support Group in 1943 , consisting of six sloop s . Walker led from " Starling " , a newly commissioned " Black Swan " - class sloop . The group was intended to act as reinforcement to convoys under attack , with the capacity to actively hunt and destroy U - boats , rather than be restricted to escorting convoys . Walker had suggested the innovative idea to Commander - in - Chief Western Approaches Command Sir Max Horton . The combination of an active hunting group and a charismatic , determined and innovative anti - submarine specialist such as Walker would prove to be a potent force . One eccentric aspect of his charismatic nature was the playing of the tune " A Hunting We Will Go " over the ship ' s Tannoy when returning to their base . In June 1943 Walker ' s own ship " Starling " was responsible for the sinking of two U - boats . The first , " U - 202 " , was destroyed on 2 June by depth charges and gunfire , and the other , " U - 119 " , on 24 June by depth charges and ramming . Another U - boat , " U - 449 " , was sunk by his group on the same day . One highly successful tactic employed by Walker was the creeping attack , where two ships would work together to keep contact with a U – boat whilst attacking ; a refinement of this was the barrage attack , which had three or more sloops in line to launch depth charges to saturate the area with depth charges in a manner similar to a rolling barrage by artillery in advance of an infantry attack . On 30 July Walker ' s group encountered a group of three U - boats on the surface ( two were vital type XIV replenishment boats known as " Milk Cows " ) while in the Bay of Biscay . He signalled the " general chase " to his group and fired at them , causing damage that prevented them from diving . Two of the submarines , " U - 462 " , a Type XIV , and " U - 504 " , a Type IX / C40 , were then sunk by Walker ' s group , and the second Type XIV , " U - 461 " , by Australian Short Sunderland flying boat . Upon his return to Liverpool , Walker was informed that his son , Timothy , had been killed when the submarine HMS " Parthian " had been lost in early August 1943 in the Mediterranean . On 14 September 1943 he was appointed a Companion of the Bath ( CB ) , " for leadership and daring in command of H . M . S . " Starling " in successful actions against Enemy submarines in the Atlantic . " On 6 November 1943 Walker ' s group sank " U - 226 " and " U - 842 " . In early 1944 Walker ' s group displayed their efficiency against U - boats by sinking six in one patrol . On 31 January 1944 Walker ' s group gained their first kill of the year when they sank " U - 592 " . On 9 February his group sank " U - 762 " , " U - 238 " , and " U - 734 " in one action , then sank " U - 424 " on 11 February , and " U - 264 " on 19 February . On 20 February 1944 one of Walker ' s group , HMS " Woodpecker " , was torpedoed and sank seven days later while being towed home ; all of her crew were saved . They returned to their base at Liverpool to the thrilled jubilation of the city ' s inhabitants and the Admiralty . The First Lord of the Admiralty was present to greet Walker and his ships . Walker was promoted to captain and awarded a second bar to his DSO . In March Walker ' s group provided the escort for the American cruiser USS " Milwaukee " which was on its way to Russia as part of the lend - lease programme . Walker ' s group sank two U - boats on the outward trip and a third on the return trip . Walker ' s last duty was protecting the fleet from U - boats during D - Day , the immense Allied invasion of France . This he did successfully for two weeks ; no U - boats managed to get past Walker and his vessels , and many were sunk or damaged in the process . During this concerted effort Walker ' s dedication to his tasks was tremendous ; he took no respite from his duties , which would ultimately contribute to his death . He was awarded the third bar to his DSO on 13 June 1944 , and was again Mentioned in Despatches on 20 June 1944 . Death . Walker suffered a on 7 July 1944 and died two days later at the Naval Hospital at Seaforth , Merseyside aged 48 ; his death was attributed to overwork and exhaustion . His funeral service took place at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral with full naval honours and attended by about 1 , 000 people . The scene was emotional as the naval procession followed , travelling through the streets of Liverpool to the docks where he embarked aboard destroyer " Hesperus " for his final journey to be buried at sea . A further honour was a Mention in Despatches on 1 August 1944 . As Walker ' s Group had already sailed , the sailors who undertook the procession and funeral and burial at sea were mostly Canadian . Legacy . Walker sank more U - boats during the Battle of the Atlantic than any other British or Allied commander and was instrumental in the Allied victory of the Battle of the Atlantic , one of the most important campaigns of the war . In 1998 a statue by Liverpool sculptor Tom Murphy of Captain Johnnie Walker in a typical pose was unveiled at the Pier Head in Liverpool by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh . The campaign for the statue had been launched by the Captain Walker ' s Old Boys Association . Members of the Association met in Liverpool during the 60th Anniversary of the victory of the Battle of the Atlantic in 2003 to commemorate their comrades . Johnnie Walker ' s grandson , Patrick Walker , continues the Walker association with the Royal Navy ( now retired ) . He is also a submarine r and has achieved the rank of captain of the First Submarine Squadron . He is also President of the Captain Walker ' s Old Boys Association dedicated to Captain Walker and the men who served with him . The Association disbanded in 2004 as many of the members were now too old to attend . The Standard is now on display in Bootle Town Hall along with many memorabilia of Walkers ships . Starlings bell is rung to commence each Council Meeting . Walker was to be promoted to Admiral , given a Fleet and sent to the Pacific . Service Order < / a > - Commander Frederic John Walker , Royal Navy , HMS Stork : Honours and awards . < br >