Sir Charles Madden , 2nd Baronet Admiral Sir Charles Edward Madden , 2nd Baronet , GCB ( 25 June 1906 – 23 April 2001 ) , followed his father in a career with the Royal Navy that culminated in his serving as the Commander - in - Chief of the Home Fleet from 1963 to 1965 . A recognized expert in gunnery , Madden helped in the introduction of radar into the Royal Navy . He participated in the Battle of Calabria , the Battle of Taranto , the Battle of Cape Matapan , and the Battle of Crete during World War II . Following the war , Madden introduced the General List for officers which abolished many of the distinctions between the executive and other branches within the Royal Navy . He also served as the Chief of Naval Staff of the Royal New Zealand Navy . Following his retirement from the Royal Navy , Madden served as Vice Lord - Lieutenant of Greater London from 1969 to 1981 . Biography . Charles Edward Madden was born on June 15 , 1906 , the son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Madden , for whom the baronetcy was created in 1919 . His mother Constance was a daughter of Sir Charles Cayzer , 1st Baronet , the distinguished shipowner , and his aunt Gwendoline had married Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe when he was a captain in 1902 . Pre - War Service . Madden educated at the Royal Naval College , Osborne , and joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1920 after graduating from the Royal Naval College , Dartmouth , at a ceremony in which the prizes were given out by his father , who was serving as the Commander - in - Chief of the Home Fleet . Sea Duty Madden initially serviced on board the battleship " Iron Duke " , the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet . He subsequently served on the heavy cruiser " Kent " , the flagship of the 5th Cruiser Squadron , on the China Station . Madden participated in the annual gatherings at the British - owned anchorage and island of Wei - hai - wei , visited Japan , and attended the funeral of Sun Yat - sen , the president of the Republic of China . In 1932 , Lt . Madden joined the battleship " Queen Elizabeth " as its second gunnery officer . He was subsequently appointed as the flotilla gunnery officer , on board the flagship " Exmouth " , while the destroyer flotilla served in the Mediterranean Sea during the Second Italo – Abyssinian War . Newly promoted to Lieutenant Commander , Madden joined the cruiser " Sussex " as its gunnery officer in 1935 . During the 1936 – 1939 Arab revolt in Palestine , Madden was involved in running the lightly - armoured train ( making it vulnerable to attack by Arab terrorists ) from Haifa to Samak as well as protecting army encampments with naval field guns landed from the " Sussex " and light cruiser " Arethusa " . Shore Duty Influenced by " Kent " ’ s gunnery officer , the future Admiral Sir Philip Vian , Madden joined HMS " Excellent " Gunnery School at Portsmouth in September 1929 and qualified as an advanced gunnery officer ( “ dagger ” ) . He returned to the Experimental Department at HMS " Excellent " Gunnery School as First Lieutenant in 1937 . During this two - year stint , he was involved in the development gunnery fire control systems and supervised the arrangement for the funeral of Admiral Sir William Fisher , the Commander - in - Chief , Portsmouth . World War Two . Madden was promoted to Commander in 1939 and was part of the pre - commissioning crew for the new battleship " King George V " , which was followed by staff work involving British operations in the Baltic Sea and research on the applications of shipboard radar . Commander Madden was appointed as the executive officer for the battleship " Warspite " , the flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet , in May 1940 . He participated in the Battle of Calabria , the Battle of Taranto , the Battle of Cape Matapan , the Battle of Crete , and the bombardment of Tripoli during operation in the Mediterranean theatre . Madden was cited for official praise involving his damage control , fire - fighting , and casualty - relief efforts aboard the " Warspite " and the cruiser " Orion " during the Battle of Crete . An eyewitness account described Madden as being " cool , calm and collected , at least on the outside " during the battle and its aftermath . Madden also sustained a neck injury during a German bombing attack against the " Warspite " on June 23 , 1941 . Madden remained with the " Warspite " during her subsequent overhaul at the U . S . Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton , Washington , from August to December 1941 , and following the refit , as the flagship of Admiral Sir James Somerville , the Commander - in - Chief of the Eastern Fleet , operating in the Indian Ocean beginning in January 1942 . Madden undertook a two - year stint as the deputy director of the gunnery division within the Admiralty with the rank of acting captain . In late 1944 , he took command of the escort aircraft carrier " Emperor " which , after convoy duty , operated against the Japanese bases in Burma , the Nicobars , and Sumatra as a unit of the Far East Fleet during the closing stages of the Burma campaign . Cold War . After the war , Madden was confirmed in the rank of Captain and served as the Naval Assistant to the following First Sea Lord s : In 1947 , Captain Madden took command of the destroyer " Battleaxe " , serving as Captain ( D ) of the 6th Destroyer Flotilla . He subsequently attended the Imperial Defence College in 1950 , and then served on the Defence Research Policy Committee that recommended that Ministry of Defence develop guided missiles to meet its future air defense needs . In 1953 , Madden was appointed the Chief of Naval Staff and First Naval Member of the Royal New Zealand Navy Board with the honorary rank of commodore . Madden was promoted Rear Admiral in 1955 and appointed deputy to Admiral Sir Charles Lambe , the Second Sea Lord . In this position , Madden introduced the General List for officers in 1956 which abolished many of the distinctions between the executive and other branches within the Royal Navy . From 1957 to 1959 , Admiral Madden held the post of Flag Officer Malta , with responsibilities for three squadrons of minesweepers , an amphibious warfare squadron , and a flotilla of submarines stationed at this overseas naval base . In this capacity , he had to employ considerable diplomatic skill to maintain good relations with Dom Mintoff , the nationalistic prime minister of Malta . Madden subsequently served as Flag Officer , Flotillas , Home ( FOFH ) , the flag officer of destroyers and frigates in the Home Fleet from 1959 to 1961 . In the Fall of 1960 , under his command , British naval forces led by the aircraft carriers " Ark Royal " and " Hermes " participated in NATO exercises against units of the U . S . Second Fleet units , which included the nuclear - powered radar - picket submarine " Triton " . Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1961 , Madden served as Commander - in - Chief , Plymouth . In 1963 , Madden was appointed Commander - in - Chief Home Fleet , with the rank of Admiral , a post that his father held . He concurrently served as NATO ’ s Allied Commander - in - Chief Eastern Atlantic , and in this capacity , Madden was instrumental in developing Standing Naval Force Atlantic as a permanent multi - national naval task force . Retirement . After retiring , Madden served as Vice Lord - Lieutenant of Greater London from 1969 to 1981 . He chaired the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen , the National Maritime Museum , and the Standing Council of the Baronetage . Madden also served as executive secretary of a trust established to build a replica of HM Bark " Endeavour " for the bicentenary of James Cook ' s voyage of discovery to Australia in 1768 , as well as serving as the naval adviser to the trust formed for the Overlord Embroidery which is on display at the D - Day Museum in Southsea . He was also a member of the Council of the Sail Training Association . Madden also continued his life - long interest in painting , and he participated in numerous collective and one - man exhibitions at such venues as the Plymouth Art Club . Both he and his wife were involved in numerous charitable activities . His memoirs were privately printed in 1988 . Following his death , " The Independent " described Madden as being " a highly intelligent , thoughtful , caring and modest man . He was seldom ruffled and , like all successful admirals , was much admired by his men " whose 40 - year naval career , observed the " Times " of London , spanned " the big - gun battleship swagger of the imperial high noon to the steely realities of the Cold War . " Personal . Charles Edward Madden , 2nd Baronet , married Olive Robins , who died in 1989 , in 1942 after a two - year engagement . They were survived by a daughter . Admiral Madden was succeeded in the baronetcy by his nephew , Peter John Madden ( 1942 – 2006 ) , 3rd Baronet . Sir Peter Madden was succeeded in 2007 by his brother Charles Jonathan Madden ( b . 1949 ) , 4th Baronet .