Charles Pizey Admiral Sir Charles Thomas Mark Pizey GBE , CB , DSO & Bar , DL ( 17 June 1899 – 17 May 1993 ) was a Royal Navy officer who served as the last Commander - in - Chief and first Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1951 to 1955 . Early life and career . Pizey was born in Axbridge , Somerset , the son of the Rev . Charles Edward Pizey ( 1853 - 1932 ) , and Geraldine Fowle ( 1866 – 1949 ) . He joined the Royal Navy in 1912 and served as a Midshipman aboard HMS " Conway " and during the First World War . He was promoted to Sub - Lieutenant in 1918 and to Lieutenant in 1920 , serving on from 1921 to 1923 . Pizey then served as a First Lieutenant , first aboard in the Atlantic Fleet from 1924 to 1925 , and then aboard in the Mediterranean from 1926 to 1927 . He was promoted to Lieutenant - Commander on 18 December 1928 . and served from 1929 to 1930 as Flag Lieutenant - Commander to Vice - Admiral Sir W . A . Howard Kelly in the Mediterranean , aboard the battleship HMS " Revenge " . From 1930 to 1932 he commanded the destroyers and . He was promoted to Commander on 2 January 1934 . From 1935 to 1937 , he was the Executive Officer aboard in the Mediterranean , and then commanded the destroyer in the Home Fleet from 1938 to 1939 . Second World War . In June 1939 , Pizey was promoted to Captain . From 1939 to 1940 , he commanded the heavy repair vessel HMS " Ausonia " as part of the Atlantic convoys . From 1940 to 1942 , he commanded the destroyer in the Channel and North Sea , seeing action against the German battleships " Gneisenau " and " Scharnhorst " as well as the heavy cruiser " Prinz Eugen " , for which he was appointed a Companion of the Bath on 27 March 1942 and was also appointed DSO and was mentioned in despatches . In July 1942 , he was given the command of a destroyer depot ship , , and served as a chief staff officer to a Rear - Admiral in charge of protecting Soviet convoys in the North Sea . For this service , he was awarded a bar to his DSO on 27 November 1942 . In December 1943 , Pizey was appointed Director of Operations Division ( Home ) for the Admiralty , commanding HMS " President " . He served in this capacity until the end of the war . Postwar career . In 1946 , Pizey was appointed a Commodore and appointed as Chief of Staff to the Commander - in - Chief , Home Fleet , serving aboard . He was promoted to Rear - Admiral in 1948 and served as Senior Naval Liaison Officer and Chief of UK Services Liaison Staff , Australia , aboard HMS " Terror " ( RN base , Singapore ) . From 1950 to 1951 , he served as Flag Officer Commanding , First Cruiser Squadron , aboard HMS " Liverpool " . On 30 November 1951 , he was promoted to Vice Admiral In October 1951 , he replaced Admiral Edward Parry as the last Commander - in - Chief of the Indian Navy . He was knighted with the KBE in the Coronation Honours List of 1953 , and promoted to Admiral the following year . In April 1955 , Pizey became the first Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy , which had replaced the former designation of Commander - in - Chief , Indian Navy . He was honoured with the Order of the People ' s Army of Yugoslavia that year upon Josip Broz Tito ' s state visit to India . Pizey was succeeded in his post by Vice - Admiral Stephen Hope Carlill in July 1955 . From later that year he served as Commander - in - Chief , Plymouth . He was promoted to a GBE in the 1957 New Year Honours and retired in 1958 . In 1962 , he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Somerset . Personal life and death . In 1928 , Pizey married Phyllis May D ' Angibau ( 27 November 1904 – 4 April 1993 ) , the eldest daughter of Alfred D ' Angibau ( 1865 – 1926 ) , and Florence May D ' Angibau ( ? - 1947 ) , formerly of Bournemouth ; the couple had two daughters . He died at Burnham - on - Sea , Somerset on 17 May 1993 , a month short of 94 .