caption serviceyears commands branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date nickname rank image article_title name
admiral sir tom phillips 1903 -- 1941 british eastern fleet 23px royal navy kuantan , malaysia 10 december 1941 pendennis castle , falmouth , cornwall united kingdom knight empire knight commander of the order of the bath distinguished grand service order cross of the order of the british first world war second world war 19 february 1888 tom thumb admiral tom-phillips . jpg tom phillips -lrb- royal navy officer -rrb-
 sir thomas spencer vaughan phillips
tom phillips -lrb- royal navy officer -rrb-

admiral sir thomas spencer vaughan `` tom '' phillips -lrb- 19 february 1888 -- 10 december 1941 -rrb- was a second world war admiral in the royal navy .
he was nicknamed `` tom thumb '' , due to his short stature .
he is best known for his command of force z during the japanese invasion of malaya , where he went down with his flagship , the battleship hms `` prince of wales '' .
phillips was the highest ranking allied officer killed in battle during the war .
