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Sir Frank Twiss
Article highlights
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The career of the Second Sea Lord who banned the naval rum ration
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From Cadet to POW 1924 - 1945
From Cadet to POW 1924 - 1945
Twiss joined Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth as a cadet in 1924. He passed out in 1927 and went on to serve as a Cadet on HMS Revenge in the Atlantic Fleet. Twiss gained promotion to Midshipman after six months and transferred to HMS Rodney.
Twiss's appointment as Naval Cadet on the HMS Revenge, 1927 (RNM)
Next Twiss trained to be a Lieutenant, his first appointment being on HMS Emerald in the East Indies Squadron. In 1934 Twiss trained in HMS Excellent for a year and specialised as a Gunnery Officer.
He attended the Staff Course at Greenwich in November 1938 - the most junior officer to have done the staff course up until then. Students on the Staff Course were educated in world affairs to enable them to write orders and become effective leaders.
Extract from the Midshipman's Journals of Frank Twiss. (RNM)
The British Fleet mobilised for war in August 1939. Twiss's first task was as the Gunnery Officer of 16 old destroyers escorting the British Expeditionary Force to France.
In 1940 Twiss became Gunnery Officer of HMS Exeter. While Twiss waited for the ship to be rebuilt and modernised at Plymouth he trained his men in anti-aircraft gunnery and radar. The ship eventually set sail to the Far East where they were involved in a battle against the Japanese.
The Japanese fired badly damaging HMS Exeter so the Captain gave the order to abandon ship. The Japanese captured Twiss. He was a prisoner of war for three years.
During this time he suffered from malnutrition, dysentery and beri-beri, not to mention the severe and inhumane treatment of the Japanese. Twiss returned to Britain following his release after Japanese surrender in 1945.
Twiss after his release from a Japanese prisoner of war camp, 1945. (RNM)
Listen to Twiss' accounts of his time as a POW
