Sir Geoffrey Biggs
Born(1938-11-23)23 November 1938
Died29 June 2002(2002-06-29) (aged 63)
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Navy
Years of service1958–1995
RankVice Admiral
Commands heldFlag Officer Gibraltar
Naval Staff Directorate
Directorate of Naval Operations and Trade
2nd Frigate Squadron
HMS Broadsword
HMS Superb
HMS Brilliant
HMS Otus
AwardsKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath
RelationsVice Admiral Sir Hilary Biggs (father)
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse (grandfather)

Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey William Roger Biggs, KCB (23 November 1938 – 29 June 2002) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet from 1992 to 1995.[1][2]

Early life and family

Biggs was born on 23 November 1938, the son of Lieutenant Commander (later Vice Admiral Sir) Hilary Biggs and Florence Biggs (née Backhouse) and grandson of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse. He was educated at Charterhouse[3] and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.[4]

In 1967, Biggs married Marcia Leask; they had three sons.[4] Following the dissolution of his first marriage, he married Caroline Kerr (née Daly) in 1981; they had one daughter.[4]

Naval career

Biggs joined the Royal Navy in 1958 and qualified as a submariner.[4] He went on to command the submarine HMS Otus and then the frigate HMS Brilliant.[4] In the late 1970s he also commanded the submarine HMS Superb patrolling the Barents Sea above Norway.[4] He was appointed Commanding Officer of the frigate HMS Broadsword and Captain of the 2nd Frigate Squadron in 1985, Director of Naval Operations and Trade under the Naval Staff at the Ministry of Defence in 1986 and Director of Naval Staff Duties in 1987.[5] His last appointments were as Flag Officer Gibraltar in 1990 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet in 1992 before retiring in 1995.[4]

Biggs was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1993 New Year Honours.[6]

Later life

In retirement Biggs worked for International Computers Limited.[4] He died on 29 June 2002, aged 63.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Biggs. The Times (London, England), Friday, 12 July 2002; pg. 32; Issue 67501
  2. ^ 'BIGGS, Vice-Adm. Sir Geoffrey (William Roger)’, Who Was Who, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 ; online edn, April 2014 accessed 5 Feb 2017
  3. ^ "Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey William Roger Biggs". The Peerage. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Obituary: Vice-Admiral Sir Geoffrey Biggs The Telegraph, 3 July 2002
  5. ^ Royal Navy Senior Appointments Archived 15 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "No. 53153". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1992. p. 2.
Military offices Preceded bySir Roy Newman Deputy Commander-in-Chief Fleet 1992–1995 Succeeded bySir Jonathan Tod
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