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Harold Taylor Wood Grant

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Allegiance
  
Canada

Parents
  
MacCallum Grant

Name
  
Harold Wood


Rank
  
Vice Admiral

Years of service
  
1914–1951

Born
  
March 16, 1899Halifax, Nova Scotia (
1899-03-16
)

Commands held
  
Chief of the Naval StaffHMCS OntarioHMS EnterpriseHMS DiomedeHMCS Skeena

Battles/wars
  
First World WarSecond World WarBattle of the AtlanticOperation StonewallBattle of the Bay of BiscayInvasion of Normandy

Awards
  
Commander of the Order of the British EmpireDistinguished Service OrderCanadian Forces DecorationMentioned in DespatchesBronze Star Medal (United States)

Died
  
May 8, 1965, Ottawa, Canada

Battles and wars
  
World War II, Battle of the Atlantic, Invasion of Normandy

Service/branch
  

Vice Admiral Harold Taylor Wood Grant (March 16, 1899 – May 8, 1965) was a Canadian naval officer and a post-war Chief of the Naval Staff.

Contents

Early life

Grant was born in 1899 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Lieutenant Governor MacCallum Grant and Laura MacNeill Parker Grant. He had one sister and five brothers, one of whom was John Moreau Grant. He studied at the Royal Naval College of Canada at Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1914 to 1917.

First World War

During the First World War, Grant was as a midshipman with HMS Leviathan in February 1917. He served as Director of Canadian Naval Plans and Director of Naval Reserves. In 1938, he was appointed commanding officer of the destroyer HMCS Skeena.

Second World War

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Grant was a member of the command staff of the Atlantic Coast. Promoted to Captain in 1940, he became Director of Naval Personnel. He was commanding officer of the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Diomede in 1943. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for "gallantry and skill and good service in command of HMS Enterprise in an action with enemy destroyers".

In the Bay of Biscay, HMS Enterprise and fellow light cruiser, HMS Glasgow took on 11 German destroyers. The two ships sank three German ships, damaged several other German ships and chased the rest of the German ships into a French port. He was Mentioned in Despatches for his service during the D-Day invasion of Normandy June 1944. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal by the United States for his actions during the naval bombardment of Cherbourg, France.

Post-war

Grant was promoted rear admiral in 1946. He served as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1947 to 1951. After retiring, he served as president of the Home Steamship lines at Montreal, Quebec. Grant died in Rockliffe Park, Ottawa, Ontario on May 8, 1965. He was 66 years of age. He was survived by his son John MacGregor and his daughters Sarah Grant and Caroline Gill.

References

Harold Taylor Wood Grant Wikipedia


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