Reginald Servaes

Vice Admiral Reginald Maxwell Servaes CB, CBE (25 July 1893 – 18 November 1978) was Flag Officer commanding the Reserve Fleet.

Reginald Servaes
Rear Admiral Servaes at the Admiralty, March 1944
Birth name	Reginald Maxwell Servaes
Born	(1893-07-25)25 July 1893
Died	18 November 1978(1978-11-18) (aged 85)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1906–1948
Rank	Vice admiral
Commands	HMS Resource HMS London Reserve Fleet
Battles / wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Early life

Servaes was son of Julius Max(imus)^[1] Servaes (1863-1947) and Constance Violet, daughter of Joseph Coltart, a Liverpool shipowner. Julius Servaes, like his father, also Julius (died 1902), was a cotton merchant; the senior Julius had been a partner in the firm of J. H. Schroder & Co., involved in the Liverpool cotton trade, before establishing his own general agency and commission business and becoming prominent in the local community.^[2][3]

Life and career

Servaes joined the Royal Navy in 1906 and saw service in World War I.^[4] He became commanding officer of the repair ship Resource in 1937 and Director of Local Defence at the Admiralty in 1938.^[4] He served in World War II as commanding officer of the cruiser London from 1940^[5] and saw action with the arctic convoys before becoming Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff in 1943.^[4][6]

After the War he became Rear Admiral commanding 2nd Cruiser Squadron in the British Pacific Fleet in 1945 and Flag Officer commanding the Reserve Fleet in 1947 before retiring in 1948.^[4]

Personal life

Servaes was married firstly, in 1919, to Hilda Edith Anna Johnson, and secondly, in 1959, to Marian Frances Mansel Glasbrook, widow of stockbroker Humphrey Vivian Bond.^[7] A notable descendant is the actor Tom Hiddleston.^[8]