The Papers of Rear-Admiral Sir Anthony Miers

Anthony Cecil Capel Miers was born in Birchwood, Inverness, 11 November 1906, the son of D. N. C. C. Miers and Margaret Annie Christie. He was educated at Stubbington House, Edinburgh Academy, and Wellington College. He married Patricia Mary Millar in 1945, with whom he had one son and one daughter.

He joined the Royal Navy as a special entry cadet, 1924, and transferred to submarines, 1929. He served in HM Submarine M2, HM Submarine H28 and HM Submarine Rainbow, 1931-6, and commanded HM Submarine L54, 1936-7. He attended the Navy Staff Course and was promoted Lieutenant-Commander, 1938. He served in battleships on the staff of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes, Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, 1939-40. He returned to submarines with the command of HM Submarine Torbay, operating mainly out of Alexandria, 1940-2, and became one of the most successful submarine aces in the Mediterranean. He was promoted Commander and appointed as submarine Staff Liaison Officer on the staff of Admiral Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, 1943-4.

He commanded 8th Submarine Flotilla in HMS Maidstone, 1944-5. He was promoted Captain, 1946, and commanded HMS Blackcap, the Royal Naval Air Station at Stretton, 1948-50, and HMS Forth and 1st Submarine Flotilla, 1950-2. He was on the staff of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, 1952-4. He commanded the aircraft carrier HMS Theseus, 1954-5. He was promoted Rear-Admiral, 1956, and appointed Flag Officer, Middle East, 1956-9.

He retired from the Royal Navy and worked for Mills and Allen Ltd, 1962-74; London Provincial Poster Group, 1962-83, and as Director for Development Co-ordination, National Car Parks, from 1971.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order with bar, 1941, the Victoria Cross, gazetted 7 July 1942, the CB, 1958, and a knighthood, 1959.

He died on 30 June 1985.

Papers comprising lectures, official reports and correspondence, mainly about Second World War naval operations in the Mediterranean and the Pacific, 1941-5, and the Cyprus Emergency, 1955-9.

The papers were given to Churchill Archives Centre by Lady Miers, 1990.

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Papers of Rear-Admiral Sir Anthony Miers, MIER

Copies of this collection level description and catalogue are available at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, the National Register of Archives, London, and on the Janus website http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk.

The collection was catalogued by Sophie Bridges, August 2004. Biographical information was obtained from "Who's Who 1897-1996" (A and C Black) and John Winton, "The Victoria Cross at Sea" (1978).