Herbert Rayner


Herbert Sharples Rayner DSC & Bar, CD was a Royal Canadian Navy officer who served as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1960 to 1964.

Career

Herbert Sharples Rayner joined the Royal Canadian Navy in 1928. He served in the Second World War as Commanding Officer of the destroyer and then of the destroyer HMCS St. Laurent during 1940, as Staff Officer Operations to the Commander Atlantic Coast from 1942 and as Commanding Officer of the destroyer from 1943 before becoming Director of Plans in 1944. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for "courage and enterprise in action against enemy submarines in the Western Approaches" and a bar to his DSC for an action "against four German destroyers trying to break through to attack the Allied invasion fleet off Normandy".
He went on to be Commanding Officer of the destroyer in 1946, Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Section at the shore establishment HMCS Stadacona in 1947 and Commandant of the Canadian Services College Royal Roads in 1948. After that he became Secretary to the Chiefs of Staff Committee in 1950, Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier in 1953 and Naval Assistant to the Chief of the Naval Staff 1955. His last appointments were as Chief of Naval Personnel in 1955, Commander Maritime Forces Pacific in 1957 and as Chief of the Naval Staff from 1960 until retiring in 1964.

Awards and Decorations

Rayner's personal awards and decorations include the following:


RibbonDescriptionNotes
Distinguished Service Cross with bar
  • Citation for Distinguished Service Cross
  • DSC received in December 1940
  • Bar received in 1944
1939–1945 Star
  • WWII 1939-1945
  • Atlantic Star
  • WWII 1939-1945 with France & Germany Clasp
  • Canadian Volunteer Service Medal
  • WWII 1939-1945 with Overseas Service bar
  • War Medal 1939–1945 with Mentioned in dispatches
  • WWII 1939-1945
  • Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
  • Decoration awarded in 1952
  • Canadian Forces Decoration
  • with two Clasp for 32 years of services
  • Legion of Honour
  • Legionaire level
  • Citation
  • France award
  • Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 with palm
  • Bronze palm, mentioned at the army level
  • Citation for Bronze palm
  • France award