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Commander William Donald Aelian "Bill" King, DSO & Bar, DSC (23 June 1910 – 21 September 2012) was a British naval officer, yachtsman and author. He was the oldest participant in the first solo non-stop, around-the-world yacht race, the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the only person to command a British submarine on both the first and last days of World War II. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving British World War II submarine commander. Brought up by his mother and grandmother, King went to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He was first assigned to the battleship , and later became commanding officer of the submarine . He served on three separate vessels in World War II, and was promoted to commander and awarded seven medals during the war. King not only survived World War II, but succeeded in a singlehanded circumnavigation in 1973 on his third attempt. During the latter journey, he managed to reach port despite a collision with a large sea creature southwest of Australia. ==Family background and childhood== William Donald Aelian King was born to William Albert de Courcy King and Georgina Marie MacKenzie in 1910. King's grandfather, William King, was Chair of Mineralogy and Geology at Queen’s College, Galway. He was appointed when the College first opened in 1849.〔(Sharrock, David. 2006. ) "A medal at 96? I was not brave or clever." ''TimesOnline''. Interview with King about his Arctic Medal and war stories. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕〔(National University of Ireland, Galway ). "William King (1809–1886)". History of NUI Galway, the Science Faculty and associated scientists. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 Grandfather King was the first to argue that neanderthals were a species separate from modern humans.〔 King's father, William Albert de Courcy King, was born in 1875. He married Georgina Marie, daughter of a "Mr. D. F. MacKenzie, of Collingwood Grange, Camberley, Surrey" in June 1908.〔(FreeBMD. ) "Marriages Jun 1908: MacKenzie, Georgina Marie". freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕〔(Bunbury, Turtle. 2003. ) "The Leslie Family: Hungary to Ireland (12th century – 2003)". Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕〔(FreeBMD. ) "Marriages Jun 1908: King, William Albert De C." freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕〔(Warnock, Gabrielle and Jeff W. O'Connell. 2000. ) ''Face to Face.'' Trident Press Ltd., p.249. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 De Courcy King attended Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and then the School of Military Engineering, Chatham.〔(Finan & Co. 2003. ) "St. Lucia & Africa: the albums of Lt.-Col. William Albert de Courcy King, D.S.O., R.E." Item 179, Spring Sale, Saturday 5 April. Fine Art Consultants, Auctioneers, and Valuers. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 He received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in 1894. Prior to World War I, his postings included Saint Lucia in the 1890s, where the Engineers constructed gun emplacements and fortified coal stations, and South Africa, where the Engineers built blockhouses (designed by Major S. R. Rice, RE) during the Anglo Boer War.〔〔(Royal Engineers Museum. ) "Field (Combat) Engineers, Significant Dates and Events, 1899–1902." Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 De Courcy King was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) in 1916 while a major. During the First World War Lieutenant-Colonel De Courcy King served with the 36th (Ulster) Division in Belgium. De Courcy King was killed on 27 May 1917 at the age of 42, and lies buried at Dranoutre Military Cemetery in Belgium.〔(Commonwealth War Graves Commission. ) "Casualty Details: King, William Albert de Courcey" (sic). Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 In April the Engineers had helped prepare for the Battle of Arras, primarily tunnelling and mining of enemy positions.〔(Baker, Chris. ) "The 36th (Ulster) Division. Summary history of the division." ''The Long, Long Trail. The British Army in the Great War of 1914–1918.'' Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕〔(Royal Engineers Museum. ) "1917 – Divisional field engineering activities." ''Corps History – Part 14: The Corps and the First World War (1914–18)''. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 As a result of his father's death, Bill King was brought up by his mother and grandmother.〔 "The strange journey to Oranmore Castle." ''Galway Advertiser'', 26 August 2004. Retrieved on 7 January 2008.〕 His MacKenzie grandmother was a formidable woman who learned to ski at the age of 75 and still sailed in her eighties.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bill King (Royal Navy officer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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