After a varied operational career, Addison spent nine years directing the civil administration, construction, maintenance, and personnel of the Royal Navy's dockyards. His 1939 recall let the Admiralty reuse knowledge that was difficult to reproduce quickly, alongside his successor Francis Talbot. Together they could divide inspections and troubleshooting across a dockyard system working at wartime tempo. Construction and repair depended on that administrative expertise as much as on commanders at sea.
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Percy Addison and irreplaceable dockyard expertise
Retired specialist Percy Addison brought back the dockyard knowledge needed for wartime ship construction and repair.