Richard Bell Davies traded rank for active service

Richard Bell Davies became a vice admiral in May 1941 and was expected to take the Fifth Sea Lord's naval-aviation staff post. Unwilling to accept what he saw as a desk job, he retired, joined the Royal Naval Reserve as a commander, and returned to sea as a convoy commodore. He later commissioned and prepared escort carriers for operations, including HMS Pretoria Castle and HMS Dasher. Officers who had recently served below him then faced the unusual task of giving orders to a reserve commander who had outranked them. Retirement allowed an exceptionally experienced aviator to choose operational service at a lower rank.