Fletcher, Kenneth Ernest John, Surgeon Captain, 1911-1987

Photograph album by Kenneth Ernest John Fletcher covering time spent on the China Station, 1936-1939.

Administrative / biographical background
Surgeon Captain (D) Kenneth Ernest John Fletcher was born in Plymouth in January 1911 and was the son of Surgeon Rear-Admiral (D) Edward Ernest Fletcher (1886-1968). After qualifying as a dental surgeon in December 1934 he joined the Royal Navy in January 1935 and spent his initial period of service at RN Hospital Haslar and Royal Marines Deal. He then spent three years serving on the China Station in the cruisers HMS CUMBERLAND, HMS DORSETSHIRE and HMS SUFFOLK. Fletcher returned to Britain in August 1939 and served at the New Entry Establishments HMS ST VINCENT and HMS KING ALFRED. In August 1942 he was appointed to HMS SAKER as Naval Liaison Officer, New York, and during this time met his wife Georgina Hall who was serving as a Wren, they married in 1944. He returned to the UK in 1945, was promoted Surgeon Commander (D) in 1949 and in 1950 was appointed as Senior Dental Surgeon Gibraltar in HMS ROOKE. He then served in several training establishments and was promoted to Surgeon Captain (D) in 1960. In 1962 he was appointed Fleet Dental Surgeon in Singapore with HMS TERROR and was then appointed Command Dental Surgeon with HMS DRAKE, Devonport. He retired in October 1967 to live in Dorset where he worked for the county treating schoolchildren. He died in Portsmouth on 26 March 1987.