Yates Stirling Jr.
Yates Stirling Jr. (April 30, 1872 – January 27, 1948) was a decorated and controversial rear admiral in the United States Navy whose 44-year career spanned from several years before the Spanish–American War to the mid-1930s. He was awarded the Navy Cross and French Legion of Honor for distinguished service during World War One. The elder son of Rear Admiral Yates Stirling, he was an outspoken advocate of American sea power as a strong deterrent to war and to protect and promote international commerce. During Stirling's naval career and following retirement, he was a frequent lecturer, newspaper columnist and author of numerous books and articles, including his memoirs, "Sea Duty: The Memoirs of a Fighting Admiral", published in 1939. Describing himself, Stirling wrote, "All my life I have been called a stormy petrel. I have never hesitated to use the pen to reveal what I considered should be brought to public attention, usually within the Navy, but often to a wider public. I seem to see some benefits that have come through those efforts. I have always believed that a naval man is disloyal to his country if he does not reveal acts that are doing harm to his service and show, if he can, how to remedy the fault. An efficient Navy cannot be run with 'yes men' only."
William Stirling (British Army officer, born 1835)
Educated at Edinburgh Academy and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, Stirling was commissioned into the Royal Artillery and saw action at the Battle of Alma, at the Battle of Inkerman and at the Battle of Inkermann as well as the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War. He took part in the expedition to China during the Second Opium War in 1860 and saw action again during the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1878. Stirling became Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General, Woolwich District in 1880, Commander Royal Artillery for Southern District in 1885 and Governor of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich in 1890. In 1893 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1893 Birthday Honours list. He went on to be Lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1900 and was promoted to full general on 5 January 1902, shortly before his retirement in August that year.