Commitment, courage and cheerfulness: these are the words which family and friends feel best describe Captain Anthony Poulter, who spent the final years of his life in Rushford.
After almost five decades of service in the Royal Navy, Captain Poulter was known for his thoroughness and attention to detail, which saw him debriefing the Prime Minister and masterminding plans for NATO.
However, those close to him knew him to be a very gentle man with a wry sense of humour.
Tony, as he was best known, was born in Wimbledon on June 10, 1946, the first child of Mervyn and Elizabeth Poulter.
His sister, Jane said “he came into this world roaring”.
Indeed, as a baby, he was known as ‘The Lion’, a nickname derived from the fact that he fed so well and grew so sturdily. Growing up, he enjoyed a close relationship with his sisters, Jane and Claire.
At 13, the young Tony was accepted into the Nautical College at Pangbourne. He was fascinated with boats from a young age, having spent his childhood ‘messing about in dinghies’.
It was upon going away to school that the future captain set his sights on a career in the Royal Navy. His O-levels included Navigation and Seamanship, and he worked hard to achieve his ambition, entering the Royal Navy at 19.
His career included five commands, an achievement which brought him immense pride.
In 1970, Tony boarded his first nuclear submarine, HMS COURAGEOUS, where his notoriously tough commander would ring a handbell to signal that he wanted more aggression from his officers.
Captain Poulter climbed the ranks to First Lieutenant (second in command) of HMS OPPORTUNE in 1977, before taking over his first command of the conventional submarine, HMS OPOSSUM.
His career continued to flourish. As a senior commander, he had briefed the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher twice a week during the Falklands War, a woman who, he said, “never missed a trick”.
The captain's first nuclear submarine command was the brand new ‘hunter-killer’ HMS TIRELESS, which he brought out of Barrow-in-Furness in 1985, taking her on to full operational capability.
His next command was the Polaris submarine HMS RESOLUTION. This gave him the rare professional hat trick of commanding a conventional submarine, a nuclear hunter-killer and a nuclear deterrent submarine. He was particularly proud of the relationship between HMS RESOLUTION and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
Under his leadership, HMS RESOLUTION completed a patrol of 105 days – a record at the time, the norm being more like 60.
For this, Captain Poulter was awarded an OBE. It was an enormous test of his leadership.
On promotion to Captain, the remainder of the 76-year-old’s naval career was spent ashore – but with two more commands.
Accompanied by his wife Anne, he was the Flag Captain and Commanding Officer of HMS WARRIOR – otherwise known as the Fleet Headquarters at Northwood. He then commanded HMS NEPTUNE, the submarine base at Faslane on the Gareloch in Scotland.
He then spent seven years with Norfolk Police. His scrupulous planning helped to turn 70 separate projects into a cohesive strategic plan, and it was often remarked that the crooks of Norfolk had no idea that their rural police force was being masterminded by someone who had done strategic planning for NATO.
In 1993, Captain Poulter joined the Worshipful Company of Fletchers. He was a valued member of the Company becoming the Master Fletcher in April 2009.
Faith, too, had always been important to the captain, and he became greatly involved in his local church, St John the Evangelist.
He served as Church Warden for 20 years, greatly increasing its congregation and masterminding the renovation of this Historic 12th Century church. He was also on a number of diocesan committees.
Locally, he amalgamated Brettenham and Kilverstone Parish Councils being chairman for 20 years he was involved in many improvements in the area.
Captain Poulter died on March 10 after a long illness, aged 76. He is survived by his wife, Anne.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here