Rear Admiral Stephen John Lloyd

Stephen John Lloyd was born in Bristol in the United Kingdom on 15 June 1923. He was educated at Bryanston School in Dorset and completed his medical studies at Bristol University in the late 1940s. Lloyd had previously served in the British Army during World War II, including active service in the 1st Battalion of the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in the defence of India during July 1942-May 1943 as part of the Burma campaign.

He joined the RAN as a direct entry medical officer, with the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant, in May 1952 at the RAN’s London Depot (Australian High Commission). Lloyd then undertook brief introductory training courses at Royal Navy training establishments before arriving at HMAS Cerberus in August 1952. Over the next five years he served mainly at Cerberus, as a junior medical officer, but with short stints at sea in HMA Ships Colac, Barcoo and Condamine during 1952-54. Lloyd was promoted to Surgeon Lieutenant Commander in May 1956.

In February 1957 he joined the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney as the medical officer and served in her until May 1958. He then returned to Cerberus but also undertook a short period of service at the UK/Australian nuclear testing site at Maralinga in August-October 1958 and later became a specialist in nuclear medicine. Between 1958-1961, Lloyd served wherever a medical officer was required and alternated between Cerberus and HMAS Penguin (Balmoral Naval Hospital). He also briefly undertook medical duties at HMAS Tarangau at Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

In 1961 he was posted to HMAS Lonsdale for service at Navy Office as the Assistant to the Medical Director General. He was promoted to Surgeon Commander in June 1962. Lloyd was posted to HMAS Kuttabul, in Sydney, in March 1964 in order to study for a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene at the University of Sydney. In September 1964 he returned to Navy Office as the Assistant to the Medical Director General.

Surgeon Commander Lloyd was posted to the Naval Air Station, HMAS Albatross, in November 1966 as the Officer in Charge of the Air Medical School. In early 1968 he returned to Cerberus and in June of 1970 he was promoted to Surgeon Captain and became the Medical Officer in Charge of the hospital at the navy’s largest training establishment.

Surgeon Captain Lloyd was posted to Navy Office in late 1971 as the Deputy Medical Director General and additionally he was Honorary Surgeon to the Queen. In May 1976 he was promoted to Surgeon Rear Admiral (bypassing the rank of Commodore) and appointed as the Director General Naval Health Services and remained in this position until he retired in April 1981. Surgeon Rear Admiral Lloyd was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977 and was also appointed as an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in June 1978 for service to the Medical Branch of the Royal Australian Navy.

Surgeon Rear Admiral Lloyd passed away in Canberra on 15 September 1994.