Pound was born in August 1877 at Wroxall on the Isle of Wight, and educated at Fonthill School, East Grinstead, and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

He had a varied early naval service before being promoted to the rank of Commander in 1909 and appointed as an instructor at Naval Staff College in 1913. He was promoted again to Captain in December 1914 and served at the Admiralty, under "Jackie" Fisher (First Sea Lord). He was subsequently Flag Captain of the Grand Fleet in "HMS Colossus", and saw action at the battle of Jutland in May 1916. In 1917 he was appointed Director of Operations (Home).

In 1920 he was given command of the battle cruiser "HMS Repulse". In 1922 he returned to the Admiralty as Director of Plans Division. In 1925 he was named chief of staff to Admiral Sir Roger Keyes (Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet) and appointed Rear Admiral. He then spent two further years in the Admiralty as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff from 1927 to 1929. From 1929 to 1931 he commanded the Battle Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet.

In 1932 he served as a naval representative to a League of Nations Advisory Commission on disarmament, before being appointed as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel. He was subsequently appointed Admiral, 1935; temporary Chief of Staff, Mediterranean, 1935-36; Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, 1936-39; Admiral of the Fleet, 1939; First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, 1939-43; and an appointment in 1941 as First and Principal Naval ADC to the King. He died in October 1943. Donald McLachlan was a editor for "The Times", "The Economist" and "The Telegraph". He served in Naval Intelligence during the Second World War.