Sir Toby Frere | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Tobias Frere-Reeves [1] |
| Born | 4 June 1938 Marylebone, London [1] |
| Died | 5 March 2020 (aged 81) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1955–1997 |
| Rank | Vice admiral |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
Vice Admiral Sir Richard Tobias Frere KCB (born Frere-Reeves; 4 June 1938 – 5 March 2020 [2] ) was a Royal Navy officer who ended his career as Chief of Fleet Support.
Frere was born in London, the son of publisher Alexander Stuart Frere-Reeves CBE and Patricia Marion Caldecott Wallace. His mother was the daughter of writer Edgar Wallace. [3] J. B. Priestley was his godfather. [4] He was named after his great-grandfather Henry Tobias Frere, a first-class cricketer. When he was 1, his father legally dropped Reeves from their surname. [5] [4]
He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. [3]
Frere joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve through National Service in 1955 and was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1958. [6] During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, as a submariner based at Halifax, he was involved in setting up a barrier patrol with American air support off Newfoundland. [7]
He commanded the submarines HMS Andrew, HMS Odin and HMS Revenge before taking charge of the frigate HMS Brazen. [6] Promoted to Rear-Admiral, he was appointed Director-General, Fleet Support (Policy & Services) in 1988 [8] and then Flag Officer, Submarines and Commander Submarines for the Eastern Atlantic in 1991 [9] before becoming Chief of Fleet Support in 1994 and retiring in 1997. [6]
In retirement, he became the First Chairman of The Prison Service Pay Review Body [10] as well as Chairman of the Governors of Oundle School. [11]
In 1968, he married Jane Barraclough; they had two daughters. [6]
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