Sir Derek Reffell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 October 1928 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | Royal Navy |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Controller of the Navy HMS Hermes HMS Sirius |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath |
| Other work | Governor of Gibraltar (1989–93) |
| Viceregal styles of Sir Derek Reffell (1989–1993) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Admiral Sir Derek Roy Reffell, KCB (born 6 October 1928) is a former Royal Navy officer and Governor of Gibraltar.
Educated at Culford School, [1] Reffell entered the Royal Navy, qualified as a Navigating Officer in 1954 and progressed through the ranks: he commanded the frigate HMS Sirius from her launch in 1966, [2] and served as captain of the commando carrier HMS Hermes from 1974 to 1976 and as Commodore, Amphibious Warfare, from 1978 to 1979. He was appointed Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff for Policy – ACNS(P) – in 1979. [3] He was promoted to Vice-Admiral, becoming Flag Officer, Third Flotilla (FOF3) in 1982. [3]
During the Falklands War Admiral Reffell was serving as Flag Officer Third Flotilla in charge of the amphibious ships and aircraft carriers. Alastair Finlan commented that Admiral Reffell was the obvious choice for in-theatre commander but was not selected. [4] Commodore Michael Clapp later expressed his surprise at this decision, and, what was more, the fact that Reffell was barred access to the Northwood Headquarters so that his advice was not available. [5] He did however become senior officer in-theatre (aboard Bristol for a period) from 1 July 1982 after Rear Admiral Sandy Woodward had returned home. [6]
He became Controller of the Navy in 1984 and was Governor of Gibraltar 1989–1993. [3]
Admiral Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward, was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Task Force of the Falklands War.
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Admiral of the Fleet John David Elliott Fieldhouse, Baron Fieldhouse, was a Royal Navy officer. He commanded five submarines and a frigate before achieving higher command from the 1970s. Following the invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentine forces in April 1982, Fieldhouse was appointed Commander of the Task Force given responsibility for "Operation Corporate", the mission to recover the Falkland Islands. The campaign ended in the surrender of Argentine forces in June 1982. He became First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff in December that year and, in that role, persuaded the British Government to fund the replacement of ships lost in the Falklands War. He went on to be Chief of the Defence Staff from 1985 until his retirement in 1988.
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British Forces Gibraltar is the British Armed Forces stationed in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is used primarily as a training area, thanks to its good climate and rocky terrain, and as a stopover for aircraft and ships en route to and from deployments East of Suez or in Africa.
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Flag Officer, Carriers and Amphibious Ships (FOCAS) was a senior Royal Navy post that existed from 1970 to 1979. However, its antecedents date to 1931.
The Flag Officer, Third Flotilla was the senior Royal Navy appointment in command of the Third Flotilla from 1979 to 1992.
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Commodore Michael Cecil Clapp, is a retired senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the United Kingdom's amphibious assault group, Task Group 317.0, in the Falklands War.
Rear-admiral Sir Peter George Valentin Dingemans, was a former Royal Navy officer who was captain of HMS Intrepid during the Falklands War and went on to become Chief of staff to the Commander-in-Chief Fleet.
