Daphne Mary Blundell, (19 August 1916 – 24 May 2004) was a senior British naval officer, who served as Director of the

Women's Royal Naval Service The Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS; popularly and officially known as the Wrens) was the women's branch of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. First formed in 1917 for the First World War, it was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the ...

from 1970 to 1973.

Early life and education

Blundell was born on 19 August 1916. She was educated at St Helen's School, an all-girls

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Northwood, London Northwood is an affluent area in northwest London, England. It is located within the London Borough of Hillingdon on the border with Hertfordshire and from Charing Cross. Northwood was part of the ancient parish of Ruislip, Middlesex and has f ...

. She studied at

Bedford College, London file:Bedford College in York place - photographer is unknown but guess 1908.png, Bedford College was in York Place after 1874 Bedford College was founded in London in 1849 as the first higher education college for education of women, women in th ...

, the first higher education institution for women in the United Kingdom.

Naval career

Blundell joined the

(WRNS) in November 1942. She was promoted to

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

third officer (equivalent to

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

) on 26 September 1943. During her early career, she served in Orkney, Ceylon, East Africa, and Malta. She served on the staff of Flag Officer Naval Air Command from 1964 to 1967. She was promoted to superintendent (equivalent to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

) in 1967. She was on the staff of

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. The commanders-in-chief were based at premises in High Street, Portsmouth from the 1790s until the end of Sir Thomas Williams's tenure, his succe ...

between 1967 and 1969. From 1969 to 1970, she was superintendent of WRNS Training and Drafting. In 1970, she was appointed Director of the WRNS and promoted to commandant (equivalent to

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

). Blundell was appointed an Honorary Aide-de-Camp to

the Queen In the English-speaking world, The Queen most commonly refers to: * Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 1952 until her death The Queen may also refer to: * Camilla, Queen Consort (born 1947), ...

on 8 July 1970 and, in the 1972 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

. She stepped down as Honorary Aide-de-Camp in July 1973, and retired from the WRNS on 24 August.

Later life

In retirement, Blundell served as President of the Association of Wrens. She never married nor had any children. Blundell died on 24 May 2004, aged 87. Her funeral was held at Holy Trinity Church, Northwood on 3 June 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blundell, Daphne Mary 1916 births 2004 deaths Alumni of Bedford College, London Companions of the Order of the Bath People educated at St Helen's School People from Northwood, London Women's Royal Naval Service officers