Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir Derek Roy Reffell, (born 6 October 1928) is a former

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer and

Governor of Gibraltar The governor of Gibraltar is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The role of the governor is to act as the ...

Naval career

Educated at

Culford School Culford School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for pupils age 1-18 in the village of Culford, miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. The headmaster is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Confer ...

, Reffell entered the

, qualified as a Navigating Officer in 1954 and progressed through the ranks: he commanded the frigate from her launch in 1966, and served as captain of the commando carrier 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.Whitaker's Almanacks He was promoted to Vice-Admiral, becoming Flag Officer, Third Flotilla (FOF3) in 1982. During the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

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. Commodore

Michael Clapp Commodore Michael Cecil Clapp, (born 22 February 1932) is a retired senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the United Kingdom's amphibious assault group, Task Group 317.0, in the Falklands War. Early life Michael Cecil Clapp was born on 22 Fe ...

later expressed his surprise at this decision, and, what was more, the fact that Reffell was barred access to the

Northwood Headquarters Northwood Headquarters is a military headquarters facility of the British Armed Forces in Eastbury, Hertfordshire, England, adjacent to the London suburb of Northwood. It is home to the following military command and control functions: #Headqua ...

so that his advice was not available. He did however become senior officer in-theatre (aboard ''Bristol'' for a period) from 1 July 1982 after Rear Admiral

Sandy Woodward Admiral Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward, (1 May 1932 – 4 August 2013) was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Task Force of the Falklands War. Early life Woodward was born on 1 May 1932 at Penzance, Cornwall, to a bank clerk. He ...

had returned home.The Royal Navy in the Falklands War, p. 344 and Edward Fursdon, Falklands Aftermath: Picking Up the Pieces, p. 61 He became

Controller of the Navy The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

in 1984 and was

1989–1993.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Reffell, Derek 1928 births Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals People educated at Culford School Living people Governors of Gibraltar