Derek Reffell
{{Short description|British naval officer (1928–2025)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = Admiral
| name = Sir Derek Reffell
| honorific_suffix = KCB
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|10|06|df=yes}}
| birth_place =
| death_place = {{death date and age|2025|05|23|1928|10|06|df=yes}}
| placeofburial =
| nickname =
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = Royal Navy
| serviceyears =
| rank = Admiral
| unit =
| commands = Controller of the Navy
{{HMS|Hermes|R12|6}}
{{HMS|Sirius|F40|6}}
| battles =
| awards = Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
| relations =
| laterwork = Governor of Gibraltar (1989–93)
}}
{{Infobox viceroy styles
| image= 150px
| name= Sir Derek Reffell
(1989–1993)
| dipstyle= His Excellency
| offstyle= Your Excellency
}}
Admiral Sir Derek Roy Reffell, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCB}} (6 October 1928 – 23 May 2025) was a Royal Navy officer and Governor of Gibraltar.
Naval career
Educated at Culford School,[http://www.anglo-chinese.com/school/CulfordSchool.htm Culford School] Reffell entered the Royal Navy, qualified as a Navigating Officer in 1954 and progressed through the ranks: he commanded the frigate {{HMS|Sirius|F40|6}} from her launch in 1966,{{Cite web |url=http://www.hmssirius.info/admiral_reffell.htm |title=The view from the Captain's cabin |access-date=31 December 2009 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924030752/http://www.hmssirius.info/admiral_reffell.htm |url-status=dead }} and served as captain of the commando carrier {{HMS|Hermes|R12|6}} 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 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.Alastair Finlan, The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War: culture and strategy 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.Michael Clapp and Ewen Southby-Tailyour, Amphibious Assault Falklands, via Finlan, p. 74, via Google Books 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.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 in 1984 and was Governor of Gibraltar from 1989 to 1993.
Death
Reffell died on 23 May 2025, at the age of 96.{{cite news |title=Former Gibraltar Governor, Sir Derek Reffell, has died |url=https://www.gbc.gi/news/former-gibraltar-governor-sir-derek-reffell-has-died |access-date=24 May 2025 |publisher=GBC News |date=24 May 2025}}{{cite news |title=Admiral Sir Derek Reffell, KCB |url=https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marketplace/advert/reffell-notices_62597 |access-date=14 June 2025 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=5 June 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=Sir Lindsay Bryson}}
{{s-ttl|title=Controller of the Navy|years=1984–1989}}
{{s-aft|after=Sir Kenneth Eaton}}
|-
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef|before=Sir Peter Terry}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of Gibraltar|years=1989–1993}}
{{s-aft|after=Sir John Chapple}}
{{end}}
{{Governors of Gibraltar}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reffell, Derek}}
Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Category:People educated at Culford School
Category:Governors of Gibraltar
{{UK-navy-bio-stub}}