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.
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 |
Early life and education
editFrere 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]
Naval career
editFrere 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]
Family
editIn 1968, he married Jane Barraclough; they had two daughters.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
- ^ Frere
- ^ a b Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003). Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knighthood (107 ed.). Burke's Peerage & Gentry. p. 1993. ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ^ a b "Mr A. S. Frere". The Times. 6 October 1984. p. 10.
- ^ "No. 34643". The London Gazette. 7 July 1939. p. 4726.
- ^ a b c d Debrett's People of Today 1994
- ^ Cuban missile crisis[dead link] The Times, 22 October 2002
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1989
- ^ Whitaker's Almanack 1992
- ^ A Brief History of the Office of Manpower Economics Formation Office of Manpower Economics
- ^ Oundle School Independent Schools Inspectorate, March 2008