Michael Le Fanu

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Le Fanu
Then Rear Admiral Michael Le Fanu (Crown Copyright)
Nickname	"Dry Ginger"
Born	2 August 1913(1913-08-02) Lindfield, Sussex, England
Died	28 November 1970(1970-11-28) (aged 57) London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1926 – 1970
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands held	HMS Eagle
Battles/wars	Second World War - Norwegian Campaign - Mediterranean
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Cross Mentioned in Despatches Legion of Merit (United States)

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Le Fanu GCB, DSC (2 August 1913 – 28 November 1970) was a Royal Navy admiral and First Sea Lord.

Early life

Le Fanu was born at Lindfield, West Sussex, the son of Captain Hugh Barrington le Fanu RN. He was educated at Bedford School before joining Britannia Royal Naval College in 1926.^[1]

Career

Le Fanu served as a Gunnery Officer on HMS Aurora and then HMS Howe during the Second World War. While aboard Aurora, he was Mentioned in Despatches for his services during the Norwegian Campaign in 1940,^[2] and decorated with the Distinguished Service Cross in 1942.^[3] He was promoted to commander on 31 December 1944.^[4] From February to September 1945, Le Fanu was posted as the British Pacific Fleet Liaison Officer to the United States Fifth Fleet, and later the United States Third Fleet. For his services throughout this, he was awarded the United States Legion of Merit.^[5]

Le Fanu was elevated to the rank of captain on 30 June 1949.^[6] In 1957, he was given command of HMS Eagle and in 1958 went on to be Director-General, Weapons. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 1960.^[7] In 1961, he became Controller of the Navy and in 1965 Joint Commander of the three services in the Middle East during the evacuation of British Nationals. He served as First Sea Lord from 1968 to 1970.

On 3 July 1970, Le Fanu was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet,^[8] and was selected for the post of Chief of the Defence Staff but never held the office because he was suddenly discovered to be terminally ill and died shortly after his retirement.

Le Fanu married Prudence Grace Morgan, daughter of Admiral Sir Llewellyn Vaughan Morgan; they had two sons and a daughter.^[1]

Le Fanu is the subject of a biography entitled Dry Ginger by the author Richard Baker.

Honours and awards

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 1 January 1968
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath 8 June 1963 (CB 11 June 1960)
• Distinguished Service Cross 24 February 1942
• Mention in Despatches 26 September 1940, 4 June 40, 1 January 1946
• Officer of the Legion of Merit (United States) 3 December 1946
• Bronze Star Medal (United States) 2 December 1946

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Michael Le Fanu Information". http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_michael_lefanu.htm. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
2. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34953. p. 5710. 26 September 1940. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35466. p. 901. 24 February 1942. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
4. ^ London Gazette: no. 36880. p. 230. 5 January 1945. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 37805. p. 5912. 3 December 1946. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
6. ^ London Gazette: no. 38658. p. 3300. 5 July 1949. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
7. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 42051. p. 3974. 11 June 1960. Retrieved 24 June 2009.
8. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 43010. p. 4794. 30 June 1970. Retrieved 24 June 2009.

Further reading

• Dry Ginger - The biography of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Michael Le Fanu, Baker, R., 1977, W.H. Allan, ISBN 0-491-01788-X
• The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995, Heathcote T. A., Pen & Sword Ltd, 2002, ISBN 0 85052 835 6

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Peter Reid	Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy 1961–1965	Succeeded by Sir Horace Law
Preceded by Sir Varyl Begg	First Sea Lord 1968–1970	Succeeded by Sir Peter Hill-Norton

Persondata
Name	Le Fanu, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 August 1913
Place of birth	Lindfield, Sussex, England
Date of death	28 November 1970
Place of death	London, England