Royce de Mel
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
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Royce de Mel
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| Born | 1917 British Ceylon |
| Allegiance | British Ceylon Ceylon |
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Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Ceylon Navy |
| Years of service | 1940-1961 |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | Commander of the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy |
| Awards | Defense Medal Burma Star |
Rear Admiral Gerard Royce Maxwell De Mel OBE was 4th Commander of the Royal Ceylon Navy and the 2nd and last Commander of the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force. He was the first Ceylonese as well the first Sinhalese commander of the navy and was appointed on 15 August 1955. De Mel was promoted to Rear Admiral in 1959, becoming the first serving officer to hold the rank. He retired on 15 August 1961 and was succeeded by Rajan Kadiragamar.[1][2]
His brother was Colonel Maurice de Mel, the Commandant of the Volunteer Force (second-in-command of the Army).[3] He was involved in the 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt.
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| Preceded by | Commander of the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force 1938-1946 |
Succeeded by Post Abolished W. E. Banks as Commander of the Royal Ceylon Navy |
| Preceded by | Commander of the Royal Ceylon Navy 1955-1960 |
Succeeded by Rajan Kadiragamar |
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Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force
Sri Lanka Navy
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