Michael Fell (Royal Navy officer)

Fell joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman in July 1938.^[4] After qualifying as a pilot, he became commanding officer of 805 Naval Air Squadron in the Western Desert in late 1941 during the Second World War.^[4] He went on to command 878 Naval Air Squadron in Sicily from early 1943 before becoming air commander on the aircraft carrier HMS Searcher, in which role he led the attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz as part of the Home Fleet Strike force of Operation Tungsten, and then became air commander on the aircraft carrier HMS Emperor.^[4]

Fell next served as air commander on the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney during the Korean War.^[4] He went on to be commanding officer of the frigate HMS Puma in 1957, station commander of RNAS Lossiemouth in 1958 and commanding officer of the frigate HMS Loch Killisport in 1961.^[4] After that he became chief of staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1963, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal in 1965 and Flag Officer, Gibraltar in 1966.^[4] His final appointments were as Flag Officer, Carriers in 1968, and as Flag Officer Naval Air Command in 1970 after promotion to vice admiral on 10 June 1970.^[5] He was then chief of staff to the Commander Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe from 1972 before retiring in 1974.^[4]

In 1948, Fell married Elise "Elsie" Joan McLauchlan-Slater.^[3]

Fell collapsed and died at the wheel of his car on 3 December 1976, near his home at Stoughton, West Sussex.^[3] Lady Fell died on 2 March 2015.^[6]