Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Gerard Royce Maxwell De Mel,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 10 June 1917, date of death unknown) was a Ceylonese admiral. He was the Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy from 1955 to 1961, the first Ceylonese to hold the post. He was accused and convicted in the

1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt The 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt (also known as the ''Colonels' coup'' ) was a failed military coup d'état planned in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). A group of Christian officers in the military and police planned to topple the government of Prime ...

Early life

Born in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, on 10 June 1917, to a wealthy

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

family, he was educated at

Saint Joseph's College, Colombo St. Joseph's College is a selective-entry Roman Catholic school in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1896 by French Missionaries led by Rev. Father Christophe Ernest Bonjean. The college has over 4,000 enrolled students with a staff of over 450 as o ...

, where he excelled in athletics. He was the eldest of six brothers, which included

Maurice de Mel Colonel Maurice Ann Gerard de Mel is a Ceylonese army officer. He served as Chief of Staff of the Ceylon Army and Commandant of the Ceylon Volunteer Force. He was one of the principals accused of the 1962 Ceylonese coup d'état attempt. Early ...

, later a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and Chief of Staff of the

Ceylon Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...

and another was the Very Reverend Joe de Mel, Vicar General,

Archdiocese of Colombo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Colombo () is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church, whose ecclesiastical province covers all Sri Lanka plus the Maldives (which are within the archbishopric). It depends on th ...

and Rector of the National Seminary Ampitiya.

Naval career

Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force

When De Mel completed his schooling,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

had started, he joined the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) and was commissioned as a probationary sub lieutenant after undergoing training at Trincomolee on 7 February 1940. Following the start of the war in the far east, the CNVF which had been renamed as the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (CRNVR) functioned under the command of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in 1941 and to lieutenant commander in 1945. Having served in all CRNVR ships and had seen action off the coast of

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

. With the end of the war and de-mobilization, Commander De Mel remained with the CRNVR and took over as its

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

from Captain W. G. Beauchamp.

Royal Ceylon Navy

In 1950, the

Royal Ceylon Navy The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its inte ...

was established, Commander De Mel transferred to a regular commission as its most senior officer and was sent to the United Kingdom for training. On his return he served as Chief of Staff of the Navy. In 1954, he was appointed extra Aide-de-camp to

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

on her royal tour of Ceylon. He was confirmed in the rank of Captain and promoted to Commodore in 1955.

Captain of the Navy

Commodore De Mel took over as the first

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka ** Demographics of Sri Lanka * Sri Lankan people, or of Sri Lankan descent; this includes: ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan T ...

Captain of the navy on 15 August 1955 succeeding Commodore P. M. B. Chavasse. De Mel was promoted to rear admiral in 1959, becoming the first serving officer to hold the rank. During his tenor the Royal Ceylon Navy took over Royal Navy facilities in Ceylon including the Royal Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee. The navy expanded its blue water capability and in 1960, a naval fleet undertook a deployment to the far east. However, on its return the fleet was search for contraband. The board of investigation in to the affair recommended the dismissal of several navy officers and Admiral De Mel was relieved of command on 15 November 1960 and sent on compulsory retirement on 15 August 1961. He was succeeded by Captain Rajan Kadiragamar. De Mel was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(Military Division) (OBE) in the

1948 Birthday Honours The 1948 Birthday Honours were appointments by George VI, King George VI to Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the Commonwealth Realms. The appoint ...

and his other medals include the

1939–1945 Star The 1939–1945 Star is a military campaign medal instituted by the United Kingdom on 8 July 1943 for award to British and Commonwealth forces for service in the Second World War. Two clasps were instituted to be worn on the medal ribbon, Battl ...

, the

Burma Star The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Pacific, was i ...

, the Defense Medal and the

War Medal 1939–1945 The War Medal 1939–1945 is a campaign medal which was instituted by the United Kingdom on 16 August 1945, for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days ...

for war service with the

Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve The Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was the volunteer naval reserve of the British Crown colony of Ceylon from 1938 to 1950. Established as the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force (CNVF) on 1 January 1938 under the Naval Volunteer Ordinance, No, l o ...

. For service in the Royal Ceylon Navy he received the service medals

Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal The Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal was awarded to members of the Ceylon armed services who served within their specific service branch during periods in 1949-1951 when their service branch was established: *Ceylon Army (10 October 1949 ...

and the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...

Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal ribbon bar

Attempted military coup

In 1962, De Mel was accused in the

and an arrest warrant was issued for him along with his brother was Colonel

, the Commandant of the Volunteer Force (second-in-command of the Army). Avoiding arrest, De Mel was suspected of using his connections in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

to smuggle him out of Ceylon, but surrendered to the court through his lawyer

G. G. Ponnambalam Ganapathipillai Gangaser Ponnambalam (; 8 November 1901 – 9 February 1977) was a Ceylon Tamil lawyer, politician and cabinet minister. He was the founder and leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), the first political party to repre ...

when the trail of the accused started in June 1962. In 1964, the trail at bar, found Royce De Mel along with 11 of the 24 accused guilty and sentenced then to ten years in jail and confiscation of property. However, on appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

, it ruled in December 1965 holding Special Act of 1962 to be

ultra vires ('beyond the powers') is a Latin phrase used in law to describe an act that requires legal authority but is done without it. Its opposite, an act done under proper authority, is ('within the powers'). Acts that are may equivalently be termed ...

of the 1947 Constitution of Ceylon and said that the Act had denied the

right to a fair trial A fair trial is a trial which is "conducted fairly, justly, and with procedural regularity by an impartial judge". Various rights associated with a fair trial are explicitly proclaimed in Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, th ...

. According to the Privy Council, the law had been specially enacted to convict the men, under trial they did not have the protections that they would have had under general criminal law. It acquitted all the eleven. De Mel died prior to 2002.

References

{{Commanders of the Sri Lankan Navy 1917 births Year of death missing Commanders of the Navy (Sri Lanka) Sri Lankan rear admirals Sri Lankan Roman Catholics Ceylonese military personnel of World War II Prisoners and detainees of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees Ceylonese Officers of the Order of the British Empire De Mel family Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War II Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Officers