Sir Varyl Begg | |
|---|---|
 Rear Admiral Varyl Begg in 1957 | |
| Governor of Gibraltar | |
| In office March 1969 – 3 October 1973 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Mayor |
|
| Preceded by | Gerald Lathbury |
| Succeeded by | John Grandy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Varyl Cargill Begg 1 October 1908 Kensington, London |
| Died | 13 July 1995 (aged 86) |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Service Cross Mentioned in Despatches (2) Commander of the Order of the Defender of the Realm (Malaysia) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1926–1973 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | First Sea Lord Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth British Far East Command HMS Triumph HMS Cossack |
| Battles/wars | Second World War Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation |
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Cargill Begg, GCB, DSO, DSC, KStJ (1 October 1908 – 13 July 1995) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Second World War as gunnery officer in a cruiser taking part in the North Atlantic convoys, the Norwegian campaign and the occupation of Iceland and then as gunnery officer in a battleship operating in the Mediterranean Fleet during the Battle of Cape Matapan. After that he commanded a destroyer during the Korean War and was Commander-in-Chief of Far East Command during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. He was First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff in the late 1960s. In that role he vehemently opposed plans to introduce large new aircraft carriers and instead managed to persuade the British Government to develop the design for three small "through-deck cruisers".