Rear Admiral Michael Richard Thomas

Michael Richard Thomas
11th February 1942 – 29th August 2016
“Rear Admiral RN, who served in the Falklands, gave 25 years to voluntary community services and lead the Devonport Field Gun Crew to record-breaking success.”
Michael joined the Royal Navy in 1960 as a Weapons Electrical Engineer and retired as a Rear Admiral in 1996. Most notably during that time, he was the Squadron Weapons and Electrical Officer in the Falklands War and was stationed aboard HMS Andromeda, moving by helicopter to repair other warships damaged in action by Argentinian Forces. He commanded the naval base at HMS Drake in the early 1990’s and also, latterly in his Naval career, served as President of the Ordnance Board (overseeing standards in all explosives).
Michael was President of the Devonport Field Gun Crew in 1991-92, a crew that went on to set a new World record in one of the most spectacular and nail-biting displays of passion, teamwork and grit ever seen at the Royal Tournament.
After 36 years of service in the Royal Navy, Michael retired and brought his skills to a variety of civilian roles and patronages, almost all on a voluntary basis. He ran the Penzance Dry Dock shipyard for entrepreneur Peter de Savary and was Chairman of the companies running the Penzance Arts Club and the Royal Fleet Club. The latter is a Plymouth hotel that had historically been a hostel for sailors. In 2002, when it was on the brink of financial collapse, Michael took over as Chairman on a voluntary basis and turned around the fortunes of the hotel entirely for the benefit of Naval Charities.
Michael gave an enormous amount of time and commitment to helping develop future generations. Over a 25-year period, from 1989 onwards, he held the roles of President of the Penzance Sea Cadets and Vice President of the Truro Sea Cadets, galvanising external support, fundraising and providing enhanced development opportunities for the cadets. His involvement was not limited to back-office work, he was extremely active in the events they ran and drew on his experience in the Royal Navy to motivate the children to always do their best.
Over the same period he also served as President of the Plymouth Scouts with the same inspiring approach. He had a longstanding emotional attachment to the Movement ever since he was a Sea Scout at the age of 12, and over his 25-year tenure he sought to repay the benefits that he enjoyed as a child. He forged strong links with local businesses, Plymouth University and the City Council and was the driving force in founding the first Muslim Scouting Group in Plymouth, furthering the integration of the Muslim community into the fabric of local life in Plymouth and offering the benefits of Scouting to all.
Michael was a Governor of Plymouth University from 2000 to 2006, helping to shape the rapid expansion and refurbishment of the campus, including the construction of the Roland Levinsky Building and the establishment of the renowned Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry. His creativity and input has helped put Plymouth University on the map as a leading institution in Marine Sciences and Engineering.
As the President of both the Devonport Field Gun Team and then the Field Gun Association, Michael raised considerable amounts for forces charities. In one example of this, he had a group of Field Gun veterans pull the gun through Plymouth City Centre in aid of “Help for Heroes”, raising thousands of pounds for the charity. He ensured that the Field Gun values of courage, determination and teamwork were passed on to the young people of Devon and beyond. Notably
in this respect, he founded a network of Scout groups and schools across the country to take part in a childrens’ version of the event that proves to be ever popular. Michael also played a pivotal part in setting up the Devonport Field Gun Heritage Centre, ensuring that the spirit of the Field Gun and the Royal Navy is passed on and remembered by many generations yet to come.
Michael demonstrated a selfless commitment to giving young people an outstanding start through both his strong leadership in the Royal Navy and his 25 years of voluntary work since. The children who continue to benefit from Michael’s projects are from all walks of life and participation in groups like the Scouts and Sea Cadets often have a life changing effect on them. All of his activities serve the common purpose of benefiting others and he did all of this with modesty, dedication and without seeking any personal recognition or reward.
As well as his notable legacy, Michael leaves a very proud family – his wife of 48 years Lesley, three children and seven grandchildren.
Alexandra Kinder (Mike’s daughter)