Reginald Drax
| Admiral The Hon. Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
28 August 1880 St Marylebone, London |
| Died | 16 October 1967 (aged 87) Poole, Dorset |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1894–1941 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Director, Royal Naval College, Greenwich (1919–1922) President of Naval Inter-Allied Commission of Control (Berlin) (Jan 1923 – Aug 1924) HMS Marlborough (April 1926 – February 1927) 1st Battle Squadron (May 1929 – Apr 1930) America and West Indies Station (Apr 1932 – Oct 1934) Plymouth Command (Jun 1935 – Sep 1938) |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Order of St Stanislas (2nd cl.) with Swords (1916) Knight Grand Cross, Order of Orange Nassau (19 Jan 1943) |
| Relations | Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany |
| Other work |
Home Guard (1941–1943) Commodore of Ocean Convoys (April 1943 – July 1945) Justice of the Peace Deputy Lieutenant, Dorset (Oct 1941) |
Admiral the Hon. Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, KCB, DSO, JP, DL (28 August 1880 – 16 October 1967) was a British admiral. He is often referred to as Reginald Plunkett or (after 1916) Reginald Drax.
He was the younger son of John William Plunkett, 17th Baron of Dunsany (1853–1899) and his wife, the former Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor, née Burton, later Ernle-Erle-Drax (1855–1916). His elder brother was Lord Dunsany, a prolific writer and author of over 60 books.
Sir Reginald, born a Plunkett, was christened Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly (Plunkett) on 9 September 1880 at Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone, Westminster, and assumed the Ernle-Erle-Drax on 4 October 1916. His long series of titles, Christian names, surnames and postnominals has made him famous beyond his career as an Admiral in the Royal Navy. Elsewhere, the name has been cited as having inspired some of the more fanciful appellations employed by writers about the British aristocracy such as P. G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh; and in the penultimate episode of Series 2 of the BBC1 costume drama Upstairs Downstairs, the storyline adopts the conceit that Admiral Drax was known amongst his civil servants as "Admiral Acronym". Upstairs Downstairs features a leading character, Sir Hallam Holland, who is a member of the British Government's Foreign Office. The leaking of this nickname by Sir Hallam's lover to the German authorities forms part of the storyline of the final episode.
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