Oliver WINDLE was born in Singapore on 11 November 1939, the son of Christopher and Mary Wyatt Windle.  On 11 June 1945 the five year old Oliver arrived in Liverpool with his mother from Melbourne in MV RANGATIKI and went to live in Sevenoaks, Kent, where he attended the New Beacon prep school, followed by Cranleigh.

He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet on 1 January 1958 at Dartmouth and was promoted to Midshipman on 1 January 1959.  He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant on 1st May 1960 and appointed to the Type 15 frigate HMS WHIRLWIND.  He joined HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course’ and was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 February 1962.

He then served in HMS THERMOPYLAE in Malta, HMS ANDREW in Singapore, HMS ALCIDE as First Lieutenant and HMS OCELOT as First Lieutenant.  He completed his Commanding Officer’s Qualifying Course in 1969 and was appointed to HMS NARWHAL in command on 19 December 1969.  He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on 1 February 1970.

Oliver Windle was then appointed to HMS DREADNOUGHT as First Lieutenant on 16 February 1976.  He was killed in accident just three months later when he fell from the fin of HMS DREADNOUGHT into the dry dock at Chatham on 26 May 1976 while checking work done by the dockyard.

Oliver Windle was the husband of Barbara Anne Windle (née Tucker) whom he had married on 14 August 1964 and they had two children, Timothy and Verity.. His funeral took place at St Ambrose’s Church, HMS DOLPHIN, Gosport, and he is buried in the Royal Naval Cemetery at Haslar in Plot L, Row 8, Grave 10.