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Leslie Norman Mungavin Template:Small (22 March 1925 – 1995), known as "Jack" was a two-star rank admiral in the Pakistan Navy, and defence diplomat. He is widely known for voluntarily leaving his diplomatic post in London to command combat units during the 1971 war with India.[1][2]
He also served as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff from 1975 until 1977, with a two-star rank despite the position is required an admiral to be promoted in three-star rank, the Vice-Admiral.Template:Rp[3]
Family and ancestry
Leslie Norman Mungavin was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on 22 March 1925 into a family of Irish descent.[4] His great great grandfather, James Mungavin, was born in Castleconnel, Ireland and is said to have emigrated from County Clare to India in 1825 to work on the railways during British colonial rule.[5] His son, James St. John Mungavin, joined the British Indian Army. The Mungavin family settled in the British Raj and became part of the Anglo-Indian Christian community.[6]
Leslie’s father is believed to have been George Leslie Coltman Mungavin, who continued in the railway service.[7][8] Leslie was one of seven siblings.[9] After the Partition of India in 1947, his family members emigrated back to the United Kingdom. Leslie, however, chose to remain and joined the newly formed Pakistan Navy.[10]
Military career
Leslie Mungavin joined the Royal Indian Navy in 1945 and transferred to the Pakistan Navy after the partition in 1947, where his career in the navy progressed well till his retirement as VIce Chief of Naval Staff at the rank of Rear Admiral.[11] He specialized in navigation at the training establishment Template:HMS in the United Kingdom.Template:Rp[1][12] In 1950s, he commanded Template:Ship and the Pakistan Navy flagship Template:Ship.[11]
In 1964, Commander Mungavin was the commanding officer of PNS Babur, and participated in the second war with India in 1965.[13] In 1970, Cdre. Mungavin was posted as Military and Naval Attaché at the High Commission of Pakistan in London, where his services and negotiation skills merited him a Sitara-e-Pakistan award.[11]Template:Rp[14] Cdre. Mungavin left his assignment, only to be promoted as Rear-Admiral, and took up the command as Commandant of the Pakistan Marines which he led in the Western Front of the Indo-Pakistani war against India in 1971.Template:Rp[1][2] Furthermore, he was noted for his skills in negotiation which earned him to be decorated as and merited him with a Sitara-e-Pakistan.[11] Mungavin was praised for his impressive adaptability.[15]
During the 1971 war, Mungavin oversaw the deployment of the Pakistan Marines in both East and West Pakistan, including riverine and coastal defence operations to counter the Indian Army in Chittagong and Khulna.[16] Under his leadership marines operated gunboats and amphibious vehicles although they suffered losses due to Indian air and naval superiority.[17] Mungavin was captured at the liberation of Chittagong and held as a prisoner of war until repatriation.[18] Mungavin was awarded the Sitara-e-Basalat for his valor in the 1971 war.[19]
In the 1970s, he was elevated as the vice chief of naval staff from 1975 until 1977, with a two-star rank despite the position is required an admiral to be promoted in three-star rank, the Vice-Admiral.Template:Rp[20]Template:Rp[3] In the 1980s, Rear Admiral Mungavin was also involved with the negotiations with the US Department of State when the Pakistan Navy was interested in replacing their aging fleet with Gearing-class destroyers.[21] From January 1979 to April 1980 he served as the Chairman of the Board of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.Template:Rp[22]
Death
Admiral Mungavin died in 1995 in England. At his request, his body was cremated, ashes were taken back to Pakistan and spread in the Arabian Sea. The Pakistan Navy honored him with a full military funeral, and his ashes were taken out to sea on board the PNS Babur and scattered there.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bubbles of Water: Or, Anecdotes of the Pakistan Navy{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. PN Book Club Publication(2001). ISBN 9789698318031
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Asia's highest cross in Pakistan: A fitting tribute to selfless Christian community. The Times of India. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jane's Fighting Ships{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. S. Low, Marston & Company(1977)
- ↑ India Births and Baptisms: Leslie Norman Mungavin
- ↑ Family tree of James Mungavin. Geneanet. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ↑ FIBIS Database - Powered by The Frontis Archive Publishing System. search.fibis.org. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ↑ Leslie Norman Mungavin - Ancestry®. www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ↑ Family tree of George Leslie Coltman Mungavin. Geneanet. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
- ↑ Mungavin Family. Ireland Reaching Out. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ Plural Pakistan: Christians in the Armed Forces, Arif, Hasan. MyPluralist(31 March 2023). Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Dharkan Fall 2006 Template:Webarchive
- ↑ Indian Defence Review 21 June 2011
- ↑ Plight of Pakistani Christians, Aqil, Tariq. Pakistan Observer(2023-08-27). Retrieved 2025-05-21.
- ↑ Jane's Fighting Ships{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. S. Low, Marston & Company(1971)
- ↑ Truth Never Retires: An Autobiography of Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey{{#if:Sirohey|, Sirohey}. Jang Publishers(1995)
- ↑ Pakistan Marines, Pakistan Marines (Global Security.org). Pakistan Marines (Global Security.org). Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ↑ Pakistan Defence Review: 1971{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Services Book Club(2000)
- ↑ The White of the Flag: Contributions of Non-Muslims for National Defence of Pakistan. Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research(6 September 2017). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ↑ Sainik Samachar: The Pictorial Weekly of the Armed Forces{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Director of Public Relations, Ministry of Defence(1973)
- ↑ Truth Never Retires: An Autobiography of Admiral Iftikhar Ahmed Sirohey{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Jang Publishers(1995)
- ↑ US Department of State EO Systematic Review 6 JUL 2006
- ↑ International Shipping and Shipbuilding Directory{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1979). ISBN 9780510497149
External links
- Shah, Mian Zahir (2001). "The Wit of Mungavin". Bubbles of Water: Or, Anecdotes of the Pakistan Navy. Karachi, Pakistan: PN Book Club Publication. p. 487. Template:ISBN. Retrieved 15 August 2017.