Senior British officer in Gibraltar found dead

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the body of the commanding officer of the British forces in Gibraltar has been found dead in the swimming pool of his residence.

An aide discovered the body of Commodore David White in the swimming pool of Mount Barbary Residence, Gibraltar, on Saturday January 8.

Gibraltar police said that foul play was not suspected and results of a post mortem examination are awaited to establish the cause of death, though this is not thought to be a "natural death".

It is understood that Commodore White had been recalled to the UK pending the findings of an investigation by military police.

An MoD spokesperson said: "His next of kin have been informed and our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends at this time. Police investigations into the death of Commodore White are continuing and we are therefore unable to comment further at this stage."

In command of British Forces Gibraltar since May 2004, Commodore White was born in London in 1954 and joined the Royal Navy as a Seaman Officer in 1973.

Tours of duty included a deployment to the North Pole, operations in the South Atlantic during the Falklands conflict in 1982, and command of HMS Warspite. He was a Warfare Instructor on the Submarine Sea Training Staff, and from 1988 to 1989 and had served on the Royal Yacht Britannia as First Lieutenant.

On promotion to Commander, he commanded HMS Torbay, conducting four operational patrols, including one to the Mediterranean during the Gulf War in 1990.

He then held various senior appointments before being promoted to Captain in 1997. He was appointed Assistant Director for Naval Operations in the Ministry of Defence during the Kosovo crisis.

In July 2001, he was in charge of Trafalgar class submarines involved in the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns.

(SP/MB)