Years of service 1944– Allegiance United Kingdom Battles and wars World War II | Name Donald Gosling Battles/wars World War II | |
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Born 2 March 1929 (age 95) ( 1929-03-02 ) Service/branch Royal Navy Royal Naval Reserve Rank Vice Admiral (Honorary) Awards Royal Victorian Order, Knight Bachelor, Order of Saint John | ||
Vice Admiral Sir Frederick Donald Gosling KCVO (born 2 March 1929) is a former Chairman of National Car Parks and benefactor to naval charities.
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Business career
Gosling joined the Royal Navy in 1944 during World War II and served in the Mediterranean in the cruiser HMS Leander. After the War, together with Ronald Hobson, he founded Central Car Parks, when the pair invested £200 in a bombsite in Holborn, central London to create a car park. In 1959 Central Car Parks took over National Car Parks from Anne Lucas, the widow of Colonel Frederick Lucas. Gosling co-chaired the business until he retired in 1998.
Retirement
Gosling became a trustee of the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton in 1974 and Vice-President of Seafarers UK in 1993. He was appointed honorary Captain of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) by the Queen in January 1993; he has subsequently been promoted to Commodore and then to honorary Rear Admiral of the Reserve. He also has a long association with the White Ensign Association, serving as Chairman from 1979 to 1983, Vice President from 1983 to 1987 and then as President on the council of management under the patron, The Prince of Wales. In April 2012, he became Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom, an honorific position sub-ordinate to the Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Gosling was knighted in the 1976 Resignation Honours List and appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) in the 2004 New Year Honours for services to The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Outward Bound Trust.
His interests including yachting and he owned the motor yacht Leander G until she was sold in February 2016.
Royal Naval Reserve ranks
Family and personal life
In 1959 he married Elizabeth Shauna Ingram; together they had three sons before their marriage was dissolved in 1988. His partner is Gabriella di Nora, head of personal shopping at Selfridges. The couple were guests at the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and in the royal box at the June 2012 Diamond Jubilee concert.