Reginald Drax 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 Reginald Drax . He was the younger son of the 17th Baron of Dunsany ( 1853 – 1899 ) and his wife , the former Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor Ernle - Erle - Drax ( 1855 – 1916 ) , née Burton . His elder brother was Lord Dunsany , a prolific writer and author of over 60 books . Biography . Quadruple - barrelled name . 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 . Early naval career . Plunkett was educated at Cheam School and joined the navy at the age of 14 , training aboard the stationary school ship , HMS " Britannia " . He was promoted Lieutenant 15 January 1901 . He served during the First World War aboard the battlecruiser HMS " Lion " and was present at the naval battles of Heligoland Bight , Dogger Bank and Jutland . He was promoted captain on 30 June 1916 . He was awarded the DSO in 1918 whilst commanding HMS " Blanche " . Between the wars . Plunkett held a series of senior naval appointments between the wars . From 1919 to 1922 , he was Director of the Naval Staff College , Greenwich . He then served as President of the Naval Allied Control Commission in Germany from 1923 to 1924 . As a Rear Admiral , he commanded the 1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet from 1929 to 1930 . From 1930 to 1932 he was ashore in the Admiralty as Director of Manning . Promoted to Vice Admiral on 24 September 1932 , he held from 1932 to 1934 the much sought after post of Commander of the America and West Indies Squadron . From 1935 to 1938 , he was Commander - in - Chief , Plymouth . Mission to Moscow . Sir Reginald was the British half of the Anglo - French delegation sent to Moscow in August 1939 to discuss a possible alliance with the USSR . As an indication of the low priority the Allied Governments put on the mission , it was sent by sea . The Soviets did not take the delegation seriously because Sir Reginald did not have any power to make decisions without the approval of the British government , rendering him next to powerless . Second World War . In December 1939 , Plunkett was appointed Commander - in - Chief , The Nore serving until 1941 . This was an important post as he was responsible for the protection of the east coast convoys from Scotland to London . These faced the multiple threats of acoustic mine s and magnetic mine s as well as attacks from the air and by surface vessels , especially after the fall of the Netherlands and Belgium . As the war continued , advancing years caused him to retire from the active navy list and to join the Home Guard . Nonetheless , he went to sea from 1943 to 1945 as a convoy commodore , during the Battle of the Atlantic . Alongside Admiral Sir Herbert Richmond and Vice - Admiral Kenneth Dewar , Plunkett was considered to be an intellectual who held controversial views , including the need for naval reform . Civilian life . He was an early pioneer of solar heating . Family . In 1916 , Plunkett married Kathleen Chalmers . They had one son and four daughters . Their son is Henry Walter Plunkett , who is the father of Richard Drax , Conservative MP for South Dorset since the 2010 General Election .