Rohan Delacombe
KStJ | |
---|---|
20th Governor of Victoria | |
In office 8 May 1963 – 24 May 1974 | |
Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Preceded by | Sir Dallas Brooks |
Succeeded by | Sir Henry Winneke |
Personal details | |
Born | Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Knight of Justice of the Order of St John Mentioned in despatches | 25 October 1906
Early life
Delacombe was born in St. Julian's, Malta, on 25 October 1906, the son of Addis and Emma Louise Mary Delacombe. Addis served as a pay officer in the British Army; several generations of Delacombes, whose seat was Shrewton Manor, Wiltshire, had served in the armed forces. Rohan was educated at Harrow School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]
Military career
After
Delacombe then served in
In 1942, Delacombe was made commanding officer of the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, and was promoted to the substantive rank of major on 4 February 1943.[7] He led the battalion, which formed part of the 227th Infantry Brigade of Major General Gordon "Babe" MacMillan's 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division, at the Battle of Normandy in mid-1944, where his leadership earned him a Distinguished Service Order (DSO), gazetted on 19 October 1944.[8] He was wounded and, after recovering, made commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots, part of the 66th Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, which fought in the Italian Campaign. That was followed by service in Palestine and later the Suez Canal zone.[9]
Delacombe returned to staff duties as General Staff Officer (Grade 1) during the re-occupation of
Governor of Victoria
Delacombe was appointed as
In 1967, Delacombe was petitioned to exercise the Royal prerogative of mercy on behalf of the Queen, to commute the execution of Ronald Ryan. Four members of the jury had submitted a guilty verdict, in the belief that capital punishment had been abolished in Victoria, and that Ryan's sentence would be commuted to life imprisonment. These jurors then petitioned the governor to save Ryan after it became apparent that Premier Henry Bolte was determined he should hang. Delacombe called a meeting with the Victorian cabinet, at which it was unanimously agreed that the execution should proceed. Ryan was hanged on 3 February 1967, the last person in Australia to be executed.[24]
Delacombe's term ended in 1974.[23]
Death and memorials
Delacombe died on 10 November 1991 at his home at Shrewton, England, and was buried in the churchyard at the parish church, St Mary's.[1]
Delacombe, Victoria, was named in his honour in 1965 during his tenure as Governor of Victoria.[25]
References
- ^ a b Browne, Geoff. "Sir Rohan Delacombe (1906–1991)". Delacombe, Sir Rohan (1906–1991). Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
{{cite book}}
:|website=
ignored (help) - ^ "No. 33130". The London Gazette. 5 February 1926. p. 886.
- ^ "No. 33463". The London Gazette. 5 February 1929. p. 866.
- ^ "No. 34404". The London Gazette. 4 June 1937. p. 3587.
- ^ "No. 34633". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1939. p. 3860.
- ^ "Delacombe, Sir Rohan (1906–1991), Major General". Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London, Survey of the Papers of Senior UK Defence Personnel, 1900–1975.
- ^ "No. 35890". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 February 1943. p. 639.
- ^ "No. 36753". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 October 1944. p. 4785.
- ISBN 978-0-9540906-0-9. Volume II Chronology
- ^ "No. 38415". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 September 1948. p. 5189.
- ^ "No. 39137". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 February 1951. p. 593.
- ^ "No. 39104". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1951. p. 6.
- ^ "No. 40377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 January 1955. p. 147.
- ^ "No. 40601". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 October 1955. p. 5617.
- ^ "No. 40953". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 December 1956. p. 7213.
- ^ "No. 41089". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 June 1957. p. 3369.
- ^ "No. 41517". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 October 1958. p. 6159.
- ^ "No. 41663". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 March 1959. p. 1973.
- ^ "No. 42370". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1961. p. 4148.
- ^ "No. 42664". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 May 1962. p. 3579.
- ^ "No. 42744". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 July 1962. p. 6081.
- ^ "No. 43200". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1964. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Sir Rohan Delacombe KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO". British Empire. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ISBN 0-521-86977-3.
- ^ The Age. 7 October 1965. p.17.