Alan Randle (15 May 1883 – 26 March 1970) was a

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medical doctor and politician. Born in the West Ham area of

London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

. Randle moved with his family to

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

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when only six months old. He was educated at the

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

, then studied medicine at

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College London ...

in London. He qualified in 1908, and became a surgeon at St Olave's Hospital. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Randle served with the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps a ...

, and was present at Arras, Ypres and Passchendaele. For his work, he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

, and was promoted to become a major. After the war, Randle returned to St Olave's, where he became concerned at the standard of local housing. This led him to join the Labour Party, and at the 1922 London County Council election, he was elected in

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe () is a district of south-east London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, as well as the Isle of Dogs ...

. He served for six years, and became deputy leader of the Labour group on the council, under

Herbert Morrison Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, (3 January 1888 – 6 March 1965) was a British politician who held a variety of senior positions in the UK Cabinet as member of the Labour Party. During the inter-war period, he was Minis ...

. In 1926, Randle became the superintendent of St Peter's Hospital, Covent Garden, later moving to

Mile End Hospital Mile End Hospital is a community hospital in the Mile End area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in England. It is managed by Barts Health NHS Trust. History The hospital was established as the infirmary for the local workhouse in 1859. ...

and then St Giles' Hospital. In the role, he encouraged medical staff to develop specialisms and take higher degrees. He also developed one of the first psychiatric units in a general hospital. He retired in 1946, moving to

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, where he died in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randle, Alan 1883 births 1970 deaths Alumni of the UCL Medical School 20th-century English medical doctors Labour Party (UK) councillors Members of London County Council People educated at Otago Boys' High School Royal Army Medical Corps officers