Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Sir Alan Hollick Ramsay, (12 March 1895 – 19 September 1973) was an Australian educator and a senior officer in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

. Having served as an officer in the

First World War 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 ...

, he commanded the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

and 11th Divisions during the operations in New Britain and Bougainville respectively during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Early life

Born on 12 March 1895 in

Windsor, Victoria Windsor is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Port Phillip and Stonnington local government areas. Windsor recorded a population of 7,2 ...

, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Ramsay was the eldest of five children. He attended Melbourne Continuation (High) School, where he participated in the cadets. Upon completion of his education, Ramsay became a probationary teacher in 1912 for the Victorian Education Department. By 1915, he was teaching at the primary school at Cowleys Creek, a small township south of Melbourne, near Timboon.

Military career

First World War

Ramsay enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 1 October 1915, and was deployed to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

with the 4th Field Artillery Brigade. He served in Egypt until March 1916, at which time he was transferred to the Western Front. He was promoted, firstly to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

in early 1917, and then within six months to sergeant. He ended his term with the AIF on 2 August 1919 as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

, having been awarded the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

the previous year.

Interwar period

Ramsay returned to his teaching career, firstly at Lee Street State School in

Carlton, Victoria Carlton is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne local government area. Carlton recorded a population of 16,055 at the 2021 census. Im ...

, and then later at Essendon High School and Coburg High School. At the same time, he was studying towards a

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the g ...

, having already earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in 1923. In December 1924, he married Edna Mary Watson with whom he had two children. Ramsay had maintained an interest in military service, and was part of the

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. In 1930, while still a teacher but now at

University High School, Melbourne , motto_translation = With Zeal and Loyalty , established = , type = Government-funded co-educational secondary day school , principal = Ciar Foster , location = 77 St ...

, he was appointed commander of the 10th Field Artillery Brigade (Militia).

Second World War

By the outbreak of the

, Ramsay was an acting

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

commanding the 4th Divisional Artillery. On 13 October, he joined the newly formed

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...

(AIF), and was placed in command of the 2/2nd Field Regiment. This involved a step down in responsibility but by October of the following year, he was a

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

. When the division embarked to the

, he was in charge of the artillery of the 9th Division. He saw action during the siege of Tobruk and, as a result of his conduct there, he was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. He also planned the artillery barrage that supported the 9th Division's actions on 30 October during the

Second Battle of El Alamein The Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942) was a battle of the Second World War that took place near the Egyptian railway halt of El Alamein. The First Battle of El Alamein and the Battle of Alam el Halfa had prevented th ...

. This required the co-ordination of 360 guns across fifteen regiments, and the outstanding success of his plan caught the attention of the artillery commander of the Eighth Army. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

in 1943 as well as being mentioned in despatches. He was well thought of by the commander of the 9th Division,

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Leslie Morshead Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead, (18 September 1889 – 26 September 1959) was an Australian soldier, teacher, businessman, and farmer, whose military career spanned both world wars. During the Second World War, he led the Aust ...

, who nominated Ramsay as his successor in the event he was wounded. Ramsay returned to Australia in February 1943 and in June was placed in command of the artillery of II Corps, which had been originally formed in 1942 for the defence of Australia and was now intended for operations in the

South West Pacific Area South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the ...

. In January 1944, he was made a temporary

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and appointed commander of the

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 5th Division (Australia) *5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Mo ...

, which was then serving in the New Guinea campaign. He went to command the division during the

New Britain campaign The New Britain campaign was a World War II campaign fought between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces. The campaign was initiated by the Allies in late 1943 as part of a major offensive which aimed to neutralise the important Japanese base a ...

, an operation intended to tie down Japanese troops then largely based at Rabaul. He briefly left the division to take over the 11th Division, then on Bougainville, from Major General

Allan Boase Lieutenant general (Australia), Lieutenant General Allan Joseph Boase, (19 February 1894 – 1 January 1964) was a soldier in the Australian Army, who served in the First World War and was a general during the Second World War. Early life ...

in April 1945, before returning to the 5th Division in July. He was mentioned in despatches twice during his time in command of the 5th Division, as well as being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He ended his term with the AIF upon the disbandment of II Corps on 26 September 1945, and was placed in the Reserve of Officers.

Later life

Returning to civilian life, Ramsay was appointed principal of

Melbourne High School Melbourne High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1905, the school caters for boys from Year 9 ...

in 1946 and remaining in the position until May 1948, at which time he was made Director of Education for Victoria. Charged with re-organising the education system after years of funding neglect due to the war, Ramsay introduced a number of programmes directed towards teacher recruitment and training as well as improving the infrastructure of state schools. He retired in 1960 and was knighted the following year. Alan Hollick Ramsay died on 19 September 1973 in

Armadale, Victoria Armadale is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Armadale recorded a population of 9,368 at the 2021 cens ...

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, Alan 1895 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Australian educators 20th-century Australian public servants Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Companions of the Order of the Bath Australian headmasters Australian generals Australian Knights Bachelor Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Military personnel from Melbourne Public servants of Victoria (Australia) University of Melbourne alumni People from Windsor, Victoria Melbourne High School