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 Denzil Macarthur-Onslow, (5 March 1904 – 30 November 1984) was an

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 ...

officer, businessman and grazier.

Biography

Macarthur-Onslow, the son of grazier

Arthur Macarthur-Onslow Francis Arthur Macarthur-Onslow (7 June 1879 – 3 March 1938) was an Australian grazier and real estate investor. After service in the South African War, he raised sheep, was a director of the Camden Park Estate and its associated dairy farm, and ...

, enlisted in the

Citizens Military Force The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

in 1924. In 1935, he was appointed captain Ex Reserve of Officers in the 2nd Military District of the Australian Field Artillery; on 31 June 1936 he was appointed a captain in the

Royal Australian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, normally referred to as the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA), is a Regiment of the Australian Army descended from the original colonial artillery units prior to Australia's federation. Australia's first ...

. On 26 May 1939, he was appointed captain of the 2nd Australian Armoured Regiment and a captain in the

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 ...

. He was promoted major in October 1939 and served with the 6th Australian Division Reconnaissance Regiment. On 11 June 1941 he was promoted lieutenant colonel and placed in command of the 6th Division Cavalry Regiment, and on 23 April 1942 was appointed second in command of the 1st Armoured Brigade. On 14 July he was promoted temporary

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 ...

to command of the brigade. From February 1943 until February 1946 Macarthur-Onslow commanded the 4th Armoured Brigade. He relinquished command in March 1946 and was granted the rank of honorary brigadier; he was promoted brigadier on 4 January 1949. He was discharged in August 1953 but re-enlisted in August 1954, commanding the 2nd Division; he transferred to the Reserve on 1 December 1957 and was appointed to the Military Board on 1 December 1958 as a major general. Between 1966 and 1979, he served as President of the

National Rifle Association of Australia The National Rifle Association of Australia (NRAA) is the national governing body for Fullbore rifle shooting in Australia. The NRAA is the representative member for Australia to the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (IC ...

. Macarthur-Onslow was also politically active; he was by far the most successful candidate for the Liberal Democratic Party at the 1943 federal election, coming close to winning the seat of Eden-Monaro. He contested Eden-Monaro again for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

in 1946 and 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur-Onslow, Denzil 1904 births 1984 deaths Australian aviators Australian business executives Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century Australian farmers Australian generals Australian Knights Bachelor Australian manufacturing businesspeople Australian military personnel of World War II

Denzil Denzil is a Cornish given name. It may refer to: People *Denzil Batchelor, British journalist and writer *Denzil Best, American jazz percussionist * Denzil Botus, Trinidadian pannist *Denzil Davies, British politician *Denzil Dean Harber, British T ...

People from Gisborne, New Zealand Macarthur family (Australia)