Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

Sir James Maxwell Ramsay, (27 August 1916 – 1 May 1986) was a senior officer in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

and the 20th

Governor of Queensland The governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the monarch of Australia. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governor Governors of the Australian states, performs c ...

, serving from 22 April 1977 until 21 July 1985. Ramsay was one of six surviving children. He attended the Macquarie Street State School and

The Hutchins School , motto_translation = Character lives after death , city = Hobart , state = Tasmania , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent, day & boarding , ...

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. He proved himself to be quite adept at what he attempted in these schools; he was successful in becoming a cadet captain, excelled in Rugby, and was a high achiever in academic and professional subjects. Appointed a naval cadet on 1 January 1930, he graduated from the

Royal Australian Naval College The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), commonly known as HMAS Creswell, is the naval academy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It consists of the RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range an ...

Flinders Naval Depot HMAS ''Cerberus'' is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base that serves as the primary training establishment for RAN personnel. The base is located adjacent to Crib Point on the Mornington Peninsula, south of the Melbourne City Centre, Victori ...

in 1933 and was appointed a midshipman on 1 May 1934. He had a distinguished naval career. In 1945 Ramsay attended Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, England, and in the same year married Janet Grace Burley. During the Second World War he served on British and Australian ships in the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans, and 1972 he retired from the navy. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

from 1974 until 1977. Ramsay married Janet Burley, a Red Cross welfare officer, on 24 November 1945 at the parish church, Denham, Buckinghamshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, James Maxwell 1916 births 1986 deaths Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Australian military personnel of the Korean War Australian recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Governors of Queensland Graduates of the Royal Australian Naval College Officers of the Legion of Merit People from Hobart Royal Australian Navy officers Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II