Raymond Ladais Sandover, (28 March 1910 – 12 August 1995) was a brigadier in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, 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 (Austral ...

. 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 opposin ...

, he commanded the 2/11th Battalion from 1941 to 1943 and the 6th Australian Infantry Brigade between 1943 and 1945. Promoted to brigadier in May 1943, at the time he was the youngest officer in the Australian Army to hold that rank.

Early life and career

Born on 28 March 1910 at

Richmond, London Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

, Sandover was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

and the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine U ...

. In 1929, he joined a Territorial battalion of the

East Surrey Regiment The East Surrey Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1959. The regiment was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 31st (Huntingdonshire) Regiment of Foot, the 70th ...

. He qualified as a chartered accountant and went on to work for the family business in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. At the outbreak of the Second World War, Sandover volunteered to serve with 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 initial ...

. Joining the 2/11th Infantry Battalion, he subsequently led them through the

Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island ...

Battle of Crete

Commanding the 2/11th Battalion, Sandover took up defensive positions in the hills around the airstrip of

Rethymno Rethymno ( el, Ρέθυμνο, , also ''Rethimno'', ''Rethymnon'', ''Réthymnon'', and ''Rhíthymnos'') is a city in Greece on the island of Crete. It is the capital of Rethymno regional unit, and has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants ( ...

, Crete, along with the 2/1st Battalion, supported by elements of 2/3rd Field Regiment, 2/1st Machine Gun Battalion and members of the Cretan Police. Lieutenant Colonel Ian Campbell, commander of the 2/1st Battalion, was appointed overall commander of the Rethymno Force. On 20 May 1941 German paratroopers landed on Crete. The fighting was severe at times as the Australian and Greek units fought to contain the German landings. Campbell's forces were doing well in comparison with allied efforts on other parts of the island. The 2/11th Battalion along with the Cretan Police were able to force back the German paratroopers to Perivolia in which the 2/11th Battalion, in a series of counter attacks, attempted to drive the German forces from the village. On 28 May the British main force was in full retreat. Messages to Lieutenant Colonel Campbell informing him of the retreat and evacuation never reached Rethymno. By 29 May the Rethymno force was trapped but had still denied German forces the airfield. On 29 May Lieutenant Colonel Campbell surrendered but Sandover gave his men the option of either surrendering or, after destroying their weapons, taking to the mountains and escaping from Crete in any way possible. Many of Sandover's men took the latter option and evaded capture, living in the mountains with assistance from the local civilian population.

Battle of Wide Bay–Open Bay

The landing at Jacquinot Bay was an Allied amphibious operation 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 at ...

that was conducted as part of a change of garrison with the Australians taking over from US Infantry Divisions. On 4 November 1944, Sandover's 6th Brigade landed largely unopposed with the initial landing by 14th/32nd Battalion with support from naval forces and aircraft.

Promotions

Sandover was promoted four times from 1941 to 1946.

Commands

Sandover commanded the 2/11th Infantry Battalion, the 6th Australian Infantry Brigade and the Lae Base Sub-area. He retired from military service on 19 January 1946.

Awards and honours

Sandover was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

on three occasions and 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, typ ...

(DSO) for leadership during the advance to the Wide and Open Bay areas during the

. * 23 June 1942 – Mentioned in Despatches * 19 July 1945 – Mentioned in Despatches for distinguished services in the South-West Pacific Area. * 14 February 1946 – The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for leadership during the advance to the Wide and Open Bay areas in 1945. * 6 March 1947 – Mentioned in Despatches for exceptional service in the field in the South-West Pacific Area.

Post-war

After the war he returned to England, where he was a director of the family business. He died 12 August 1995 at

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, England.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandover, Raymond 1910 births 1995 deaths Australian brigadiers Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Army personnel of World War II East Surrey Regiment officers People from Richmond, London University of Bonn alumni Battle of Crete 20th-century British Army personnel Military personnel from London