Brigadier William Charles Douglas Veale, (16 May 1895 – 17 August 1971), generally known as W. C. D. Veale, was an Australian engineer, surveyor and soldier. He is best known as the longtime (1947–1965) town clerk of the

Adelaide City Council The City of Adelaide, also known as the Corporation of the City of Adelaide and Adelaide City Council is a local government area in the metropolitan area of greater Adelaide, South Australia and is legally defined as the capital city of Sout ...

, and had significant influence in the development and change of character of the City of Adelaide during that period. For example, in conjunction with four-time Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Arthur Campbell Rymill, Veale was responsible for significant improvements to the Adelaide Park Lands. He was also a senior soldier and military engineer who served in both the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second World Wars, and is notable for his involvement in the

Battle of Timor The Battle of Timor occurred in Portuguese Timor and Dutch Timor during the Second World War. Japanese forces invaded the island on 20 February 1942 and were resisted by a small, under-equipped force of Allied military personnel—known as ...

and during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. Veale Gardens in Adelaide's South Parklands is named in his honour.

Early years

Veale was born in

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

on 16 May 1895, and educated locally. He was later apprenticed to an engineer at the Whittlesea Council in Morang, Victoria.

First World War

Veale enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 14 February 1916. In October 1917, while he was one of a party marking out an assembly position, the party came under fire and several of the party were seriously wounded. While under continuous shell fire, Veale attended to all of their wounds, got them to safety and then successfully marked out the assembly position. "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty", he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Veale was commissioned lieutenant in May 1918. While on operations in the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France *Somme, Queensland, Australia *Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), a ...

, France, in August 1918, in a single night when under enemy shelling, he supervised the construction of two bridges required for use by the infantry next morning, without alerting the enemy. For this deed he was awarded the Military Cross. – Military Cross (MC)

Interbellum

After a period working at

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

and the Ministry of Transport in London, Veale returned to Victoria, serving as engineer to the

Shire of Kowree The Shire of Kowree was a local government area in western Victoria, Australia. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1862 until 1995. History Kowree was first incorporated as a road district on 24 June 1862, and became a shire on 2 ...

Council at

Edenhope Edenhope is a town in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Wimmera Highway, 30 kilometres from the South Australian border, in the Shire of West Wimmera local government area. At the Edenhope had a population of 946. ...

. He married Eileen Guest at All Saints' Church of England, Bright, on 12 February 1923. On 8 October 1923 Veale became Assistant City Engineer and Surveyor to the City of Adelaide at an annual salary of A£450. In 1926 he became Deputy City Engineer, and City Engineer in 1929. During this period he served with the Citizens Military Force, rising to the rank of colonel.

Second World War

Prior to and during the Second World War, Veale held the following positions and commands:V84544 William Charles Douglas Veale, MC, DCM
www.awm.gov.au

Post-war and retirement

Veale was appointed town clerk in January 1947, and retired in November 1965. He died on 17 August 1971, aged 76, in North Adelaide and was cremated.

Honours and awards

* Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) – 10 June 1954The Order of the British Empire – Commander (Civil)
(CBE), 10 June 1954, It's an Honour * Military Cross (MC) – 1 February 1919Military Cross
(MC), 1 February 1919, www.awm.gov.au * Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) – 1918Distinguished Conduct Medal
(DCM), 6 February 1918, It's an Honour * Efficiency Decoration (ED) *Fellow of the Royal Australian Planning Institute. He was federal president (1954–55). *Fellow of the Institute of Municipal Administration

References

External links

William Charles Douglas Veale, CBE, MC, DCM
adelaidia.sa.gov.au
Temporary Brigadier W C D Veale
www.awm.gov.au
William Charles Douglas VEALE MC DCM
RSL Virtual War Memorial {{DEFAULTSORT:Veale, William 1895 births 1971 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (Australia) Australian brigadiers 20th-century Australian engineers Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Australian recipients of the Military Cross Australian surveyors People from Adelaide People from Bendigo