William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle (23 May 1909 – 5 April 1991), known as Lord De L'Isle and Dudley between 1945 and 1956, was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, politician and

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient who served as the 15th governor-general of Australia, in office from 1961 to 1965. He was the last non-Australian to hold the position. Sidney was born into an aristocratic family and attended

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

before going on to Magdalene College, Cambridge. He became a chartered accountant, but also joined the Territorial Army. During the Second World War, Sidney served with the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in France and Italy; he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944 for his actions in the Battle of Anzio. He was elected to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

later that year, as a member of the Conservative Party. In 1945, Sidney succeeded his father as Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, consequently being elevated to the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. He served as

Secretary of State for Air The Secretary of State for Air was a secretary of state position in the British government that existed from 1919 to 1964. The person holding this position was in charge of the Air Ministry. The Secretary of State for Air was supported by ...

from 1951 to 1955, under

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, and was raised to the viscountcy in 1956. Lord De L'Isle became governor-general in 1961 on the recommendation of

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

, the

Prime Minister of Australia The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...

. He served for just under four years with little controversy; as well as being the last British governor-general of Australia, he was also the last to wear the traditional vice-regal uniform.

Early life

Sidney was the younger of two children, and the only son, of William Sidney, 5th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley (19 August 1859 – 18 June 1945), and his wife, Winifred Agneta Yorke Bevan (died 11 February 1959). He was a descendant of William IV by his mistress Dorothea Jordan. He was educated at

and Magdalene College, Cambridge, and became a chartered accountant. In 1929 he joined the

Reserve of Officers.

War service

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Sidney fought in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...

and the Italian Campaign. While serving as a company commander in the 5th Battalion,

(itself part of 24th Guards Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division), he led a handful of men in the defence of the Anzio beachhead in February 1944, for which he was awarded the

. Sidney led a successful attack which drove German troops of the 147th Grenadier Regiment out of a gully. Later he led another counter-attack and dashed forward, engaging the Germans with his tommy gun at point-blank range, forcing a withdrawal. When the attack was renewed, Sidney and one guardsman were wounded and another killed, but he would not consent to have his wounds dressed until the Germans had been beaten off and the battalion's position had been consolidated. During this time, although extremely weak from loss of blood, he continued to encourage and inspire his men. In later life, when asked where he had been shot, he would jocularly respond that he was shot in Italy. This was to conceal that he had been shot in the

buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...

. The ribbon for the medal was made from one of his father-in-law Lord Gort's uniforms and was awarded by General Sir Harold Alexander, commanding the Allied Armies in Italy, on 3 March 1944 in Italy.

Political life

At a by-election in October 1944, he was elected unopposed to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament (MP) for Chelsea. He succeeded Samuel Hoare as the member for Chelsea; the vacancy had been created because Hoare had been elevated to the House of Lords. His father died in June 1945 and he succeeded as 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, requiring transition to the

. He thus retired from the House of Commons prior to the July 1945 general election. In 1951 he was appointed

under

and held that office until 1955. During this time he visited

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, travelling to Woomera to examine weapons research and meeting the Prime Minister,

. In 1956 he was created Viscount De L'Isle, of Penshurst in the County of Kent.

Governor-General

Following the death in office of Lord Dunrossil in February 1961, Prime Minister

recommended De L'Isle as his military honours, aristocratic background, and political experience apparently made him, according to one author, Menzies' "vision of ideal governor-general material". De L'Isle was sworn in on 3 August 1961. He continued Dunrossil's revival of the full ceremonial vice-regal uniform, but would be the last governor-general to do so. De L'Isle faced no constitutional issues during his time in office; the Official Secretary throughout his term was Murray Tyrrell. De L'Isle was the first governor-general since William McKell (1947–1953) to have children living at Yarralumla, and this made him popular with the general public. However, his wife fell ill in his first year of office, and died on 16 November 1962, aged 48. Despite this, he chose to continue in office until the expiry of Dunrossil's original five-year term in 1965. Two of his daughters, Catherine and Anne, acted as the official hostesses in place of their mother.

Retirement and death

By the time of his retirement in 1965, public opinion was strongly in favour of an Australian Governor-General, although this was not a reflection on his performance in the role. His continuing interest in Australia was shown by several visits after his retirement, the last for Australia's bicentenary in 1988 when he presented a bronze statue, which now stands in the grounds of Government House in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

. In 1975 he co-founded what is now called The Freedom Association, a free-market campaign group opposed to the

post-war consensus The post-war consensus, sometimes called the post-war compromise, was the economic order and social model of which the major political parties in post-war Britain shared a consensus supporting view, from the end of World War II in Europe in 1 ...

that played a prominent role in the Grunwick Dispute. Viscount De L'Isle died in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

on 5 April 1991 and was buried in the Sidney family vault at St John the Baptist, Penshurst. He was the last surviving Victoria Cross recipient who had been a member of both Houses of Parliament. He was succeeded in his titles by his only son,

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

Styles and honours

* ''The Honourable'' William Sidney (23 May 1909 – 30 March 1944) * ''The Honourable'' William Sidney VC (30 March 1944 – 11 October 1944) *''The Honourable'' William Sidney VC MP (11 October 1944 – 18 June 1945) * ''The Right Honourable'' The Lord De L'Isle and Dudley VC (18 June 1945 – 1951) *''The Right Honourable'' The Lord De L'Isle and Dudley VC PC (1951 – 13 January 1956) *''The Right Honourable'' The Viscount De L'Isle VC PC (13 January 1956 – 11 May 1961) *''The Right Honourable'' The Viscount De L'Isle VC GCMG PC (11 May 1961 – 14 March 1963) *''The Right Honourable'' The Viscount De L'Isle VC GCMG GCVO PC (14 March 1963 – 23 April 1968) *''The Right Honourable'' The Viscount De L'Isle VC KG GCMG GCVO PC (23 April 1968 – 5 April 1991) In 1965 De L'Isle succeeded his kinsman Sir Sidney Shelley in the baronetcy of Castle Goring. He was appointed a Knight Companion of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

(KG) on 23 April 1968, becoming one of only two men ever to have held both the highest orders of gallantry and chivalry – the Victoria Cross and the Order of the Garter (the other being Field Marshal the Lord Roberts).History.UK.com Articles

Arms

Personal life

Lord De L'Isle married Hon. Jacqueline Corrine Yvonne Vereker (20 October 1914 – 15 November 1962), daughter of Field Marshal John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, on 8 June 1940. The couple had five children: * Hon. Elizabeth Sophia (born 12 March 1941, died 3 February 2016), married five times: to George Silver Oliver Annesley Colthurst, to Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet, to Captain James Silvester Rattray of Craighall-Rattray, 28th of Rattray, to Andrew H. Lane Paneyko, and to Robert Samuel Clive Abel Smith. * Hon. Catherine Mary (born 20 October 1942), married to Martin John Wilbraham, and then to Nicholas Hyde Villiers. * Philip John Algernon, 2nd Viscount De L'Isle (born 21 April 1945) * Hon. Anne Marjorie (born 15 August 1947), married to Lt.-Cdr. David Alexander Harries. * Hon. Lucy Corinna Agneta (born 21 February 1953), married to Michael Willoughby, 13th Baron Middleton After his wife's death, he married the widowed Lady Glanusk (''née'' Margaret Shoubridge) on 24 March 1966 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. They had no children.

Ancestry

Viscount De L'Isle was a descendant of King William IV though his illegitimate daughter Lady Sophia FitzClarence. His ancestors also includes the Dukes of Leinster through two of his great-great-grandmothers, who were daughters of the 2nd Duke of Leinster

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

*
Location of grave and VC medal
* {{DEFAULTSORT:De Lisle, William Sidney, 1st Viscount 1909 births 1991 deaths Governors-general of Australia Secretaries of State for Air (UK) British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross Viscounts De L'Isle Sidney, William Sidney, William UK MPs who inherited peerages UK MPs who were granted peerages Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Knights of the Garter Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Grenadier Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge People from Chelsea, London Politicians from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Members of the Freedom Association Ministers in the Churchill caretaker government, 1945 Ministers in the third Churchill government, 1951–1955 Ministers in the Eden government, 1955–1957 Shelley baronets, of Castle Goring 6 Viscounts created by Elizabeth II Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Burials in Kent People educated at Eton College