William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle
Encyclopedia
William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle and 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley VC
KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC
(23 May 1909 – 5 April 1991), was the 15th Governor-General of Australia
and the final non-Australian to hold the office. He was a descendant of King William IV
by his mistress Dorothea Bland.
's oldest and most distinguished families. He was educated at Eton
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
and became a chartered accountant
. In 1929 he joined the Grenadier Guards Reserve of Officers.
During World War II
Sidney served in France
and Italy
. He led a handful of men in the defence of the Anzio
beachhead, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
. Sidney led a successful attack which drove German
troops 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 the fact that he had, in fact, been shot in the buttocks
.
The ribbon for the medal was made from one of his father-in-law Lord Gort's
uniforms and was awarded by General Alexander
on 3 March 1944 in Italy.
in October 1944 he was elected unopposed to the House of Commons as Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Chelsea
. His father died in June 1945 and he succeeded as 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, requiring translation to the House of Lords
. He retired from the House of Commons prior to the July 1945 general election
. In 1951 he was appointed Secretary of State for Air under Winston Churchill
and held that office until 1955. During this time he visited Australia
, travelling to Woomera
to examine weapons research and meeting the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies
. In 1956 he was created 1st Viscount De L'Isle.
, Menzies recommended De L'Isle's appointment as Governor-General of Australia
. He performed his ceremonial duties with dignity and travelled widely around Australia. There were no political or constitution
al controversies during his term, even though the Menzies Liberal
government until November 1963 enjoyed a majority in the House of Representatives of just 2 seats.
De L'Isle's Official Secretary
throughout his term was Murray Tyrrell
.
, on 8 June 1940. The couple had 5 children;
After his wife's death, he married Margaret Shoubridge on 24 March 1966 in Paris
. They had no issue.
in 1988, when he presented a bronze statue, which now stands in the grounds of Government House
in Canberra
.
De L'Isle held firmly conservative
views and was involved in the foundation, in 1975, of what is now the Freedom Association. He died in Kent
on 5 April 1991.
In 1965 De L'Isle succeeded his kinsman as ninth Baronet of Castle Goring.
He was appointed Knight of the Garter (KG) on 23 April 1968, becoming one of only two men ever to have held both of the highest orders of gallantry and chivalry - Victoria Cross and Knight of the Garter (the other being Field Marshal the Lord Roberts
).
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
KG GCMG GCVO KStJ PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(23 May 1909 – 5 April 1991), was the 15th Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
and the final non-Australian to hold the office. He was a descendant of King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
by his mistress Dorothea Bland.
Early life
He 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 (d. 11 February 1959). The Sidney family was one of EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's oldest and most distinguished families. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
and became a chartered accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
. In 1929 he joined the Grenadier Guards Reserve of Officers.
War service
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Sidney served in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He led a handful of men in the defence of the Anzio
Anzio
Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...
beachhead, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. Sidney led a successful attack which drove German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
troops out of a gully. Later he led another counter-attack and dashed forward, engaging the Germans with his tommy gun
Tommy Gun
Tommy Gun may refer to:*Thompson submachine gun or Tommy gun, a submachine gun*"Tommy Gun" , a song by The Clash...
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
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
'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 the fact that he had, in fact, been shot in the buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
.
The ribbon for the medal was made from one of his father-in-law Lord Gort's
John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC , was a British and Anglo-Irish soldier. As a young officer in World War I he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the...
uniforms and was awarded by General Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
on 3 March 1944 in Italy.
Political life
At a by-electionChelsea by-election, 1944
The Chelsea by-election, 1944 was a by-election held on 11 October 1944 for the British House of Commons constituency of Chelsea in London.The by-election was caused by the elevation of the constituency's Conservative Party Member of Parliament Sir Samuel Hoare to the peerage as Viscount Templewood...
in October 1944 he was elected unopposed to the House of Commons as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Chelsea
Chelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Chelsea was a borough constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1867 for the 1868 general election, when it returned two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote system of election.Under the...
. His father died in June 1945 and he succeeded as 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, requiring translation to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He retired from the House of Commons prior to the July 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
. In 1951 he was appointed Secretary of State for Air under Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and held that office until 1955. During this time he visited Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, travelling to Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
to examine weapons research and meeting the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
. In 1956 he was created 1st Viscount De L'Isle.
Governor-General
In 1961, following the sudden death of Lord DunrossilWilliam Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil
William Shepherd Morrison, 1st Viscount Dunrossil, GCMG, MC, KStJ, PC, QC , the 14th Governor-General of Australia, was born in Scotland and educated at George Watson's College and the University of Edinburgh. He joined the British Army in the First World War and served with an artillery regiment...
, Menzies recommended De L'Isle's appointment as Governor-General of Australia
Governor-General of Australia
The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
. He performed his ceremonial duties with dignity and travelled widely around Australia. There were no political or constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
al controversies during his term, even though the Menzies Liberal
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
government until November 1963 enjoyed a majority in the House of Representatives of just 2 seats.
De L'Isle's Official Secretary
Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia
The Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia and his staff provide governors-general with the necessary support to enable them to carry out their constitutional, statutory, ceremonial and public duties. The position of Official Secretary was established in 1901, although only...
throughout his term was Murray Tyrrell
Murray Tyrrell
Sir Murray Louis Tyrrell KCVO CBE was the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia for a record term of 26 years, 1947–73, in which time he served six governors-general....
.
Marriage and issue
Sidney married Jacqueline Corrine Yvonne Vereker (20 October 191415 November 1962), daughter of Field Marshal Lord GortJohn Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort, VC, GCB, CBE, DSO & Two Bars, MVO, MC , was a British and Anglo-Irish soldier. As a young officer in World War I he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of the Canal du Nord. During the 1930s he served as Chief of the...
, on 8 June 1940. The couple had 5 children;
- Elizabeth Sophia (b. 12 March 1941)
- Catherine Mary (b. 20 October 1942)
- Philip John Algernon, 2nd Viscount De L'IslePhilip Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L'IslePhilip John Algernon Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L’Isle MBE, DL is a British peer and former soldier.The eldest son of the 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Sidney was educated at Tabley House, Mons OCS and Sandhurst. After service in the Rifle Brigade, in 1966, he became a Major in the Grenadier Guards and...
(b. 21 April 1945) - Anne Marjorie (b. 15 August 1947)
- Lucy Corinna Agneta (b. 21 February 1953)
After his wife's death, he married Margaret Shoubridge on 24 March 1966 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. They had no issue.
Retirement
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 bicentenaryAustralia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia...
in 1988, when he presented a bronze statue, which now stands in the grounds of Government House
Government House, Canberra
Government House, Canberra, commonly known as Yarralumla, is the official residence of the Governor-General of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Yarralumla, in the City of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory....
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
De L'Isle held firmly conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
views and was involved in the foundation, in 1975, of what is now the Freedom Association. He died in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
on 5 April 1991.
Styles and Honours
- The Hon. William Sidney (1909–30 March 1944)
- The Hon. William Sidney VC (30 March 1944–1945)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord De L'Isle and Dudley VC (1945–1951)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord De L'Isle and Dudley VC PC (1951–13 January 1956)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount De L'Isle VC PC (13 January 1956 – 11 May 1961)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount De L'Isle VC GCMG PC (11 May 1961 – 14 March 1963)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount De L'Isle VC GCMG GCVO PC (14 March 1963 – 23 April 1968)
- The Rt. Hon. The Viscount De L'Isle VC KG GCMG GCVO PC (23 April 1968–1991)
In 1965 De L'Isle succeeded his kinsman as ninth Baronet of Castle Goring.
He was appointed Knight of the Garter (KG) on 23 April 1968, becoming one of only two men ever to have held both of the highest orders of gallantry and chivalry - Victoria Cross and Knight of the Garter (the other being Field Marshal the Lord Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
).