Rohan Delacombe
Sir Rohan Delacombe KCMG KCVO KBE CB DSO KStJ (born October 25, 1906 on the family estate Shrewton Manor near Salisbury , United Kingdom ; † November 10, 1991 ) was a British major general and governor of the Australian state of Victoria . Delacombe was the ninth in command of the British Sector of Berlin from 1959 to 1963 and thus one of the Allied city commanders .
Life
In 1926 Delacombe entered the army. In the regiment of the Royal Scots he was stationed in Egypt , China , British India and Palestine (1937-1939). After the outbreak of World War II , he was part of the British Expeditionary Force , which was supposed to stop the advance of the German army on the Franco-Belgian border . After this failed, the British troops were brought back to the English coast as part of Operation Dynamo . He then served on the General Staff at de Wiart's side to prevent the occupation of Norway ( Operation Weser Exercise ). In 1942 he was appointed commander of the 8th Battalion of the Royal Scots. In 1944 he led the battalion in the landing of the Allied troops in Normandy ( Operation Overlord ). After the war he was part of the British occupation forces in Germany from 1947 , initially as a colonel in the general staff of the British Army of the Rhine . From 1959 to 1963, including during the Berlin crisis , he succeeded Francis Rome as commander of the British sector of Berlin and thus one of the allied city commanders. He was replaced in this role by Claude Dunbar .
After he retired from the army in 1962, he was appointed governor of the Australian state of Victoria and remained so until 1974. During his tenure, the last execution took place on Australian soil. Delacombe has been asked to commute the death penalty to life imprisonment . However, after speaking with the cabinet of the Prime Minister of Victoria, Delacombe decided against a pardon . Ronald Ryan was finally hanged on February 3, 1967 for the murder of a law enforcement officer .
Awards
- Distinguished Service Order (1944)
- Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (1964)
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1961)
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1951)
- Knight of the Order of St. John
- Companion of the Order of the Bath (1957)
Web links
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Delacombe, Rohan |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British Major General, Governor of Victoria |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 25, 1906 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Salisbury , UK |
DATE OF DEATH | November 10, 1991 |
Place of death | Shrewton, Wiltshire, England |