Alan Ramsay

Major General Sir Alan Hollick Ramsay, (12 March 1895 – 19 September 1973) was an Australian educator and a senior officer in the Australian Army. Having served as an officer in the First World War, he commanded the 5th and 11th Divisions during the operations in New Britain and Bougainville respectively during the Second World War.

Early life Born on 12 March 1895 in Windsor, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Ramsay was the eldest of five children. He attended Melbourne Continuation School where he participated in the cadets. Upon completion of his education, Ramsay became a probationary teacher in 1912 for the Victorian Education Department. By 1915, he was teaching at the primary school at Cowleys Creek, a small township south of Melbourne, near Timboon.

Military career First World War Ramsay enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 1 October 1915, and was deployed to the Middle East with the 4th Field Artillery Brigade. He served in Egypt until March 1916, at which time he was transferred to the Western Front. He was promoted, firstly to corporal in early 1917, and then within six months to sergeant. He ended his term with the AIF on 2 August 1919 as a lieutenant, having been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal the previous year. He was well thought of by the commander of the 9th Division, Lieutenant General Leslie Morshead, who nominated Ramsay as his successor in the event he was wounded.

Ramsay returned to Australia in February 1943 and in June was placed in command of the artillery of II Corps, which had been originally formed in 1942 for the defence of Australia and was now intended for operations in the South West Pacific Area. In January 1944, he was made a temporary major general and appointed commander of the 5th Division, which was then serving in the New Guinea campaign. He went to command the division during the New Britain campaign, an operation intended to tie down Japanese troops then largely based at Rabaul. He briefly left the division to take over the 11th Division, then on Bougainville, from Major General Allan Boase in April 1945, before returning to the 5th Division in July. He was mentioned in despatches twice during his time in command of the 5th Division, as well as being made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. He ended his term with the AIF upon the disbandment of II Corps on 26 September 1945, and was placed in the Reserve of Officers.

Later life Returning to civilian life, Ramsay was appointed principal of Melbourne High School in 1946 and remained in the position until May 1948, at which time he was made Director of Education for Victoria. Charged with re-organising the education system after years of funding neglect due to the war, Ramsay introduced a number of programmes directed towards teacher recruitment and training as well as improving the infrastructure of state schools. He retired in 1960 and was knighted the following year. Alan Hollick Ramsay died on 19 September 1973 in Armadale, Victoria.