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 (High) 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.