Alan McNicoll

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Sir Alan McNicoll
HM Australian Fleet (1962–64)
HMAS Australia (1952–54)
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (1951–52)
HMAS Warramunga (1950)
HMAS Shoalhaven
(1949–50)
Battles/warsSecond World War
Companion of the Order of the Bath
George Medal
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
RelationsBrigadier General Sir Walter McNicoll (father)
Major General Ronald McNicoll (brother)
Other workAustralian Ambassador to Turkey (1968–73)

Admiralty from September 1943 and was involved in the planning of the Normandy landings
. He returned to Australia in October 1944.

McNicoll was made

Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet
.

McNicoll's career culminated with his promotion to vice admiral and appointment as

Australian White Ensign
was created. McNicoll retired from the RAN in 1968 and was appointed as the inaugural Australian Ambassador to Turkey. He served in the diplomatic post for five years, then retired to Canberra. McNicoll died in 1987 at the age of 79.

Early life and career

A black and white portrait of two young boys. They are standing alongside one another and are dressed in white sailor uniforms. The shorter boy on the left is smiling and wearing a cap, while the boy on the right has a blank expression and is holding a cap in his left hand.
Brothers Alan and Ronald McNicoll in 1914 or 1915

Alan McNicoll was born in the Melbourne suburb of

Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay.[1][6][7] Described as "urbane and studious",[8] he performed well both academically and in sport, ultimately placing first in seamanship, history and English.[8] On graduation in 1926, McNicoll was posted to Britain for service and further training with the Royal Navy.[9]

Advanced to acting

HMAS Cerberus. He was attached to HMAS Penguin soon after, before being assigned for duties with HMAS Australia.[9] In his Lieutenants' Examinations in 1929, McNicoll achieved 1st Class Certificates in all of his subjects and was awarded a prize of £10 as a result.[8][9] He was promoted to lieutenant in July 1930, with seniority from 1 April that year. Completing a twelve-month posting aboard HMAS Canberra between 1932 and 1933, McNicoll decided to specialise as a torpedo officer and returned to the United Kingdom in order to undertake the long course at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth.[9][10] While in the UK, McNicoll wrote and published Sea Voices, a book of poems centred on naval life.[5][10]

McNicoll's detachment to the Royal Navy was terminated in 1935 on his graduation from Dartmouth, and he returned to Australia. Over the next three years, he saw service in HMAS Canberra,

Second World War.[9] While residing at Portsmouth, McNicoll and his wife had their first child, a son named Ian, in June that year. Ian died when one week old.[12][13][14][15] The couple later had two more sons, Guy and Anthony, and a daughter, Deborah.[16]

Second World War

On 14 September 1939, eleven days after the outbreak of the Second World War, McNicoll was posted to

London Gazette on 8 July 1941.[18]

In April 1942, McNicoll transferred to the battleship HMS King George V and served as Squadron Torpedo Officer.[8][9][10] As part of the Home Fleet, King George V provided support to several Arctic convoys throughout the conflict. From April to May 1942, King George V formed up as a support component to Convoy PQ 15, the first for McNicoll. While sailing in thick fog on 1 May, King George V collided with the destroyer HMS Punjabi after the latter crossed under the bow of the battleship. Punjabi was sliced in two during the collision, and sank with heavy loss of life. Several depth charges were also ignited on the damaged stern of King George V during the accident. King George V was patched up at Seidisfjord, before sailing to Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, to receive repairs.[19]

A young couple in wedding attire walking outside of a building. The man is on the left, and is dressed in ceremonial naval attire. He is holding a hat in his right hand down by his side. The bride is in a white gown with a veil. She is smiling and carrying a bouquet of flowers
McNicoll and Ruth Timmins on their wedding day, 18 May 1937

In December 1942, HMS King George V deployed in support of Convoy JW 51A, the first Russian convoy to sail direct from the United Kingdom without stopping at Iceland. The journey was completed without incident. On receiving word of the German naval attack on Convoy JW 51B in what became known as the Battle of the Barents Sea, King George V was dispatched along with nine other ships from Scapa Flow on 31 December to provide cover for the returning Convoy RA 51 and to attempt to catch the German ships engaged in the previous assault. The German ships were ultimately not encountered, and RA 51 was returned safely.[19] King George V later provided a covering force for two further convoys during early 1943, before being transferred to the Mediterranean during May in preparation for Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily.[19] Promoted to commander on 30 June 1943,[9] McNicoll took part in the Sicilian invasion the following month, with King George V serving as part of the covering force. Prior to the invasion, King George V, along with HMS Howe, had executed a bombardment of Trapani and the islands of Favignana and Levanzo on the night of 11/12 July, as part of a deception suggesting landings on the west coast of Sicily.[19]

McNicoll was briefly reposted to HMS Victory on 1 September 1943, before being transferred for staff duties with the

Consolidated Press, in which capacity he covered the Normandy landings.[24]

Senior command

Ships' captain

McNicoll was appointed executive officer of the light cruiser HMAS Hobart on 16 September 1945, a fortnight after the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific theatre.[8][9] From November 1945 until July 1947, Hobart spent nine months operating in Japanese waters over three distinct periods as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. The ship was placed in reserve from December 1947,[25] and McNicoll briefly transferred to HMAS Penguin before assuming the post of Director of Plans and Operations at the Navy Office in Melbourne on 6 January 1948.[8][9][10] Advanced to captain in June 1949, he was posted two months later to HMAS Shoalhaven, a River-class frigate, as the ship's commanding officer, and was simultaneously placed in charge of the 1st Frigate Squadron. He was appointed an honorary aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of Australia in December for a period of three years. In January 1950, McNicoll transferred to command the destroyer HMAS Warramunga and was subsequently made Captain (D) in control of the 10th Destroyer Squadron.[5][8][9]

An informal photograph featuring two men sitting beside each other on wooden chairs. Both are wearing white naval uniforms and appear to be in a tent. The man on the left has dark, slightly curly hair, his arms are semi-crossed with a mug in his right hand and a watch on his left wrist. He is not looking at the camera. The other man has short hair and is slightly balding. He has his arms resting on the chair's arm rests and is looking at the camera.
McNicoll with Captain Hutchison of the Royal Navy in October 1952. Both men were liaison officers to the British atomic tests on the Monte Bello Islands.

During McNicoll's tenure as commanding officer of Warramunga, the ship operated in Australian waters as part of the

National Service in the Australian military in response to the National Service Act 1951. He moved to the land base HMAS Lonsdale in October 1951, on being made Deputy Chief of Naval Staff.[9]

In 1952, McNicoll was appointed chairman of the planning committee for the

Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1954 New Year Honours List for his involvement in the British atomic program;[5][10][29] he was presented with the decoration three months later by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony at Government House, Melbourne.[16]

The year of 1954 was to be HMAS Australia's last in service, with the ship conducting Royal and Vice Regal tasks as some of its final duties. In February and March, HMAS Australia served as part of the escort for the

Netherlands New Guinea, and was consequently towed by Australia to Cairns. McNicoll was later appointed a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Dutch government for his rescue of the ship.[5][28][31]

Rise to Chief of Naval Staff

Photograph of a war ship in a body of water. Large cannons can be seen on the deck, along with sailors.
The County-class cruiser, HMAS Australia. Captain Alan McNicoll served as Commanding Officer of Australia from 1952 to 1954.

McNicoll relinquished command of HMAS Australia in July 1954 before the cruiser was paid off and marked for disposal the following month, and he briefly returned to duties at the Navy Office.[9][28] In November, he embarked for London to attend the Imperial Defence College as part of the 1955 course intake, which signified that he had been marked for senior command.[5][9] McNicoll and his wife, Ruth, had separated in 1950 and their divorce, which cited adultery as the cause, was finalised in October 1956, while the former was still in London. On 17 May the following year, McNicoll wed Frances Mary Chadwick, a journalist, in the Hampstead register office.[4][5] Made acting rear admiral in January 1957, McNicoll was appointed as Head of the Australian Joint Service Staff in London.[5][9][10] He returned to Australia in February 1958 and was selected to serve as Deputy Secretary (Military) at the Department of Defence; McNicoll's rank was made substantive in July that year.[4][5][9]

On 8 January 1960, McNicoll was posted to the Naval Board in Canberra as Second Naval Member and Chief of Personnel.[8][9] As noted by historian Ian Pfennigwerth, McNicoll held this position at a time in which recruitment and retention in the Navy particularly lagged behind targets.[5] McNicoll was additionally appointed as a trustee of the RAN Relief Trust Fund during this period. Completing his term on the Naval Board, McNicoll was posted as Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet on 8 January 1962 and hoisted his standard aboard HMAS Melbourne, the flagship of the RAN.[4][9] The Australian government had designated the role of the RAN to be primarily one of anti-submarine warfare, a posture which McNicoll thought unwise. McNicoll argued that surface and air weapons posed a threat equal to that of submarines toward vessels in modern naval warfare. As such, he campaigned for a contemporary aircraft carrier to replace that of HMAS Melbourne. The Army and Air Force opposed McNicoll's stance, and the government ultimately concluded that there was no strategic requirement for a new carrier in light of agreements contained in the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.[32] In any event, McNicoll experienced a particularly demanding tenure as Fleet Commander since the RAN was in the process of a complete overhaul of its order of battle and, as a consequence, he had to manage the introduction and deployment into service of six Ton-class minesweepers acquired from the Royal Navy, along with the first batch of Westland Wessex helicopters and modernised afloat support capabilities. Furthermore, McNicoll was charged with the responsibility of ensuring Australian naval commitments to the Far East Strategic Reserve were met.[5][33]

Portrait of a man in naval uniform. Visible from the waist up, he appears to be sitting and wears a dark, formal naval jacket that sports the rank of rear admiral. There are medal ribbons on his left breast, and he is holding a smoking pipe in his left hand.
Rear Admiral Alan McNicoll c.1963

McNicoll's two-year term as Fleet Commander concluded on 6 January 1964, at which point he returned to the Naval Board as Fourth Naval Member and Chief of Supply. However, this post proved short-lived with his appointment as Flag Officer-in-Charge East Australia Area, headquartered at the land base

Companion of the Order of the Bath.[34]

Chief of Naval Staff

On 24 February 1965, McNicoll was promoted

Royal Commissions into the incident subjected the RAN to unprecedented scrutiny and damaged the public perception of its senior leadership.[5][38] McNicoll had to cope with the turmoil occasioned by these events and concerned himself with the restoration of morale in the Navy.[10][39]

The tenure of Air Chief Marshal

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1966 New Year Honours for his service as CNS.[43]

A white flag with the British Union Jack in the upper left canton. Five blue stars are positioned on the left in the shape of the Southern Cross, while a large sixth star is under the Union Jack
The White Ensign of the Royal Australian Navy, created in 1966 by the Naval Board under McNicoll

McNicoll was eager for a RAN contribution to the Vietnam War and, in July 1966, proposed that the four Australian minesweepers operating out of Singapore be deployed to Vietnamese waters since Konfrontasi was at an end and the vessels were no longer necessary in that area. The notion was rejected by Fairhall, however, who was conscious of an upcoming election and was adamant that nothing be decided until afterward.[44][45] The possibility of a naval contribution to Vietnam was raised again in December, and it was decided that the guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart and a clearance diving team of six personnel be deployed as the Royal Australian Navy Force Vietnam.[46][47] Per an agreement between McNicoll and Admiral Roy L. Johnson, Commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, HMAS Hobart was to be attached to the United States Seventh Fleet and conduct shore bombardment operations.[47] The deployment of an Australian destroyer to Vietnam became permanent, with the ships operating on a six-month rotation.[48] To McNicoll's satisfaction, the RAN contribution to the theatre was further bolstered in 1967 with the formation of the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam and the dispatch of naval aviators to serve in an Army support role with No. 9 Squadron RAAF.[49][50]

The visible legacy of McNicoll's service as CNS is the

Australian White Ensign.[5][8][10] The British White Ensign had been flown by Australian vessels since the formation of the RAN in 1911, but the Australian contribution to Vietnam—a conflict in which the United Kingdom was not involved—served to complicate the situation. Federal politician Sam Benson questioned the Australian use of the British ensign before parliament in October 1965, and McNicoll later raised the issue with the Naval Board. The Naval Board ultimately decided to recommend to the government that the RAN create its own unique white ensign. A design accompanied the recommendation, which described the ensign as a "white flag with the Union Flag in the upper canton at the hoist with six blue stars positioned as in the Australian flag".[51] The government approved the proposal, and the Australian White Ensign was formally introduced throughout the RAN on 1 March 1967.[51]

After 46 years of service, McNicoll retired from the RAN on 2 April 1968 and was succeeded as CNS by Vice Admiral Victor Smith.[8][9] In the lead-up to his retirement, McNicoll completed a farewell tour by visiting several ships and naval establishments throughout Australia. The trip culminated with a two-week visit to Vietnam, and McNicoll was present in Saigon when the city was attacked by Viet Cong forces as part of the Tet Offensive.[8][52][53] As a man who "liked action", McNicoll later stated that he received a "great thrill" during the assault as he awaited transportation back to Australia.[8]

Ambassador and later life

On his retirement from the Navy, McNicoll was appointed by the Australian government as its inaugural ambassador to Turkey.[5][10][54] He was able to form amiable relations between the governments of Australia and Turkey, despite the physical and logistic issues associated with the establishment of a new embassy and the lack of knowledge both nations had of one another.[5] McNicoll held his diplomatic post in Ankara for five years, before he returned to Australia in 1973 and retired to Canberra.[4] A man of "culture and refined literary tastes",[39] McNicoll engaged his passion for the arts during retirement and in 1979 published his translation of The Odes of Horace.[4][5] He was also a music lover and a keen fly-fisherman.[4]

Sir Alan McNicoll died on 11 October 1987 at the age of 79.[5] Remembered as a "well-informed, hard working and skilled administrator",[39] he was cremated with full naval honours. McNicoll was survived by his wife, and by the children from his first marriage.[5]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "McNicoll, Alan Wedel Ramsay". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  2. ^
    ISSN 1833-7538
    . Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Lady McNicoll: Life in Rabaul". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 December 1937. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Draper 1985, p. 572
  5. ^
    ISSN 1833-7538
    . Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  6. ^ a b Gill 1968, p. 716
  7. ^ Cunningham 1988, p. 123
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Vice Admiral McNicoll Ends Long Career" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy News. Royal Australian Navy. 12 April 1968. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "McNicoll, Alan Wedel Ramsay". Records Search. National Archives of Australia. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-551784-2. Retrieved 4 May 2013. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  11. ^ "Wedding in Melbourne". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 1937. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  12. ^
    The Argus
    . 10 July 1941. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  13. ^
    The Argus
    . 18 October 1956. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  14. ^ "General Cable News". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 June 1939. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  15. ^ a b "Lieut. Cdr McNicoll Honoured". The Sydney Morning Herald. 10 July 1941. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  16. ^ a b Irving, Freda (5 March 1954). "Animated Queen at Investiture: 180 Received Special Smile". The Argus. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  17. ^ a b "Recommendation for Alan Wedel Ramsay McNicoll to be awarded the George Medal" (PDF). Honours and Awards. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  18. ^ "No. 35212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 July 1941. p. 3915.
  19. ^ a b c d "HMS King George V". Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War II. Naval History. Archived from the original on 19 May 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  20. ^ "McNicoll, Ronald Ramsay". Korean War Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  21. ^ "McNicoll, Ronald Ramsay". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  22. ^ "McNicoll, Frederick Oscar Ramsay". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  23. ^ "McNicoll, David Ramsay". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  24. ^ "David McNicoll". Fifty Australians. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  25. ^ "HMAS Hobart (I)". Ship Histories. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  26. ^ "HMAS Warramunga (I)". Ship Histories. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  27. ^ O'Neill 1985, p. 420
  28. ^ a b c d e f "HMAS Australia (II)". Ship Histories. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  29. ^ "No. 40054". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1954. p. 39.
  30. ^ "H.M.A.S. Australia Wins Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald. 25 March 1954. p. 7. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  31. ^ "Alan Wedel Ramsay McNicoll awarded Dutch Order of Orange-Nassau". Honours and Awards. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  32. ^ Grey 1998, pp. 17–18
  33. ^ Frame 2004, pp. 221–222
  34. ^ "No. 43530". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1965. p. 37.
  35. ^ Horner 2005, p. 257
  36. ^ Grey 1998, p. 321
  37. ^ Frame 2004, p. 222
  38. ^ Frame 2004, pp. 222–223
  39. ^ a b c Horner 2005, p. 264
  40. ^ Horner 2005, p. 263
  41. ^ Horner 2005, pp. 264–265
  42. ^ Horner 2005, p. 266
  43. ^ "No. 43855". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1966. p. 37.
  44. ^ Grey 1998, p. 78
  45. ^ Horner 2005, p. 274
  46. ^ Horner 2005, p. 276
  47. ^ a b Grey 1998, pp. 139–140
  48. ^ Frame 2004, p. 231
  49. ^ Frame 2004, p. 236
  50. ^ Grey 1998, p. 84
  51. ^ a b "Australian White Ensign". History of the RAN. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  52. ^ "McNicoll, Alan Wedel Ramsay". Vietnam War Nominal Roll. Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  53. ^ Horner 2005, p. 287
  54. ^ "New Envoys". The Canberra Times. 8 June 1968. Retrieved 4 May 2013.

References

Military offices
Preceded by Chief of Naval Staff
1965–1968 		Succeeded by
Vice Admiral Sir Victor Smith
Preceded by
Rear Admiral Galfry Gatacre
 Flag Officer-in-Charge East Australia Area
1964–1965 		Succeeded by
Rear Admiral Otto Becher
Preceded by
Rear Admiral Hastings Harrington
Flag Officer Commanding HM Australian Fleet

1962–1964 		Succeeded by
Rear Admiral Otto Becher
Preceded by
Captain Galfry Gatacre
 Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
1951–1952 		Succeeded by
Captain Otto Becher
Diplomatic posts
New title
New position
Australian Ambassador to Turkey

1968–1973 		Succeeded by
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