Leslie Wilson (politician)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Sir John Goodwin
Succeeded bySir John Lavarack
Personal details
Born(1876-08-01)1 August 1876
London, England
Died29 September 1955(1955-09-29) (aged 79)
Mentioned in Despatches

Sir Leslie Orme Wilson,

PC (1 August 1876 – 29 September 1955) was a Royal Marines officer, Conservative politician, and colonial governor. He served as Governor of Bombay from 1923 to 1926 and as Governor of Queensland
from 1932 to 1946.

Personal life

Wilson was the son of Henry Wilson, a stockbroker, and his wife Ada Alexandrina (née Orme), and was educated at St Michael's School,

St Paul's School, London
.

Wilson married Winifred May, daughter of Charles Smith, of Sydney, Australia, in 1909.[1] They lived at the Manor House at Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire. They had three children, two sons and a daughter:

  • Peter Leslie Orme, born 4 June 1910 in London,[2][3] farmer and grazier,[4][5] died 6 July 1980 aged 70 years in Queensland and buried in Caloundra cemetery;[6]
  • David Orme, who was killed on 30 November 1941 in North Africa during the Second World War;[7]
  • Marjorie Orme.

On his retirement as Governor of Queensland, Wilson and his wife Winifred returned to live in Surrey, England.[8] However, they visited Queensland on a number of occasions, including the marriage of their son Peter.[9][10]

Wilson died after being hit by a truck while walking in September 1955, aged 79.[8]

Military service

Wilson was commissioned into the

mentioned in despatches and awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal with five clasps and the Distinguished Service Order
. In 1901 he achieved the rank of captain.

From 1903 to 1909, Wilson served as aide-de-camp to the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Harry Rawson.[1]

During the First World War Wilson commanded Hawke Battalion of the

Gallipoli
, where he was again mentioned in despatches, and in France, where he was severely wounded.

On 2 December 1915, Wilson was carrying dispatches on the Greek ship Spetzia when officers from a German submarine boarded the ship and captured him and another officer, Colonel Napier.[11]

Political life

In January 1910, at the

Attorney-General.[12][13]

In 1913 Wilson was returned to Parliament for Reading, a seat he held until 1922. In 1919 Wilson was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the

coalition government headed by David Lloyd George, a position he held until the Ministry of Shipping was abolished in 1921, and then served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
from 1921 to 1922. He was also the Conservative Chief Whip.

At the

Privy Council on 20 June 1922.[14]

Vice-regal service

Sir Leslie and Lady Wilson, Queensland c.1933; he is wearing the full dress uniform of a member of HM Privy Council.

Governor of Bombay

In July 1923 Wilson resigned from this position and his seat in the

1929 New Years Honours
he was appointed Knight Grand Commander of The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India.

Governor of Queensland

Leslie Wilson in 1941

In 1932 Wilson was made Governor of Queensland, a post he held until 1946, one of the longest gubernatorial tenures in British history. He was the longest-serving governor of the state.

On 13 May 1937, Wilson planted a small

King George VI.[15]

From 1932 to 1942, Wilson was the Chief Scout of The Boy Scouts Association's Queensland Branch, resigning in 1943 when he disagreed with the decision to make the Chief Commissioner a paid position.[16] [8]

Freemasonry

Wilson was a

freemason. He was initiated into the craft in the Lodge Ionic No. 65, in Sydney, while serving as an aide-de-camp to Harry Rawson. When he returned to England, in 1909, he became a member of Navy Lodge No. 2612. He became Senior Warden of the Lodge in 1913 and Worshipful Master in 1917. He was the Primus Master of Old Pauline Lodge No. 3969 consecrated on Friday 18 July 1919.[17][18] In 1922 he was appointed Junior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England and District Grand Master of Bombay in the following year. To this day there is a Lodge in Pune, Leslie Wilson Lodge No. 4880 EC, named for him.[19] When he was appointed Governor of Queensland, he became Grand Master of Queensland's Grand Lodge serving for 12 years.[20] After arriving in Brisbane aboard the RMS Otranto (1925) on Monday, 13 June 1932, Wilson proceeded to the Queensland Parliament House, where he was sworn in as the 15th Governor of Queensland and representative of His Majesty King George V. At the Regular Meeting of Lamington Lodge, No. 110 UGLQ, held on Thursday, 6 July 1933, a motion was passed that RW Brother Wilson PDGM (Bombay), PGD (England) be accepted as a joining Brother to Lamington Lodge. The Master read a letter from the United Grand Lodge of Queensland, dated Wednesday, 14 June, covering a special dispensation to ballot at the same meeting. After the ballot, the Master declared Wilson was duly elected a member of Lamington Lodge. The following year, on Wednesday, 25 July 1934, Wilson was invested and installed as the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Queensland. He was proclaimed as the Grand Master for the last time, on Wednesday, 24 July 1945, marking his entry upon his twelfth year as the Grand Master.[21]

Honours

Wilson was appointed a

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George 2 July 1937.[25]

A locality in Bangalore, called Wilson Garden, is named after Leslie Wilson.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "MISCELLANEOUS". The Examiner. Launceston, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1910. p. 7 Edition: DAILY. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 9 June 1910. p. 8. Archived from the original on 14 December 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  3. ^ FreeBMD Archived 17 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. ^ Queensland Electoral Roll, 1949.
  5. ^ Queensland Electoral Roll, 1959.
  6. ^ Caloundra Cemetery, Surnames S-Z Archived 21 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ Commonwealth War Graves Commission Archived 12 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 5 March 2011.
  8. ^ a b c BIOGRAPHICAL DETAIL: Colonel Sir Leslie Orme WILSON, G.C.S.I., G.C.M.G., G.C.I.E., D.S.O. Archived 16 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine, (research by Owen Richmond for his Woodbadge Project, 24 January 2006), retrieved 5 March 2011.
  9. ^ "MARRIED IN BRISBANE Social News And Events". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 3 March 1950. p. 10. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  10. ^ "The bride wore emeralds". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 3 March 1950. p. 3. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  11. ^ "SUBMARINES". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 9 December 1915. p. 9. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  12. The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1910. p. 13. Archived
    from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  13. ^ "PERSONAL". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 10 December 1910. p. 5. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  14. ^ "No. 32721". The London Gazette. 20 June 1922. p. 4621.
  15. ^ "IN OTHER CITIES". The Advertiser. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 14 May 1937. p. 31. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  16. ^ "Governor resigns as Chief Scout". The Telegraph (Brisbane). Queensland, Australia. 23 June 1943. p. 2 (City Final Last Minute News). Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Lodge Number 3969". 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  18. ^ Minute Book No 1, Old Pauline Lodge 3969
  19. ^ "Leslie Wilson Lodge". District Grand Lodge of Bombay. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Ken Henderson Freemasonry: Vice Regal Grand Masters - Who and why?". Archived from the original on 9 April 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  21. ISBN 978-0-646-28210-7
    .
  22. ^ "No. 29736". The London Gazette. 5 September 1916. p. 8767.
  23. ^ "No. 32876". The London Gazette. 2 November 1923. p. 7453.
  24. ^ "No. 33472". The London Gazette. 26 February 1929. p. 1438.
  25. ^ "No. 34414". The London Gazette. 2 July 1937. p. 4246.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leslie Orme Wilson.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Reading
1913–1922 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South
1922–1923 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Shipping
1919–1921 		Succeeded by
Office abolished
Preceded by Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
jointly with Charles McCurdy 1921–1922
1921–1923 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by
Governor of Bombay

1923–1928 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Sir John Goodwin
 Governor of Queensland
1932–1946 		Succeeded by
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