Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Alan Bishop Stretton, (30 September 1922 – 26 October 2012) was a senior

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

officer. He came to public prominence through his work in charge of cleanup efforts at Darwin in the aftermath of

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city i ...

on Christmas Day 1974. As head of the National Disasters Organisation he managed the evacuation of 35,000 people in six days, including loading a jumbo jet with 673 passengers, then a record for the most people aloft in the one aircraft.

Early years

Stretton was born on 30 September 1922 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria.STRETTON, Alan Bishop
Who's Who in Australasia and the Far East, Melrose Press, 1989, p.531 He was educated at Caulfield Grammar School"His Hobby— Alan Stretton with his fantail pigeons at the exhibition of hobbies held at the Caulfield Grammar School yesterday"
''The Argus'', Tuesday, 9 December 1930, p.5. and

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

. After graduating from the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state ...

, he began his military career serving with the 2/9th Battalion during the Second World War.

Football

In 1946 and 1947 he played 16 games of Australian rules football in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

with St Kilda, after arriving at the club from Duntroon.

Military career

Stretton served in the army from 1940 to 1978. In the Second World War he served as a platoon commander in the 2/9th Battalion. In the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

he served in the

1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and sinc ...

from 1954 to 1955. He was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

on 13 December 1955. In Malaya he served as the commanding officer of the

2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) is an amphibious light infantry battalion of the Australian Army part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. 2 RAR was initially formed as the A ...

(1961–63). On 12 June 1965 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He served three tours during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, in 1962, 1966 and 1967. He was Director of administrative planning at headquarters (1966–69), and from 1969 to 1970 he was chief of staff of the Australian forces. On 8 January 1971 was advanced to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

for his service in Vietnam. In 1970 the South Vietnamese government awarded him the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

and in 1973 the US awarded him the Bronze Star Medal. During his time in Malaya and Vietnam, without attending a lecture, he studied by correspondence from the jungle and graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in 1966. He was admitted as a barrister in the New South Wales and High Courts in 1969. Stretton was promoted brigadier in 1971 and from 1972 to 1974 was deputy director (military) of the Joint Intelligence Organisation and member of the National Intelligence Committee.

Cyclone Tracy and post-military

Stretton was jointly named the 1975 Australian of the Year, with Sir John Cornforth. He wrote ''The Furious Days: The Relief of Darwin'' (1976) and ''Soldier in the Storm'' (1978), retiring from public life in 1978. He practiced law in Canberra into his 70s. In 1999, in only his second visit to the city of Darwin since Cyclone Tracy, he presented his insignia as Officer of the Order of Australia, and his award as Australian of the Year, to the people of Darwin. In 2003 he publicly criticised the Australian Government's policy of involvement with the

2003 Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, in an open letter in which he stated: "The alleged connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qa'ida is ludicrous." He died on 26 October 2012 at Batemans Bay Hospital in New South Wales, aged 90.John Thistleton (29 October 2012
Vale Major-General Alan Stretton
''The Canberra Times''

List of honours

Notes

References

External links

* *
Alan Stretton, at ''The VFA Project''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stretton, Alan 1922 births 2012 deaths Military personnel from Melbourne People educated at Scotch College, Launceston People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne People educated at Caulfield Grammar School Australian Army officers Australian generals Australian military personnel of the Vietnam War Australian military personnel of the Korean War Australian Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates Officers of the Order of Australia Australian of the Year Award winners Australian rules footballers from Melbourne St Kilda Football Club players Brighton Football Club players Recipients of the Distinguished Service Order (Vietnam) Cyclone Tracy Australian republicans