Kenneth Hamilton Bailey CBE QC LLM (1898 - 1972)

Born 3 Nov 1898 in Canterbury, Victoria (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Editha Olga Yseult (Donnison) Bailey OBE — married 12 Aug 1925 in Parkville, Victoria, Australia

Died 3 May 1972 at age 73 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

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Biography

Kenneth Bailey CBE QC LLM is Notable.

Kenneth Bailey CBE QC LLM is an Anzac who served in World War One.

Emeritus Professor Sir Kenneth Bailey CBE QC LLM MA BCL was an Australian solicitor and Rhodes Scholar who rose to become Secretary of the Federal Attorney-General's Department, Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth and High Commissioner to Canada.

Kenneth Bailey CBE QC LLM was born in the Colony of Victoria (1851-1900)

Kenneth Hamilton Bailey was born on 3rd November 1898 in Canterbury, Victoria (Australia). He was the elder son of South Australian-born parents, Ernest Bailey, a banker, and Alice Wells. ^[1]

Kenneth was educated at Canterbury State School and Wesley College where, in 1916, he was dux, senior prefect, captain of athletics and gymnastics, and overall sports champion. He entered Queen's College, University of Melbourne, but interrupted his course when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 25th January 1918.

Kenneth Bailey CBE QC LLM is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Australian Imperial Force 1918-1919
105th Howitzer Battery, 5th Field Artillery Brigade

Kenneth had recently turned nineteen years when he enlisted in the AIF, the minimum age for so doing. ^[2] Following an ever-so-brief basic training and artillery orientation he embarked at Sydney on 30th April aboard SS Port Darwin for Europe and the 'killing fields' of the Western Front. ^[3] There, in the July, he joined the 105th Howitzer Battery, 5th Field Artillery Brigade; comprised of Diggers from every Australian State and even from as far away as the Isle of Man. As part of the 2nd Division, Kenneth became an ANZAC. Following war's end in the November, he sailed for home on 9th March 1919 and was subsequently discharged from his military obligations in Melbourne on 15th May that year. ^[2] He was awarded both the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Resuming his studies, Kenneth was awarded a Rhodes scholarship. In 1920 he proceeded to Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1922 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) in 1923 (he later also gained a Master of Arts (MA) in 1927). He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn, London in 1924. That year he returned to the University of Melbourne as vice-master of Queen's College and lecturer in history.

Kenneth married Yseult Donnison, a school teacher from England, on 12th August 1925 In his college chapel. ^[4]

Appointed professor of jurisprudence in 1927, Kenneth became dean of the law school in 1928 and increasingly involved himself in issues of international relations. In the 1930s he was prominent in the Australian Student Christian Movement and changed his allegiance from the Methodist (now Uniting) to the Anglican Church.

He gained his Masters of Law (LLM) in 1933 at Queen's College, University of Melbourne.

In January 1943 Kenneth moved with his family to Canberra where he became a consultant on constitutional matters and foreign affairs in the Attorney-General's Department. Between 1946 and 1969 he attended a number of sessions of the United Nations' General Assembly. Also in 1946, he was appointed secretary to the Attorney-General's Department and solicitor-general of the Commonwealth. He was made an honorary fellow of Corpus Christi College in 1947.

On 1st June 1953 Kenneth was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his service as the permanent head of the Attorney-General's Department. ^[5] He was created Knight Bachelor in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1958 for his service as Commonwealth Solicitor-General. ^[6] Yseult, Lady Bailey, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours 1961 in recognition of her work as President of the ACT Pre-School Association. ^[7]

He was chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn 1957-64. In 1964 Kenneth became the first Commonwealth Queen's Counsel (QC).

From 1964 to 1969 Kenneth served his country as High Commissioner to Canada. Back in Australia, he acted as special adviser in international law to the Attorney-General's Department and to the Department of External Affairs. Canada's Dalhousie University (1966), the Australian National University (1970) and the University of Melbourne (1972) conferred honorary doctorates of laws on Kenneth.

Aged 73 years, he passed away on 3rd May 1972 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. He was survived by his wife and their three sons.

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #604/1899; registered at Balwyn
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 39604 Gunner Kenneth Hamilton Bailey; accessed 2 Mar 2024
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial embarkation roll: 39604 Gunner Kenneth Hamilton Bailey; accessed 2 Mar 2024
4. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #9427/1925
5. ↑ Australian Honours: CBE; accessed 2 Mar 2024
6. ↑ Australian Honours: Knight Bachelor; accessed 2 Mar 2024
7. ↑ Australian Honours: OBE; accessed 2 Mar 2024

See also:

• Richardson, Jack E. 'Bailey, Sir Kenneth Hamilton (1898–1972)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993; accessed online 2 Mar 2024.
• WikiTree: Australian Knights and Dames; accessed 10 Jul 2024.