David St Alban Dexter (1917 - 1992)

Born 8 Jan 1917 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Freda Doris Irene (Harper) Dexter — married 29 Sep 1944 in Camberwell, Victoria, Australia

Died 15 Mar 1992 at age 75 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Biography

David St Alban Dexter

David Dexter is Notable.

David St Alban Dexter was born on 8th January 1917 at St Albans, Hertfordshire, England. He was the second son of Australians, Reverend Walter Dexter, an army chaplain then based in France, and Dora Roadknight. The family moved back to Victoria, Australia in 1920. He attended Geelong Grammar School and the University of Melbourne. ^[1]

David Dexter is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Australian Imperial Force 1940-1946
2/2nd Australian Commando Squadron

David served in the Second Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War from 8th October 1940, attaining the rank of Major in the 2nd Independent Company (later re-named 2/2nd Australian Commando Squadron). The squadron is best known for its guerilla warfare campaign against the Japanese on Timor but also later fought in New Guinea and New Britain.^[2] He was discharged on 16th January 1946. ^[3]

On 29th September 1944 in St Mark’s Church of England (Anglican Church), Camberwell, Victoria, where his father was the minister, David married Freda Harper, a school teacher. ^[4]

David's brothers Barrie, Walter, Stephen & Paul in August 1945

David later became a diplomat and public servant, working with the Department of External Affairs, Australian Universities Commission, and Australian National University. He was involved in the Colombo Plan and with formulating systems of foreign aid associated with the South-East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and the United Nations Organisation (UNO), and from 1952 to 1955 served as the first secretary of the Australian High Commission in Ceylon. ^[1]

David wrote volume six of Australia’s official history of the Second World War in 1959 and the book, The New Guinea Offensives, in 1961. ^[1]

David passed away, aged 75 years, on 15th March 1992 at home at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. He was survived by his wife and five children (one son had predeceased him). ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} McKernan, Michael. 'Dexter, David St Alban (1917–1992)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published online 2016; accessed online 28 Jun 2020
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/2nd Commando Squadron; accessed 18 Oct 2019
3. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: VX38890 Major David St Alban Dexter; accessed 18 Oct 2019
4. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #10699/1944