Wilbur Kenneth Jackson AC KCVO (1911 - 1991)

Born 8 Nov 1911 in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia

Husband of Una Margaret (Dick) Jackson — married 18 Oct 1937 (to before 1950) in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Died 12 Jan 1991 at age 79 in Roehampton, London, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Robert Gillman Allen Jackson AC KCVO is Notable.

Sir Robert 'Rob' Jackson AC KCVO CMG OBE was an Australian naval officer, public servant and United Nations administrator who specialised in technical and logistical assistance to the developing world.

Robert Gillman Allen Jackson AC KCVO was born in Victoria, Australia

Robert Gillman Allen Jackson was born Wilbur Kenneth Jackson on 8th November 1911 in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. He was the younger son of Archibald Jackson and Kathleen Williams. ^[1] He changed his name by deed poll in 1937. He was educated at Cheltenham High School and Mentone Grammar School.

His father's death meant he did not go to university, instead commencing a career in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) on 1st May 1929. ^[2]

Rob married Una Margaret 'Peggy' Dick on 18th October 1937 in St David’s Anglican Cathedral, Hobart, Tasmania. ^[3]

Rob was seconded to the Royal Navy in 1938 and proved his ability in his plans for defending Malta during the Second World War, for which he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 1st July 1941 for 'outstanding zeal and devotion to duty'. ^[4]

He resigned his commission as Paymaster Lieutenant on 1st November 1941, ^[2] in order to take up an appointment as principal adviser to Oliver Lyttleton, War Cabinet minister in Cairo, and his work with the Middle East Supply Centre encouraging local food production across many countries fostered his diplomatic and administrative skills. For his work, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the New Year Honours 1944 for 'service as Secretary to the Minister of State in Cairo'. ^[5]

After the war, Rob was responsible for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) projects in Europe, parts of Africa and the Far East. Next he was assistant to the first secretary-general of the UN, before returning to the United Kingdom to work at the Treasury and then returning home to the Australian Ministry of National Development.

Rob married Barbara Ward in 1950 in Samford, Suffolk, ^[6] after his first marriage had ended. They had a son in 1956, but were legally separated in the early 1970s.

His time working on the Volta project in Ghana from 1953 to 1960 led to the investitures of Knight Bachelor in 1956, and Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) 20th February 1962. ^[7]

From the 1960s onward, he advised the governments of India and Pakistan, and in 1962 he went to the UN as consultant to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), advising on technical, logistical and pre-investment aid to developing countries. By 1971, he had helped with UNDP projects in sixty countries.

Margaret Anstee, another UN administrator, collaborated with him on 'Jackson Report' or 'Capacity Study'. They became close personally as well as professionally, and their relationship continued for some twenty years until Rob's death.

His last major operations were co-ordinating relief for Bangladesh between 1972 and 1975, and assistance for Kampuchea and Kampuchean refugees in Thailand between 1979 and 1984. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 1986 for 'service to international relations, particularly as Under Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the United Nations Organisation'. ^[8]

He passed away as a result of a stroke on 12th January 1991 in Roehampton, Surrey (Greater London).

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #28379/1911
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: Paymaster Lieutenant Robert Gillman Allen Jackson; accessed 16 Nov 2023
3. ↑ record of marriage is yet to be located
4. ↑ Australian Honours: OBE; accessed 16 Nov 2023
5. ↑ Australian Honours: CMG; accessed 16 Nov 2023
6. ↑ UK FreeBMD Marriage Index Dec qtr 1950, vol 4b, page 1929
7. ↑ Australian Honours: KCVO; accessed 16 Nov 2023
8. ↑ Australian Honours: AC; accessed 16 Nov 2023

See also

• Micham, Chad. 'Jackson, Sir Robert Gillman (1911–1991)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published online 2016; accessed online 16 Nov 2023.
• Wikipedia: Robert Jackson; accessed 16 Nov 2023.