Denzil Macarthur-Onslow CBE DSO ED (1904 - 1984)

Born 5 Mar 1904 in Whataupoko, Poverty Bay, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Elinor Margaret (Caldwell) Macarthur-Onslow — married 1927 in Brompton, London, England

Husband of Dorothy Wolseley (Scott) Macarthur-Onslow AO — married 25 Sep 1950 in Petersham, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 30 Nov 1984 at age 80 in Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Denzil Macarthur-Onslow CBE DSO ED is Notable.

Major General Sir Denzil Macarthur-Onslow CBE DSO ED was a senior Australian Army officer, businessman, grazier and dairy farmer.

Formative years

Denzil Macarthur-Onslow was born on 5th March 1904 in Whataupoko, a suburb of Gisborne, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. He was the eldest of four children of New South Wales-born parents Francis Macarthur-Onslow, grazier, and his wife Sylvia Chisholm. A great great grandson of John Macarthur. The young family returned to New South Wales by the end of the year and settled on one of the Macarthur-Onslow family properties in Menangle. Denzil was educated at Tudor House School, situated on 170 acres (70 hectares) of farming land in the Southern Highlands at Moss Vale, and the 370 ac (148 ha) The King’s School, North Parramatta.

Interested in flying, at twenty years of age he joined the Royal Aero Club of New South Wales and became a partner in Light Aircraft Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of parachutes. Denzil followed a number of eclectic pursuits, even travelling abroad to study both the latest dairying techniques and aviation engineering.

Family

On 5th July 1927 in Holy Trinity Church of England, Brompton, London, the young Australian, Lieutenant Macarthur-Onslow, married Scottish lass, Elinor Caldwell. ^[1] They lived in Menangle, New South Wales until about 1930, when they returned to Elinor's native Dumfriesshire. There, they had a further two children. Denzil, certainly, was back in Australia by 1939, prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. It is unknown when they separated, but Denzil and the older two boys returned to Australia permanently in 1948 and the marriage ended in an amicable divorce in 1950. ^[2] They had four children:

• Ion Macarthur-Onslow (1928-2002)
• Neil Gordon Macarthur-Onslow (1930-2006)
• Diana Florence Macarthur-Onslow (1931-dec.)
• Euan Macarthur-Onslow (1934-living)

Seven grandchildren were born between the four children: Airlie, Rupert, Sophie, Verena, Robin and Martin, as well as Airlie’s brother, Duncan, who died aged 22 in a scuba diving accident in Egypt in 1989.

Macarthur-Onslow married Doctor Dorothy Conacher née Scott, a medical practitioner, on 25th September 1950 in the District Registrar's Office, Petersham, New South Wales. ^[3] They had two children:

• Lee Macarthur-Onslow (1952-2021)
• Katrina Denzil Macarthur-Onslow (1956-living) married Sir Charles Hobhouse and became entitled as Lady Hobhouse, divorced four years later, no children

Military life

Denzil Macarthur-Onslow CBE DSO ED is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Australian Army 1924-1961
Royal Australian Artillery; Royal Australian Armoured Corps; 2nd Division; Military Board CMF Member

Denzil could not deny the 'army blood' flowing through his veins and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Commonwealth Military Force (Militia) on 20th August 1924. He served within the Royal Australian Artillery until early 1939, when he was appointed Captain in the 2nd Armoured Regiment.

He transferred to the full-time Second Australian Imperial Force upon declaration of the Second World War in September 1939 and was promoted to Major the following month upon posting to the 6th Division Reconnaissance (Cavalry) Squadron. In January 1940 the 6th Division sailed for the Middle East and, after training in Egypt, moved to push the Italian Army out of Libya. During attacks on Bardia in January 1941, the squadron captured 2,000 Italian soldiers and held an enemy post until reinforcements arrived. For this action, Denzil was Mentioned in Despatches, ^[4] equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry, and was appointed Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for 'conspicuous gallantry, coolness and devotion to duty at Bardia on 4 January 1941'. ^[5][6]

On 11th June 1941 Denzil was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and placed in command of the 6th Division Cavalry Regiment. ^[7] Almost immediately, the division entered the Syrian campaign. He led two armoured squadrons during the capture of Merdjayoun; for which he was again Mentioned in Despatches. ^[8] In April 1942 he was appointed second in command of the 1st Armoured Brigade and then promoted temporary Brigadier to command of that brigade from July. From February 1943 until February 1946 Macarthur-Onslow commanded the 4th Armoured Brigade, mostly within Australia as it was not practical or necessary to deploy large armoured units in the jungle terrain common across the South West Pacific. During this time, due to his interest in aviation and parachutes, he undertook parachute training.

Following the war, he retained his association with the Citizens Military Force, on 14th November 1947 assuming command once more of the 1st Armoured Brigade. Denzil was promoted substantive Brigadier on 4th January 1949. Macarthur-Onslow was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Military Division in the Post-war Honours, 1st January 1951. ^[9][10] He was placed on the Retired List in August 1953 but re-activated in August 1954, commanding the 2nd Division. He was promoted to Major General in 1955. On 1st December 1958 Denzil was appointed CMF Member on the Military Board, which made him the highest ranking militia officer in the country and the only one to sit on the army’s decision-making body. He finally retired upon attaining the age of 57 years in March 1961.

a tilt at politics

Taking leave without pay in July 1943, Denzil contested the seat of Eden-Monaro for the Liberal Democratic Party in the Federal election in August. Unsuccessful, he returned to active duty. He contested Eden-Monaro for the Liberal Party in both 1946 and 1949.

Business

Failing to win a seat in parliament, Denzil returned to his property, Mount Gilead, Menangle, and established in Sydney, Denzil Macarthur-Onslow Pty Ltd, a manufacturer of pastry cook supplies.

He maintained his business interests, sitting on a number of company boards including those of Clyde Industries Ltd, Meggitt Ltd, Pettiford Holdings Ltd, Philips Industries Holdings Ltd and Total Australia Ltd.

President (1966-69) of the Australian Club, Sydney, he was also a member of the Royal Sydney Golf and Australasian Pioneers’ clubs.

Denzil was created Knight Bachelor in the New Year's Honours 1964. ^[11]

Final parade

Sir Denzil passed away on 30th November 1984 in Castle Hill, New South Wales. ^[12] He was given a military funeral, with his coffin led down George Street, Sydney, by gun carriage, with six army officers marching beside as pall bearers. He was survived by Dorothy, who passed in 2013, his four sons and two daughters, children-in-law and grandchildren.

Sources

1. ↑ UK FreeBMD Marriage Index Sep qtr 1927, vol 1a, page 277, registered at Kensington
2. ↑ "MACARTHUR ONSLOW DIVORCE" Illawarra Daily Mercury (Wollongong, NSW : 1950 - 1954) 20 April 1950: 5. Web. 8 Oct 2020 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article136546914>.
3. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #17624/1950
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards: Mention in Despatches; accessed 12 Nov 2022
5. ↑ Australian Honours: DSO; accessed 12 Nov 2022
6. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards: DSO; accessed 12 Nov 2022
7. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 6th Division Cavalry Regiment; accessed 12 Nov 2022
8. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards: Mention in Despatches; accessed 12 Nov 2022
9. ↑ Australian Honours: CBE; accessed 12 Nov 2022
10. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards: CBE; accessed 12 Nov 2022
11. ↑ Australian Honours: Knight Bachelor; accessed 12 Nov 2022
12. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #753/1985

See also

• McCarthy, Dayton. Macarthur-Onslow, Sir Denzil (1904–1984), Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 2012; accessed online 18 May 2018.
• Wikipedia: Denzil Macarthur-Onslow; accessed 18 May 2018.
• The Australian, 31 Jan 2017; accessed 18 May 2018.
• "Denzil Macarthur-Onslow" The Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal (NSW : 1888 - 1954) 18 Nov 1949: 1. Web. 8 Oct 2020.