Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford De Chair

Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair

(28 February 1924 – 8 April 1930)

Anne Twomey

The character traits that marked Sir Dudley de Chair’s life were those of courage, determination, loyalty, fairness and a strong sense of duty. These traits were evident from his eventful early life and through the difficult period of his Governorship of New South Wales. Sir Dudley de Chair was descended from a family of French Hugue- nots. Most of them were massacred in the 16th century, but Edouard de la Chaire escaped to England in 1686 after the Edict of Fontainebleau1 and established a family there. Dudley de Chair was born in more peaceful times in Canada on 30 August 1864. His English father, a former cavalry officer, had been visiting relatives in Canada when he met and married Frances Emily Rawson. Dudley and his younger brother Ernest spent their early childhood in Canada, returning to England with their family in 1870. While at boarding school, de Chair was inspired to join the Navy after one of the other boys recounted “thrilling” bedtime stories of Naval adventure. His father initially refused permission, but eventually gave in. De Chair sat the entrance exams and later noted that the only reason he passed the Latin exam was because it examined a piece that he had previously written out 100 times as a punishment.2 Both de Chair and his brother Ernest were accepted into the Navy in 1878 and trained at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth (HMS Britannia). The only other brothers at the College were Eddie and George, later the Duke of Clarence3 and King George V. The friendship forged between the two sets of brothers was later to stand de Chair in good stead. At the age of 16, de Chair was appointed to the crew of HMS Alexan- dra as a Midshipman. After a happy summer sailing boats in a regatta with the Princes Eddie and George off Malta, de Chair was sent off to war

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me sufficient grounds on which to dismiss him. Anyhow, it is a risky thing to do, and I had every reason to believe that if I had dismissed him, he would not have gone; in fact, that he would have defied me. Even after the election, when he was beaten, I had doubts whether he would resign.76 Lang did, however, resign. He continued as Opposition Leader, contest- ing and winning the following election. De Chair was invited by the new Premier, Thomas Bavin, to undertake another five year term as Governor, but he agreed only to an extension of one year as he had become tired of Viceregal life and spending more than he earned on his household and office. De Chair left New South Wales in 1930, making a leisurely ex- ploration of Asian countries along the way home. After he arrived in England, he dined with the King, who sought his advice on whether he should accept the advice of Australian Ministers to support Isaac Isaacs as Governor-General. The King thanked de Chair from having “saved the State from revolution” and noted that the Dominions Office had not given de Chair as much support as they should.77 In retirement, de Chair wrote his voluminous memoirs. He died on 17 August 1958 and his ashes were scattered in the English Channel.78 While Radi has described de Chair’s actions in the 1926 constitutional crisis as clumsy,79 his actions in retrospect appear to be careful and well-considered. He was not helped by the public indifference and private interference of the Dominions Office. He was well aware that he was skating on thin constitutional ice, but as he told Urabi Pasha as a 17 year old, he was committed to doing his duty, and so he did.

Notes

1 This edict revoked the Edict of Nantes, which had protected Protestants. It declared Protestantism illegal, resulting in large numbers of Protestants fleeing to Protestant countries such as England. 2 De Chair, D, Memoirs, vol I, Imperial War Museum (IWM), London. 3 The Duke of Clarence, Prince Albert Victor, known to his family as Eddie, was second in line to the throne, but died of pneumonia at the age of 29. His younger brother, Prince George, became King George V. 4 Letter from D de Chair to E de Chair, 10.7.1882, IWM DEC/4/1. 5 De Chair, D, The Sea is Strong, George G Harrap & Co, London, 1961, p 35. 6 The following account of de Chair’s capture and rescue is taken from: De Chair, The Sea is Strong, pp 46-82, and his letter to his mother, 20.9.1882, explaining what had happened: IWM DEC/4/1. 7 See, for example, articles in Times on 2, 4, 5, 7, 15 and 28 August and 16 September 1882. 8 Daily Telegraph, 16.9.1882, as quoted by De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 74. The quotation, however, could not be located in the Daily Telegraph of that date. 9 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 95. 10 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 144. 11 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 147.

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12 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 156. 13 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 210. 14 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 188. 15 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 219. 16 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 230. 17 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 232. 18 De Chair, The Sea is Strong, p 238. 19 De Chair, D, Diary, 1922, IWM. 20 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 1. 21 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 10. 22 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 15. 23 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 23-4. 24 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 31-2. 25 De Chair, Memoirs, vol V, p 86. 26 Hogan, M, “1925”, in Hogan, M and Clune, D (eds), The People’s Choice – Electoral Politics in 20th Century New South Wales, Parliament of NSW and University of Sydney, 2001, vol 1, pp 316-17. 27 See further Twomey, A, The Constitution of New South Wales, Federation Press, Sydney, 2004, pp 246-8. 28 Clune, D and Griffith, G, Decision and Deliberation – The Parliament of New South Wales 1856-2003, Federation Press, Sydney, 2006, p 280. 29 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 88. 30 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 86-7. 31 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 88. 32 Memorandum by Premier Lang to Governor de Chair, 24.11.1925: NSW, Parliamentary Papers (NSWPP), 1925, 3rd session, pp 343-6. 33 Letter from de Chair to Lang, 25.11.1925: NSWPP, 1925, 3rd session, p 346. 34 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 89. 35 Letter from de Chair to Lang, 3.12.1925: NSWPP, 1925, 3rd session, p 347. 36 See also Evatt’s observation about the ambiguity of the Secretary of State’s statement: Evatt, HV, The King and His Dominion Governors, Frank Cass & Co, 2nd ed, 1967, p 123. 37 Letter from de Chair to Lang, 4.12.1925: NSWPP, 1925, 3rd session, p 347. 38 Letter from Lang to de Chair, 4.12.1925: NSWPP, 1925, 3rd session, p 348. 39 Clune and Griffith, p 282. 40 Lang, JT, The Turbulent Years, Alpha Books, Sydney, 1970, p 61. 41 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 90. See also the reference to this advice made later during the next Lang crisis, Memorandum by R Sedgewick to Sir H Batterbee, 30.3.1931: Public Records Office (PRO) DO 35 11156/21. 42 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 90. 43 Letter from de Chair to Lang, 17.12.1925: NSWPP, 1925, 3rd session, p 349. 44 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 90. 45 Lang, JT, I Remember, McNamara’s Books reprint, Sydney, 1980, p 295. 46 New South Wales Parliamentary Debates (NSWPD), LC, 23.2.1926, p 321. 47 Clune and Griffith, p 284. 48 Radi, H, “Lang’s Legislative Councillors”, in Radi, H, and Spearritt, P (eds), Jack Lang, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, 1977, p 100. 49 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 90-3. 50 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 94. 51 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 94-5.

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52 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 95. 53 Lang, I Remember, pp 295-7. 54 Clune and Griffith, p 285. 55 Lang, I Remember, p 297. 56 Letter from LS Amery to E McTiernan, 14.7.1926: NSWPP, 1926, 2nd session, pp 313, 318. 57 E McTiernan, “Memorandum On Certain Aspects of the Constitutional Position in New South Wales for the Premier”, 12.11.1926: NSWPP, 1926, 2nd session, p 313. 58 Letter from Secretary of State, LS Amery, to de Chair, 1.3.1926. Amery also sent a telegram to the Governor-General on 2.3.1926 commenting on Lang’s “bluster- ing and shifty” behaviour and observing that he did not think that de Chair would be justified in making further appointments: IWM DEC/5. 59 Telegram by Secretary of State, LS Amery, to de Chair, 11.3.1926, NSW State Records Office (“SRO”) 12/2031.6. 60 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VII, IWM, p 16. 61 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 97. See also NSWPD, LA, 7.3.1927, p 1990. 62 Nairn, B, The Big Fella, MUP, Melbourne, rev ed, 1986, p 127; Lang, The Turbulent Years, p 67. 63 Letter from de Chair to Amery, 27.9.1926, IWM DEC/5. 64 NSWPD, LA, 22.11.1926, p 1324. 65 NSWPD, LA, 22.11.1926, p 1364; and Lang, I Remember, pp 312-16. 66 Nairn, p 150. 67 Lang, I Remember, pp 324-5. 68 Letter by PW Street to de Chair, 26.4.1927, IWM DEC/5. 69 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 98. 70 Lang, I Remember, p 325. 71 Letter by PW Street to de Chair, 25.5.1927, IWM DEC/5. 72 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, pp 98-9. See also de Chair’s telegram to the Secretary of State, 27.5.1927, advising him of what had occurred, IWM DEC/5. Cf Lang’s account: Lang, I Remember, p 325, where he recalls that Willis supported a dissolution. 73 Letter from Lang to D de Chair, 30.5.1927, accepting both conditions: IWM DEC/5. 74 Lang, I Remember, p 326. 75 Telegram by de Chair to Secretary of State, 7.9.1927, IWM DEC/5. 76 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VI, p 100. 77 De Chair, Memoirs, vol VII, p 113. 78 Cunneen, C, “De Chair, Sir Dudley Rawson Stratford”, in Nairn, B, and Serle, G (eds), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol 8, MUP, Melbourne, 1981, pp 267-8. 79 Radi, p 99.

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