Aides-de-camp to the South Australian Governor

It has been said that a number of the State Governor's ADCs played for the club during their tour of duty here on secondment from their (English) regiments, ships or squadrons.

The first written indication of this is in the 1987 Anniversary Dinner programme where Viscount Althorp is listed as a player from the 1952 season.

Unfortunately, in 1952 Viscount Althorp was nowhere near Australia - both the newspapers over this period and the curator of the Spencer Estate confirm this. However, from 1947 to 1950 he was ADC to the then Governor in SA, Sir Willoughby Norrie.

The Library at Government House has nothing on their ADCs before 1961. They do, however, maintain an extensive collection of press clippings that are, unfortunately, generally devoted exclusively to the press stories of the Governor and events back 'home', as it was then to South Australians it seems, in England, and very rarely mentions an ADC except to mention an arrival, when the ADC accompanied the Governor to whatever function and then finally, the departure.

There are few mentions of rugby or of Collegians' and only on an ADC's departure do you find that he was either a State player or a Collegians' player.

The fact that any connection to the game is often only mentioned in passing at a departure tends to support rather than deny the suggestion that they played the game, as would their being from an English 'public school' background where the game was endemic and also given the player-base imposed on Collegians' at the time.

Given the paucity of Collegians' printed or written information from around this period and rather than waste a number of hours at the Government House Library, I have included brief details of each ADC over the 1947 to 1953 period. Maybe when more information comes to hand some of them can be either removed or their details expanded.

Coincidentally, but of no especial merit to anyone other than me - the SS Strathnaver, sister ship to the SS Stratheden (as the RMS Stratheden became) was the migrant ship in which I arrived in Australia and was also used to transport the ARU side to Ceylon in 1953 (as well as bringing Mick Finn out to Australia

... PH, 12th December 2001

The Advertiser, Monday September 22 1947

"The Governor's new ADC

"The appointment of Capt. The Viscount Althorp as an aide-de-camp to his excellency the Governor (Sir Willougby Norrie) provides an interesting link with the discovery of the South Australian coast by Capt. Matthew Flinders in 1802.

"Viscount Althorp is a descendant of Earl Spencer (President of the Admiralty Board), after whom Flinders named Spencer Gulf, Cape Spencer and the nearby Althorp Islands. Althorp was and is the seat of Earl Spencer, in Northampton, England, and his heir is Viscount Althorp, who was born in 1924".

(From the Government House Library)

(Captain the Viscount Althorp; Edward John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer b.1924 d.1992; father of Diana Spencer)

The Advertiser November 1 1947

The Norries returned by RMS Stratheden (yesterday) with his new ADCs The Viscount Althorp and Michael Trasenster, and Miss Fay Darley.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser October 14 1948

Lord Spencer is hoping to arrange a presentation of engravings of two family portraits of the Althorps to Australia.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, September 9 1949

"Capt. Michael Trasenster (son of Major W.A. Trasenster) leaves November 5th for England to get married to Miss Fay Darley."

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, May 2, 1950

"Willougby Norrie leaves for England (today) .... Will return to Adelaide in October ... (with) new ADC's ... whom he will select while in England".

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, Wednesday May 3 1950

"... a few minutes before he left Sir Willougby Norrie expressed his thanks to Captain the Viscount Althorp for his services during his 2½ years as ADC.

"Viscount Althorp will fly on Saturday to Hobart where he will be the guest of the Governor of Tasmania for a fortnight before he returns to England via Canada. After leave in England, he will rejoin his regiment, the Royal Scots Greys, in Germany.

"'I have enjoyed my stay in SA very much', said Viscount Althorp, 'and hope to return in two or three years'"

(From the Government House Library)

Between November 1947 and May 1950 there are regular articles in the newsapers about the activities of the Governor and the ADC's.

The Mail, October 28, 1950

"A new ADC to Sir Willougby Norrie in Cpt. Ronnie Owen, 25, Grenadier Guards ... wounded crossing the Rhine in 1945".

(From the Government House Library)

The News, May 15, 1951

King to tour Australia and New Zealand.

Equerries were: Group Captain Peter Townsend and Captain the Viscount Althorp

With Countess Spencer attending the Queen.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, November 24 1951

Capt. Miles Gosling, new ADC

(R.J. Owen still ADC Dec. 1951)

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, Jan 18, 1952

Theodore Bruce, Flt-Lt. RAAF, Active Reserve, appointed honorary ADC.

Discharged from RAAF 1946 as flying officer. Member of Australian Olympics team in broad jump (Australian record holder) and high jump (State record)

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser June 20 1952

Lt. Col. J.C. Irwin, Lt. D.F.A. Simpson, Flt-Lt. T. Bruce appointed honorary ADC's.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, Tuesday August 26 1952

Sir Robert George, KBE, CB, MC, new Governor. To arrive February 14 1953. An airforce man.

Flt-Lt. Lionel Taylor RAF ADC arrived February 25 1953

Also Capt. P. Samuel an ADC then.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, Friday November 13 1953

Flt-Lt. Lionel Taylor posted to 28 Squadron RAF at Kaitak, Singapore. His post will be taken by Lt. Montagu-Douglas-Scott of the Irish Guards.

At Kaitak Flt-Lt. Taylor will fly jet fighters which he also flew while stationed at Biggin Hill before his appointment to Vice-Regal staff. (Note: later reports say Hong Kong not Singapore)

The Advertiser November 21 1953

Capt. Douglas Montagu-Douglas-Scott cousin of Duchess of Gloucester & Duke of Buccleuch arrived as ADC, November 20 1953. Officer in Irish Guards since 1948.

(From the Government House Library)

The Advertiser, Saturday March 13, 1954

"With the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh due in Adelaide on Thursday, Viscount Althorp, the Queen's Equerry, reached Adelaide yesterday to assist in final preparations. Seen here with him at Government House is Capt. Peter Samuel, ADC. Viscount Althorp was ADC to SA's previous Governor (Sir Willoughby Norrie)."

(From the Government House Library)

ADCs from 1947 to 1953:

Source: Presentation Dinner, 9th September 2011