William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle

The Right Honourable The Viscount De L'Isle VC, KG, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ, PC
Sidney in 1962
15th Governor-General of Australia
In office 3 August 1961 – 7 May 1965
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Robert Menzies
Preceded by	Lord Dunrossil
Succeeded by	Lord Casey
Secretary of State for Air
In office 31 October 1951 – 20 December 1955
Monarchs	George VI Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Winston Churchill
Preceded by	Arthur Henderson
Succeeded by	Nigel Birch
Member of Parliament for Chelsea
In office 11 October 1944 – 15 June 1945
Preceded by	Sir Samuel Hoare
Succeeded by	Allan Noble
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 18 June 1945 – 5 April 1991 Hereditary peerage
Preceded by	5th Baron De L'Isle
Succeeded by	The 2nd Viscount De L'Isle
Personal details
Born	William Philip Sidney (1909-05-23)23 May 1909 Chelsea, London, England
Died	5 April 1991(1991-04-05) (aged 81) Tonbridge, Kent, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouses	Jacqueline Vereker ​ ​ (m. 1940; died 1962)​ Margaret Bailey ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	5, including Philip
Relatives	6th Viscount Gort (father-in-law)
Alma mater	Magdalene College, Cambridge
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1929–1944
Rank	Major
Unit	Grenadier Guards
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Victoria Cross

William Philip Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle, VC, KG, GCMG, GCVO, KStJ, PC (23 May 1909 – 5 April 1991), known as Lord De L'Isle and Dudley between 1945 and 1956, was a British Army officer, politician and Victoria Cross recipient who served as the 15th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1961 to 1965. He was the last non-Australian to hold the position.

Sidney was born into an aristocratic family and attended Eton College before going on to Magdalene College, Cambridge. He became a chartered accountant, but also joined the Territorial Army. During the Second World War, Sidney served with the Grenadier Guards in France and Italy; he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944 for his actions in the Battle of Anzio. He was elected to the House of Commons later that year, as a member of the Conservative Party.

In 1945, Sidney succeeded his father as Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, consequently being elevated to the House of Lords. He served as Secretary of State for Air from 1951 to 1955, under Winston Churchill, and was raised to the viscountcy in 1956. Lord De L'Isle became governor-general in 1961 on the recommendation of Robert Menzies, the Prime Minister of Australia. He served for just under four years with little controversy; as well as being the last British governor-general of Australia, he was also the last to wear the traditional vice-regal uniform.