William Sidney , 1st Viscount De L ' Isle William Philip Sidney , 1st Viscount De L ' Isle ( 23 May 1909 – 5 April 1991 ) , known as The Lord De L ' Isle and Dudley between 1945 and 1956 , was the 15th Governor - General of Australia and the final non - Australian to hold the office . Early life . Sidney was the younger of two children , and the only son , of William Sidney , 5th Baron De L ' Isle and Dudley ( 19 August 1859 – 18 June 1945 ) and his wife , Winifred Agneta Yorke Bevan ( d . 11 February 1959 ) . The Sidney family was one of England ' s oldest and most distinguished families . He was a descendant of King William IV by his mistress Dorothea Jordan . He was educated at Eton and Magdalene College , Cambridge and became a chartered accountant . In 1929 he joined the Grenadier Guards Reserve of Officers . Marriage and issue . Lord De L ' Isle married Jacqueline Corrine Yvonne Vereker ( 20 October 191415 November 1962 ) , daughter of Field Marshal Lord Gort , on 8 June 1940 . The couple had five children : After his wife ' s death , he married Margaret Shoubridge on 24 March 1966 in Paris . They had no children . War service . During World War II Sidney served in France and Italy . He led a handful of men in the defence of the Anzio beachhead in February 1944 , for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross . Sidney led a successful attack which drove German troops out of a gully . Later he led another counter - attack and dashed forward , engaging the Germans with his tommy gun at point - blank range , forcing a withdrawal . When the attack was renewed , Sidney and one guardsman were wounded and another killed , but he would not consent to have his wounds dressed until the Germans had been beaten off and the battalion ' s position had been consolidated . During this time , although extremely weak from loss of blood , he continued to encourage and inspire his men . In later life , when asked where he had been shot , he would jocularly respond that he was shot in Italy . This was to conceal the fact that he had , in fact , been shot in the buttocks . The ribbon for the medal was made from one of his father - in - law Lord Gort ' s uniforms and was awarded by General Alexander on 3 March 1944 in Italy . Political life . At a by - election in October 1944 he was elected unopposed to the House of Commons as Conservative Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Chelsea . His father died in June 1945 and he succeeded as 6th Baron De L ' Isle and Dudley , requiring translation to the House of Lords . He retired from the House of Commons prior to the July 1945 general election . In 1951 he was appointed Secretary of State for Air under Winston Churchill and held that office until 1955 . During this time he visited Australia , travelling to Woomera to examine weapons research and meeting the Prime Minister , Robert Menzies . In 1956 he was created Viscount De L ' Isle , of Penshurst in the County of Kent . Governor - General . In 1961 , following the sudden death of Lord Dunrossil , Menzies recommended De L ' Isle ' s appointment as Governor - General of Australia . He performed his ceremonial duties with dignity and travelled widely around Australia . There were no political or constitutional controversies during his term , even though the Menzies Liberal government until November 1963 enjoyed a majority in the House of Representatives of just two seats . De L ' Isle ' s Official Secretary throughout his term was Murray Tyrrell . Retirement . By the time of his retirement in 1965 , public opinion was strongly in favour of an Australian Governor - General , although this was not a reflection on his performance in the role . His continuing interest in Australia was shown by several visits after his retirement , the last for Australia ' s bicentenary in 1988 , when he presented a bronze statue , which now stands in the grounds of Government House in Canberra . In 1975 he co - founded what is now called The Freedom Association , a free - market campaign group opposed to the post - war consensus that played a prominent role in the Grunwick Dispute . Viscount De L ' Isle died in Kent on 5 April 1991 and was succeeded in his titles by his only son , Philip . Styles and honours . In 1965 De L ' Isle succeeded his kinsman as ninth Baronet of Castle Goring . He was appointed Knight of the Garter ( KG ) on 23 April 1968 , becoming one of only two men ever to have held both of the highest orders of gallantry and chivalry - Victoria Cross and Knight of the Garter ( the other being Field Marshal the Lord Roberts ) .