Ronald McNicoll

Ronald Ramsay McNicoll (15 September 1906 – 18 September 1996) was an Australian Army general who served in the Royal Australian Engineers. The son of Walter McNicoll and brother of Alan McNicoll, he was born in Melbourne and completed his schooling at Scots College before taking up an appointment as a staff cadet at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. After graduating from Duntroon in 1926, he was granted the rank of lieutenant in the engineers and undertook a civilian engineering degree. During the Second World War, McNicoll saw active service in the Middle East and in Europe, including a period on exchange with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, helping to plan the D-Day landings. He was Mentioned in Despatches as a major of engineers while serving in the 6th Division. After the war, he was steadily promoted, eventually reaching the rank of major general before retiring from the military in 1964. He later wrote three volumes of the Royal Australian Engineers corps history, covering the periods from colonial Australia to World War II. In 1957, he was appointed Commander in the Order of the British Empire.