Cedric Maudsley Ingram Pearson AO OBE DSO (1918 - 2012)

formative life

Cedric Maudsley Ingram Pearson, known as Sandy, was born on 24th August 1918 in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia the son of the Reverend George Ingram Pearson, a Methodist minister, and his wife, Margaret Baynes.^[1] Following his two older brothers he his secondary education at Newington College, in Sydney's inner west suburbs as a boarding student. Their younger brother soon followed suit. Each of the boys was known in his time at Newington as Sandy, after Pearson's Sand Soap. Cedric entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon; graduating in 1940 and being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Ausralian Army.

He married Marjorie Waring in 1941 at Manly, New South Wales.^[2]

military career

Sandy Pearson AO OBE DSO is a Military Veteran.
Served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force 1941-45
2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion

Sandy volunteered for overseas service in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War on 27th June 1942.^[3] He was an officer in the 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion, a unit of the 17th Brigade, 6th Australian Division. He joined the battalion after its actions in Libya, Greece and Crete. The 6th Division next saw action on the Kokoda Track in Papua.^[4]

Sandy was awarded the Military Cross for his personal bravery at Maprik Ridge

Sandy was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for his "personal courage on 20th April 1945" at Mapric Ridge, New Guinea. The account of the battle indicates that Sandy, on several lengthy occasions endangered his own life by exposing his position so as to allow his men to proceed up an almost verticle slope towards the enemy.^[5][6]

Sandy built an illustrious military career spanning the years 1940-75 - from the Second World War to post Vietnam

Following cessation of hostilities, Sandy opted to remain in the Australian Army, making the military his career. Throughout the remainder of the 1940s and the 1950s he filled several staff appointment, gaining promotion to Major. From 1962 to 1964 Sandy was officer commanding 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, as a Lieutenant Colonel; for which he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.^[7] His next appointment was as the director of Military Intelligence. He wrote a paper for the Defence Department at that time, describing Vietnam as an unwinnable war. He was posted to the infant nation of Singapore and to Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1966-68. With promotion to Brigadier, Sandy was appointed commander of 1st Australian Task Force during the Vietnam War (1968-69), which included the Battle of Binh Ba.^[8] He was appointed Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his service in South Vietnam.^[9] He also was awarded the Legion of Merit (United States), Knight of the National Order of Vietnam, and Cross of Gallantry with Palm (Vietnam). Upon his return to Australia, he was promoted Major General and appointed commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, a position he loved and filled from 1970 to 1973. In 1973, he became chief of personnel for the army. In 1975, Pearson was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and retired, after 36 years and at 58 years of age.

community career

Sandy turned to his community, finding ways to serve for a further 25 years+

Sandy Pearson turned his attention to several community organisations, adapting military skills to service in a different field: Sandy became the director of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales (1976-83). The showground at Moore Park was then occupied on an average 340 days a year with shows and displays, and Pearson oversaw about $5 million of improvement to the grounds. He was also a member of RSL Committees (1977-2002), Newington College Council (1978-98) and the New South Wales Homeless Children (1981-90). He was director of Brickworks Ltd from 1983 to 1998. Sandy regularly served as an Anzac Day march commander.^[10]

the final parade

Aged 94 years. the much-loved Sandy Pearson passed away on 7th November 2012 at the RSL Village, Narrabeen, New South Wales. Sandy’s life was celebrated with a full military funeral and service of thanksgiving in the Newington College Chapel on 15th November. The Chapel was filled to capacity by Sandy’s family and his many friends. Marjorie having passed away earlier, in September, Sandy was survived by his children and children-in-law Sandra and Alan, Elizabeth and Tom and James and Joan; grandchildren Amanda, Harriet, Anna, Kate, Daniel, Claire, Tom and Laura; and great grandchildren Theodore, Samuel, Zac, Orson, Huxley, Eloise, Jared, Myla, Grace and Alfred.

well-deserved honours and awards

• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
• Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
• Military Cross (MC)
• Legion of Merit (United States)
• Knight of the National Order of Vietnam
• Cross of Gallantry with Palm (Vietnam)

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #31651/1918
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #6487/1941
3. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 3163 (VX101992) Lieutenant Colonel Cedric Pearson; accessed 16 Jun 2018
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial unit record: 2/7th Australian Infantry Battalion; accessed 16 Jun 2018
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial Honours and Awards: Cedric Pearson MC; gazetted 9 Aug 1945 on page 1713 at position 3; accessed 16 Jun 2018
6. ↑ an account of the Maprik campaign; accessed 16 Jun 2018
7. ↑ Australian War Memorial Honours and Awards: Cedric Pearson OBE MC; gazetted 25 Jun 1964 on page 2347 at position 6; accessed 16 Jun 2018
8. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: 3163 Cedric Pearson; accessed 16 Jun 2018
9. ↑ Australian War Memorial Honours and Awards: Cedric Pearson OBE DSO MC; gazetted 4 Sep 1969 on page 5199 at position 1; accessed 16 Jun 2018
10. ↑ https://www.smh.com.au/national/vietnam-chief-led-from-the-front-20121127-2a5ru.html Sydney Morning Herald obituaries 28th November 2012; accessed 16 Jun 2018]

See also

• Wikipedia:_Sandy_Pearson.
• Australian_Army:_Sandy_Pearson.
• Barnes, I L. Australian Gallant and Distinguished Service, Vietnam 1962–1973: Being a Record of British and Foreign Decorations Awarded to Australian Servicemen. Canberra, Australia (1974): Military Historical Society of Australia. ISBN 0909859108.
• Newington_College.