Walter Crocker

Sir Walter Russell Crocker KBE (25 March 1902–14 November 2002) was an Australian diplomat, writer and war veteran.

Life and career

Crocker was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, the eldest son of Robert Crocker and Alma Bray. He served in World War II with the British Army, becoming a lieutenant colonel.

He was ambassador or high commissioner to eleven countries, including India (twice), Indonesia, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Nepal, the Netherlands, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. He headed the Department of International Relations at the Research School of Pacific (and Asian) Studies, Australian National University, 1949–1954.

Crocker was a Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia for more than nine years. He and his wife, Claire, had two sons, Robert and Christopher.

Crocker was interviewed in 1977, by T.B. Miller. The interview can be found at the National Library of Australia.

Books

Crocker authored a well-received biography of Jawaharlal Nehru titled Nehru: A Contemporary's Estimate (1966).

Awards

Crocker was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1955 while Australian Ambassador to Indonesia. He was later promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1977, in recognition of his service to the public.

Further reading

• Nehru: A Contemporary's Estimate by Walter Crocker with a Foreword by Arnold Toynbee (1966). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Crocker, Walter (1971). Australian Ambassador: International Relations at First Hand. Melbourne University Press. ISBN9780522839937.
• Crocker, Walter (1981). Travelling Back: The Memoirs of Sir Walter Crocker. Macmillan. ISBN0-333-33721-2.
• Crocker, Walter (1983). Sir Thomas Playford: A Portrait. Melbourne University Press. ISBN0-522-84250-X.
• Partington, Geoffery (22 March 2002). . National Observer - Australia and World Affairs.
• (Press release). Alexander Downer, MP. 25 March 2002.
• (Press release). Alexander Downer, MP. 14 November 2002.
• "In Brief". The Canberra Times (Canberra). 3 September 1973.
• Cockburn, Stewart (26 June 1982). "Inside Today". The Canberra Times (Canberra).
• "Sir Walter Crocker dies, aged 100". The Advertiser (Adelaide). 15 November 2002.
• Riddell, Don (16 November 2002). "Outspoken statesman a man for all seasons". The Advertiser (Adelaide).
• Farquharson, John (27 November 2002). "Waspish diplomat with a sting in his political views". The Age (Melbourne).
• "Obituary of Sir Walter Crocker, Colonial official and Australian ambassador who believed in the virtues of imperial rule". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney). 27 November 2002.
• Gate, Richard (29 November 2002). "Stylish reporting marked diplomat's honest manner". The Australian.

External links

• held at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge