A. R. Macneil
27 February 1894 – 14 October 1953
The Reverend Alexander Rowan Macneil MC & Bar ED (27 February 1894 – 14 October 1953) known as Rowan "Padre" Macneil was an Australian army officer, chaplain and Scout Leader. He served as a line officer during the First World War, and was twice awarded the Military Cross as a member of the First Australian Imperial Force. Macneil was a member of the 21st Battalion for most of the conflict, being moved to the 24th Battalion when the 21st was disbanded and used to reinforce other units in October 1918. He produced the battalion's official history after the war. During the interwar period, Macneil became a Presbyterian minister, serving as chaplain of Scotch College, Melbourne. As a Scout Leader, Macneil was also involved in the first Australian Jamboree and was Headquarters Commissioner for Scouts from 1937 until joining the Second Australian Imperial Force. Upon enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force, he was appointed a Chaplain and assigned to the 2/29th Battalion, which arrived in Singapore in December 1941. Macneil was the AIF's senior Presbyterian chaplain in Malaya at the time of the Fall of Singapore. Macneil was interred at Changi Gaol as a prisoner of war until the camp was liberated by the Indian 5th Division on 5 September 1945. In addition to his duties as chaplain, he also served as group scoutmaster of the Changi Group of Rover Scouts. 55 prisoners of war were invested as Rover Scouts at Changi, 27 of whom were later moved to other prisoner of war camps by the Japanese. These Rovers would establish more Rover Crews in their new prison camps. Several hundred interred servicemen eventually became Rover Scouts under the auspices of Macneil's initial cohort. At the time of his death, Macneil was the Presbyterian Church of Victoria's senior chaplain and a field commissioner of Scouts Victoria.
