In 1975, MacDonald was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed the position of Chief of the General Staff; the professional head of the Australian Army. Two years later,[3] he was promoted to general and appointed Chief of the Defence Force Staff (CDFS) on 21 April 1977 in succession to General Sir Frank Hassett.[11] In the 1978 New Years Honours, MacDonald was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[12]
Later life
MacDonald retired from the Australian Army on 20 April 1979 and was succeeded as CDFS by Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot.[11] In retirement, he served as Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Regiment from 1981 to 1985 and was part of the Defence Review Committee in 1981 to 1982.[13]
Aged 75, MacDonald died on 20 January 1995.[3] A military funeral was held in St. John's Cathedral, Brisbane, on 2 February.[14] He is remembered as one who "possessed a fierce temper and an often irascible nature, which, combined with considerable intelligence and a capacity for hard work, made him a sometimes difficult superior."[13]
^ abDennis, Peter; Jeffrey Grey; Ewan Morris; Robin Prior & Jean Bou. "MacDonald, General Sir Arthur Leslie". The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. Oxford Reference Online. Retrieved 29 September 2015.[permanent dead link]
^"Series MUMES170-1". The Anglican Records and Archives Centre Guide to Records. Anglican Archives. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2009.
References
Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Bou, Jean (2008). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0-19-551784-2.
Barnes, I.L. (1974). Australian Gallant and Distinguished Service, Vietnam 1962–1973: Being a Record of British and Foreign Decorations Awarded to Australian Servicemen. Canberra, Australia: Military Historical Society of Australia. ISBN0909859108.