| William Edward Lancaster | |
| Honorific Suffix: | CBE AM |
| Birth Date: | 1909 |
| Death Date: | 2003 |
| Known For: | Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia |
| Nationality: | Anglo-Australian |
William Edward Lancaster CBE AM (1909–2003) was Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia.[1] [2]
William Edward Lancaster was born in Hampstead on 9 May 1909, the son of Charles Lancaster and Sarah Martha (née Lovesey).[1] He was educated at Bedford Modern School, Downing College, Cambridge (MA) and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh (MRCVS, DVTM).[1]
Lancaster worked in the British Colonial Service in Malaya where he was Director of Veterinary Services for the Federation of Malaya.[3] [4] He was held captive by the Japanese as a prisoner of war between 1942 and 1945.[3] He later became Chief Executive of the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia.[2]
Lancaster was invested as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s 1980 Australian Birthday Honours for public service as Director of the Zoological Gardens of South Australia.[5] He died in Australia in 2003.