evacuation and port operations, and the rest from BCOF in Japan. Once again, the British government did not wish to entrust its interests in Japan to a foreign officer, so the British Chiefs of Staff appointed Air Vice Marshal Cecil Bouchier as their representative at MacArthur's headquarters. His brief made it clear that he had no responsibility or authority over the BCOF or Commonwealth forces in Korea. After rashly ordering the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade to Pusan without transport or heavy equipment, much to Robertson's annoyance, Bouchier did attempt to confine himself to acting solely as a liaison officer. Following the dismissal of General Douglas MacArthur, Robertson held a press conference in which he defended the general and his conduct of the war. This constituted an implicit condemnation of the British government's policy. Soon after, during the Battle of the Imjin River, Robertson was consulted by the Americans about the possible consequences of the loss of the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment, and he advised them not to endanger the rest of the I Corps line with a rescue attempt. For his services in the Korean War, he was awarded the American Legion of Merit, and the South Korean Order of Military Merit. Later life Robertson was recalled to Australia in November 1951, replacing Sir Edmund Herring as Director General of Recruiting. In January 1953, Robertson took over Southern Command again. This put him in uncomfortably close proximity to Rowell, however, and the two clashed over a number of minor issues. Robertson turned 60 on 29 October 1954, and retired the next day, after racking up 3,985 days of active service in 43 years in the Australian Army. From 1954 to 1960, he was honorary colonel of the Royal Australian Regiment. In retirement Robertson served on the committee of the Metropolitan Golf Club and was president of the Victorian branch of the Royal Empire Society for a time. He commenced writing his memoirs, which he promised would be "the million pound libel". The fate of the papers he gathered for it and the unfinished manuscript itself is unknown. On 28 April 1960 he suffered a ruptured aorta and died at the Repatriation General Hospital, Heidelberg. His sudden death came as a shock to many. A funeral with full military honours was held at Scots' Church, Melbourne. For pall bearers, he had eight generals: Leslie Beavis, Allan Boase, Cyril Clowes, Hector