Harry Chauvel

Sir Harry Chauvel (1923)

Sir Henry George (Harry) Chauvel GCMG KCB (born April 16, 1865 in Tabulam , New South Wales , † March 4, 1945 in Melbourne ) was an Australian general .

Life

Chauvel worked on his father's cattle ranch on the Clarence River after attending school in Sydney and Toowoomba . In the course of the Volunteer Movement , this set up its own unit, the Upper Clarence Light Horse , in 1885 , which Chauvel joined in 1886. He became a member of the Queensland Mounted Infantry in 1890 and captain of the Queensland Permanent Military Forces in 1896 .

As the commander of a squadron of the Queensland Mounted Infantry, he took part in the South African Boer War. Upon his return in 1901, he took command of the 7th Commonwealth Light Horse with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. For his services in South Africa he was Mentioned in Despatches and as a Companion in the Order of St. Michael and St. George .

In the following years, Chauvel devoted himself to officer training and, along with William Bridges and Brudenell White, belonged to the group around Major General Edward Hutton , the first commander and organizer of the Australian Army. In 1911 he became adjutant general and a member of the Military Board and was responsible for the introduction of conscription and the establishment of the Royal Military College at Duntroon.

In 1914, Chauvel was sent to London to represent Australia to the Imperial General Staff . In 1915 he took part in the Battle of Gallipoli as commander of the 1st Light Horse Brigade . In March 1916 he became the commander of the newly established ANZAC Mounted Division in Egypt and took part in the Battle of Romani (August 3-5) under the command of General Murray .

After the arrival of the new Commander-in-Chief General Allenby in June 1917, he took over the Desert Mounted Corps , which he led against Turkish and German troops in the Battle of Beersheba (October 31, 1917) and in the third Battle of Gaza (early November).

In 1919 Chauvel returned to Australia, where he held the post of Inspector General of the Army until 1930. In 1929 he was the first Australian to be promoted to general. In 1930 he retired. During the Second World War he took over the post of Inspector General of the Volunteer Defense Corps .

The Australian children's author Elyne Mitchell (1913–2002) is Chauvel's daughter, and the screenwriter, film director and producer Charles Chauvel is his nephew.

Web links

Commons : Henry George Chauvel  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Australian Dictionary of Biography - Chauvel, Sir Henry George (Harry) (1865–1945)
• Australian War Memorial - General Henry George (Harry) Chauvel, GCMG, KCB

predecessor	Office	successor
Brudenell White	Chief of the Australian General Staff 1923–1930	Walter Coxen