BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Camp News, Volume 1, Issue 33, 26 July 1940, Page 4

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Sir John Duigan; ■Major-General Sir John Duigan has been in command of the military forces in New Zealand since 1937. In ■'March that year lie was appointed General Officer Commanding the. New Zealand Forces, a title ‘ subsequently changed in October the same year, on the reorganization of the defence 'system, to Chief of the General Staff; ' ’ A New Zealander, born in 1883, he has been 40 years a soldier. His distinguished military career includes experience’ of almost every sphere of army work. ; He first saw active service in South ■Africa, serving two years with the Second Brabants Horse, and the Second Kitchener’s Scouts. For three months he held a commission in the Tenth New Zealand Contingent. ‘ He returned to New Zealand after the war, and joined the Permanent Forces as a cadet in 1903. ' In September, 1905, he received his commission, and in 1909 was promoted to captain. He was then instructor for signalling and engineerservices in Wellington, a position he retained till 1912. Afterward he was ap-

' pointed General Staff Officer, and from June, 1915, by which time he had attained the rank of major, till November, he was General Staff Officer of the AuckI land Military District. . I In December-, 1915, he was appointed i to command the New’ Zealand Tunnelling Corps, with which he served till early in 1917. After being, attached for a short time to the divisional headquarters ot the New’ Zealand Expeditionary Force, he was transferred to headquarters of the

Sixth Army Corps, of the British Armies in . France. At the latter end of 1917 he acted as General Staff Officer for the New Zealand Infantry Reserve Brigade. Subsequently he was appointed instructor at the Senior Officers' School, Aldershot. The- British War Office then sent Major Duigan to the United States, to carry out important propaganda work in connexion with the Liberty Loan. Toward the eml of the war he was appointed temporary lieutenant-colonel, and on his return to New Zealand he was made chief infantry instructor ,at Featherston camp. For the first seven months "of 1919 he was again General Staff Officer for the Auckland district, and was confirmed in his temporary ranking. In August he became chief staff officer of the Northern Command, and in the ten years that followed he made an outstanding, reputation for his energy and administrative ability. His specialty of military engineering was of importance in. view of the growing mechanization of army methods. -

He had been awarded the D.S.O. in 1919, his work in the field having also won mention in dispatches. . In 1930. on the retirement of Colonel 11. R. Potter, Colonel Duigan was appointed Officer Commanding the Northern Command. In 1936 he was named aide de camp to the King, in succession to Colonel F. Symon. ! On the retirement of Sir William Sinclair-Burgess in March, 1937. Colonel Duigan was appointed his successor as General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Military Forces, with the rank of major-general, which position he has held since. His term of office has twice been extended by the Government, ,- in recognition of the value of his services." ■>,, - Colonel Mead. Colonel 0- H. Mead, C.8.E., was born in Blenheim in 1892, and educated al Marlborough . College. .He served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the

Great War, rising from the rank of lieutenant to major in March, 1917, and later lieutenant-colonel. He held the command of the First, Second and Third Battalions of the Canterbury . Regiment till his return to New Zealand in November, 1919. In the same year he became

a captain in the New Zealand Staff Corps. He was at the Staff College, Camberley, for two years, and was attached to the ■War Office, London, in 1929. He subsequently held the position of Adjutant and Quartermaster-General, New Zealand Military Forces, and Second Member of the Army Board at Army Headquarters, Wellington. In November, 1937, 'he Was appointed officer commanding the Northern Military District, Auckland, and last year he 'became Adjutant-General at Army Headquarters' Wellington.

Group Captain Isitt. Group Captain L. M. Isitt, . C.8.E., served with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade and with the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War. He was appointed to the New Zealand Staff Corps for air duties in November, 1919, and transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force on its formation in 1923. For some time he

Wits officer commanding the Hobsonville Air Base, Auckland, but in April, 1937, he was transferred to Air Headquarters, Wellington, where he became Air Force member for personnel. He was promoted Group Captain in July, 1938, and was recently appointed the representative iof the. New Zealand Government on the supervising board set up to administer the Empire air training scheme in Canada.

Squadron Leader Rawnsley. Squadron Leader I. E. Rawnsley, M.B.E.,_w’as appointed chief instructor to the Wellington Aero Club in April, 1937, and before that was instructor to the Hawke’s Bay Aero Club, to which post he was appointed in September, 1935. He is a Wellingtonian, and was educated at Wellington College and Victoria University College. He has served in the

I New Zealand Territorial Air Force since ' its .inception. He has also held a commission in the. Royal Air Force, and saw service in England and Egypt. During his air experience, extending over 20 years, he has flown some 20 different types of twin and single-engined aircraft, and has won a number of. valuable air pageant and air competition trophies.

Wing Commander Burrell. ■ Wing. Commander Burrell, aged 43, served in the air throughout the last < war and was in Canada on an inspection ' mission for the Air Ministry at the ' Armistice. lie returned to the Air Force in New Zealand ten years ago, > serving as flying instructor at Wigram, ; -chief inspector of aircraft and training, and later superintendent of training at-.

tached to headquart. 1 neatly associated H e j. during the MurclS a^l t h earthquakes. Son an d'H a p —-— . , Rev. G - i>, A former student . n ' Auckland, the Rev ordained in i 9ll ’ £«>rge later being awardedlt? V tCe y Brom 1923 to 1927 J? A ed to his naval chanlv 1 e "' ai vicar of Te Awamutl Cy

Commissioned Guu Commissioned Gunner IL, ■ one of those responsible M gunnery training o f M Zealand Division of X ft of » He served in the last SM muted to commissioned guj 0 /' 1