Harry Chauvel

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

Life

Chauvel, after attending school in Sydney and Toowoomba on the cattle farm of his father on the Clarence River. In the course of Volunteer Movement presented on this 1885 a separate unit, the Upper Clarence Light Horse, joined the Chauvel 1886. In 1890 he became a member of the Queensland Mounted Infantry and 1896 captain of the Queensland Permanent Military Forces.

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

In the following years, Chauvel dedicated officer training and was next to William Bridges and Brudenell White to the group to Major General Edward Hutton, the first commander and organizer of the Australian Army. In 1911 he was Adjutant-General and member of the Military Board and was responsible for the introduction of conscription and the establishment of the Royal Military College in Duntroon.

1914 Chauvel was sent as a representative of Australia to the Imperial General Staff in London. In 1915 he took part as commander of the 1st Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Gallipoli, 1916, he became commander of the ANZAC Mounted Division in Egypt. As commander of the Desert Mounted Corps, he fought in Gaza and Beersheba against Turkish troops.

1919 Chauvel returned back to Australia, where he held the post of Inspector General of the Army until 1930. In 1929 he was promoted as the first Australians to general. In 1930, he went into retirement. During the Second World War, he took over the post of Inspector General of the Volunteer Defence Corps.