John Field (brigadier)
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
John Field CBE, DSO
, ED
(10 April 1899 – 12 May 1974) was a senior officer in the Australian Army
during World War II
. He commanded the 2/12th Battalion
in the Middle East
and Milne Force
and the 7th Brigade in New Guinea
. He later went on to work with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria
in large projects at Yallourn
and the La Trobe Valley. He died in 1974 at the age of 75.
, Victoria
the only son of John Woodhouse Barnett Field and his wife Emily, née Bennett. His father was a Colonel in the Citizens Military Force and in 1910 became a boy bugler of his father's regiment, the 8th Australian Imperial Regiment. He attended Castlemaine High School and went onto further sudies at the Castlemaine Technical School. He was an apprentice to the engineering firm Thompson & Co. Pty Ltd, when he was 15 years old and he went on to became the senior designing draughtsman. He specialized in centrifugal pumps and pumping-plants.
On 11 October 1922, he married Kate Corlett at Castlemaine. On 1 April 1923, he was commissioned in the 7th Battalion, Citizens Military Force as a Lieutenant. He was later promoted to Captain on 10 July 1925. He was successful in an appointment to the faculty of engineering at the University of Tasmania
in 1926. He lectured in engineering, drawing and design and also studied part time for his Bachelor of Education. He still continued in the Citizen Military Forces with the 40th Battalion
, and was assigned from time to time with the 6th Military District or the 6th District Base. In 1932 he won the army's gold-medal essay competition with his paper, 'The New Warfare', in which he wrote about the influence of modern technology on tactics. He was promoted to Major on 30 November 1936.
before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force
on 13 October 1939 and was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was placed in command of the 2/12th Battalion
and while enroute to the Middle East
as part of the 18th Brigade
he with his battalion was diverted to the United Kingdom
to provide additional defences against a feared German
invasion, following the fall of France
. Disembarking at Gourock
, Scotland
on 17 June 1940, before moving to Lopcombe Corner, England
. The battalion was relocated to Colchester
in October 1940 and left the United Kingdom on 17 November 1940.
Disembarking in Egypt
on 31 December 1940, he set about training his troops for desert warfare. In February 1941, the 2/12th Battalion was transferred to the 9th Division. The 2/12th Battalion moved in early April to help bolster the defence of Tobruk and fought until it was withdrawn on the night of 26 and 27 August. After Tobruk, the 2/12th Battalion trained in Palestine
before joining the forces garrisoning Syria
in late September. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 30 December 1941. His battalion rejoined the 7th Division in early January 1942 and sailed for Australia from Suez
on 12 February arriving at Adelaide
on 28 March.
After returning to Australia, he was promoted temporary brigadier on 8 May 1942 and was given command of the 7th Brigade, Citizens Military Force. He was sent to Territory of Papua in July as the commander of Milne Force
from 11 July, consisting of 7th Brigade and all naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay
, Papua. He used his engineering experience to help with the tasks of constructing airstrips, roads and camps. He was replaced by Major General Cyril Clowes
and returned to command the 7th Brigade. During the battle of Milne Bay
he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
, which also acknowledged his leadership of Milne Force. He was also awarded the Efficiency Decoration
on 2 September 1943.
In November 1943, the 7th Brigade returned to Australia where it undertook a period of reorganisation and training on the Atherton Tablelands. In early 1944, he and the 7th Brigade were deployed overseas again to Madang
, Territory of New Guinea
. While being transported in an aircraft in September, the aircraft crashed while enroute from Lae to Madang, he and his party trekked for nine days before reaching safety. Transferred to Bougainville Island
in November as part of Lieutenant General Stanley Savige
's II Corps. He led the Brigade during a number of significant battles until the end of the war including the battle of Pearl Ridge
and battle of Slater's Knoll
. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 21 February 1946 and Mentioned in Despatches on 15 April 1947 for his part in the Bougainville campaign.
in December as assistant general superintendent for Yallourn
and later became general superintendent in 1951. He retired from the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1964.
He died on 12 May 1974 at St Kilda and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
John Field CBE, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, ED
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
(10 April 1899 – 12 May 1974) was a senior officer in the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He commanded the 2/12th Battalion
2/12th Battalion (Australia)
The 2/12th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during World War II. Raised in late 1939 as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, the battalion served throughout the course of the war in the United Kingdom, North Africa, New Guinea and on...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Milne Force
Milne Force
Milne Force was a garrison force formed in July 1942 during the Second World War which controlled allied naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay, in the Territory of Papua...
and the 7th Brigade in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. He later went on to work with the State Electricity Commission of Victoria
State Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
in large projects at Yallourn
Yallourn, Victoria
Yallourn, Victoria was a company town in Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex. However, expansion of the adjacent open-cut brown coal mine led to the closure...
and the La Trobe Valley. He died in 1974 at the age of 75.
Early life
Born on 10 April 1899 at CastlemaineCastlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
the only son of John Woodhouse Barnett Field and his wife Emily, née Bennett. His father was a Colonel in the Citizens Military Force and in 1910 became a boy bugler of his father's regiment, the 8th Australian Imperial Regiment. He attended Castlemaine High School and went onto further sudies at the Castlemaine Technical School. He was an apprentice to the engineering firm Thompson & Co. Pty Ltd, when he was 15 years old and he went on to became the senior designing draughtsman. He specialized in centrifugal pumps and pumping-plants.
On 11 October 1922, he married Kate Corlett at Castlemaine. On 1 April 1923, he was commissioned in the 7th Battalion, Citizens Military Force as a Lieutenant. He was later promoted to Captain on 10 July 1925. He was successful in an appointment to the faculty of engineering at the University of Tasmania
University of Tasmania
The University of Tasmania is a medium-sized public Australian university based in Tasmania, Australia. Officially founded on 1 January 1890, it was the fourth university to be established in nineteenth-century Australia...
in 1926. He lectured in engineering, drawing and design and also studied part time for his Bachelor of Education. He still continued in the Citizen Military Forces with the 40th Battalion
40th Battalion (Australia)
The 40th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in 1916 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, the battalion was recruited completely from Tasmania as part of the 10th Brigade, 3rd Division...
, and was assigned from time to time with the 6th Military District or the 6th District Base. In 1932 he won the army's gold-medal essay competition with his paper, 'The New Warfare', in which he wrote about the influence of modern technology on tactics. He was promoted to Major on 30 November 1936.
World War II
With hostilities in Europe, he worked with the 6th Military District on mobilization plans for TasmaniaTasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
before enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
on 13 October 1939 and was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was placed in command of the 2/12th Battalion
2/12th Battalion (Australia)
The 2/12th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during World War II. Raised in late 1939 as part of the all volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force, the battalion served throughout the course of the war in the United Kingdom, North Africa, New Guinea and on...
and while enroute to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
as part of the 18th Brigade
18th Brigade (Australia)
The 18th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army, which served during the Second World War. The brigade was raised on 13 October 1939 and was one of the first three infantry brigades of the Second Australian Imperial Force to be formed. Initially commanded by Brigadier Leslie...
he with his battalion was diverted to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to provide additional defences against a feared German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
invasion, following the fall of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Disembarking at Gourock
Gourock
Gourock is a town falling within the Inverclyde council area and formerly forming a burgh of the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It has in the past functioned as a seaside resort on the Firth of Clyde...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
on 17 June 1940, before moving to Lopcombe Corner, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The battalion was relocated to Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
in October 1940 and left the United Kingdom on 17 November 1940.
Disembarking in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
on 31 December 1940, he set about training his troops for desert warfare. In February 1941, the 2/12th Battalion was transferred to the 9th Division. The 2/12th Battalion moved in early April to help bolster the defence of Tobruk and fought until it was withdrawn on the night of 26 and 27 August. After Tobruk, the 2/12th Battalion trained in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
before joining the forces garrisoning Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
in late September. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 30 December 1941. His battalion rejoined the 7th Division in early January 1942 and sailed for Australia from Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
on 12 February arriving at Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
on 28 March.
After returning to Australia, he was promoted temporary brigadier on 8 May 1942 and was given command of the 7th Brigade, Citizens Military Force. He was sent to Territory of Papua in July as the commander of Milne Force
Milne Force
Milne Force was a garrison force formed in July 1942 during the Second World War which controlled allied naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay, in the Territory of Papua...
from 11 July, consisting of 7th Brigade and all naval, land and air units in the region of Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
, Papua. He used his engineering experience to help with the tasks of constructing airstrips, roads and camps. He was replaced by Major General Cyril Clowes
Cyril Clowes
Lieutenant General Cyril Albert Clowes CBE, DSO, MC was an Australian soldier. He won the first land victory against the Japanese in the Second World War, at the Battle of Milne Bay, New Guinea...
and returned to command the 7th Brigade. During the battle of Milne Bay
Battle of Milne Bay
The Battle of Milne Bay, also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on 25 August 1942, and fighting continued until the Japanese retreated on 5...
he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, which also acknowledged his leadership of Milne Force. He was also awarded the Efficiency Decoration
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
on 2 September 1943.
In November 1943, the 7th Brigade returned to Australia where it undertook a period of reorganisation and training on the Atherton Tablelands. In early 1944, he and the 7th Brigade were deployed overseas again to Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
, Territory of New Guinea
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949...
. While being transported in an aircraft in September, the aircraft crashed while enroute from Lae to Madang, he and his party trekked for nine days before reaching safety. Transferred to Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
in November as part of Lieutenant General Stanley Savige
Stanley Savige
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant general....
's II Corps. He led the Brigade during a number of significant battles until the end of the war including the battle of Pearl Ridge
Battle of Pearl Ridge
The Battle of Pearl Ridge was a battle of the Second World War fought between Australian and Japanese forces on Bougainville Island. Part of the wider Bougainville Campaign, the battle took place in the central sector of the island, shortly after the Australians had taken over responsibility from...
and battle of Slater's Knoll
Battle of Slater's Knoll
The Battle of Slater's Knoll was a battle during the Second World War fought between Australian and Japanese forces on Bougainville Island...
. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 21 February 1946 and Mentioned in Despatches on 15 April 1947 for his part in the Bougainville campaign.
Later life
After the cessation of hostilities, he arrived back in Australia, where he assisted the demobilization and disposal from October 1945. He was appointed aide de camp to the Governor-General from 11 January 1946 serving in this role until 10 January 1949. He transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 27 November 1949. He took up a position with the State Electricity Commission of VictoriaState Electricity Commission of Victoria
The State Electricity Commission of Victoria was a monopoly electricity generation, transmission and supply utility located in Victoria, Australia...
in December as assistant general superintendent for Yallourn
Yallourn, Victoria
Yallourn, Victoria was a company town in Victoria, Australia built between the 1920s and 1950s to house employees of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, who operated the nearby Yallourn Power Station complex. However, expansion of the adjacent open-cut brown coal mine led to the closure...
and later became general superintendent in 1951. He retired from the State Electricity Commission of Victoria in 1964.
He died on 12 May 1974 at St Kilda and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.