Thomas Henry Dodds
Encyclopedia
Major General
Thomas Henry Dodds CMG
, CVO
, DSO
(11 November 1873 – 15 October 1943) was an Australian Army
Colonel
in World War I
. He was promoted Major General
in 1930 and retired in 1934.
, England
. Dodds and his family migrated to Australia
in 1883. Dodds was educated at Fortitude Valley State School and Brisbane Normal School and became a teacher with the Queensland Department of Public Instruction in 1888.
Dodds enlisted in the militia in 1892 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Queensland Volunteers on 2 August 1899. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1899.
In 1901 Dodds joined the 5th (Queensland Imperial Bushmen) Contingent as adjutant and went to South Africa. There he saw service in the Transvaal, the Orange River Colony and the Cape Colony. When the bushmen and other units were attacked by a superior Boer force at Onverwacht, Dodds rallied the survivors and held on to a ridge until help arrived. For this and other actions he was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO). He returned to Australia in May 1902 with the rank of honorary captain.
Dodds was promoted to captain on 27 July 1904 but on 1 July 1906, he joined the regulars as lieutenant, serving on the staff of the 1st Military District (Queensland
). On 1 January 1911 he moved to Melbourne to serve at Army Headquarters. Dodd was secretary of the Railway Council from 14 February 1911 to 31 December 1912, Director of Personnel from 1 July 1911 and Assistant Adjutant General from 16 March 1913. He was also secretary of the establishments committee from 1 April 1913 to 31 May 1914. Along the way he was promoted to captain in 1911 and major in 1913.
From 15 August 1914 to 15 September 1916, Dodds was Adjutant General and a member of the Military Board, replacing Lieutenant Colonel V. Sellheim who was appointed to the AIF
. Dodds was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 December 1915 but his ability kept him in Australia
, where he was responsible for the training, recruitment and organisation of new units of the AIF. A request from Major General Legge in May 1915 for Dodds to be sent as Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General of the 2nd Division was turned down.
and the job was a formidable one. On 1 October 1918, Dodds became Commandant of the AIF Administrative Headquarters in London
. For his services he was twice mentioned in despatches and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1918 King's Birthday Honours.
in 1920, for which he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO). He was military secretary at Army Headquarters from 1920 to 1922 and Adjutant General from 1922 to 1924. In January 1925, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel sent him to London as Australian Representative at the War Office. On his return in 1927, he became Commandant of the 2nd Military District (New South Wales
) and commander of the 1st Division
. In 1929 Dodds once again became Adjutant General, with the task of dismantling the Universal Service Scheme that he had once built and creating a new volunteer militia. Dodds was promoted to major general in 1930 and retired in 1934, by which time the volunteer army was a reality.
Dodds held the post of honorary Federal Treasurer of the Returned and Services League
from 1931 to 1941. He was elected to the Hawthorn City Council
in 1935. On 15 October 1943, Dodds died of a sudden heart attack. He was accorded full military honours at his funeral.
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Thomas Henry Dodds CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, CVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, 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...
(11 November 1873 – 15 October 1943) was an 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...
Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was promoted Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in 1930 and retired in 1934.
Early life and career
Thomas Henry Dodds was born on 11 November 1873 at GatesheadGateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, 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...
. Dodds and his family migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1883. Dodds was educated at Fortitude Valley State School and Brisbane Normal School and became a teacher with the Queensland Department of Public Instruction in 1888.
Dodds enlisted in the militia in 1892 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Queensland Volunteers on 2 August 1899. He was promoted to lieutenant on 1 December 1899.
In 1901 Dodds joined the 5th (Queensland Imperial Bushmen) Contingent as adjutant and went to South Africa. There he saw service in the Transvaal, the Orange River Colony and the Cape Colony. When the bushmen and other units were attacked by a superior Boer force at Onverwacht, Dodds rallied the survivors and held on to a ridge until help arrived. For this and other actions he was mentioned in despatches and 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...
(DSO). He returned to Australia in May 1902 with the rank of honorary captain.
Dodds was promoted to captain on 27 July 1904 but on 1 July 1906, he joined the regulars as lieutenant, serving on the staff of the 1st Military District (Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
). On 1 January 1911 he moved to Melbourne to serve at Army Headquarters. Dodd was secretary of the Railway Council from 14 February 1911 to 31 December 1912, Director of Personnel from 1 July 1911 and Assistant Adjutant General from 16 March 1913. He was also secretary of the establishments committee from 1 April 1913 to 31 May 1914. Along the way he was promoted to captain in 1911 and major in 1913.
From 15 August 1914 to 15 September 1916, Dodds was Adjutant General and a member of the Military Board, replacing Lieutenant Colonel V. Sellheim who was appointed to the AIF
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
. Dodds was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 December 1915 but his ability kept him in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he was responsible for the training, recruitment and organisation of new units of the AIF. A request from Major General Legge in May 1915 for Dodds to be sent as Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General of the 2nd Division was turned down.
World War I
On 3 April 1917, Dodds was appointed to the AIF as a full colonel. He arrived in England on 17 May 1917, to become Deputy Adjutant General of the AIF. By this time there was over 120,000 Australian soldiers in FranceFrance
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...
and the job was a formidable one. On 1 October 1918, Dodds became Commandant of the AIF Administrative Headquarters in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. For his services he was twice mentioned in despatches and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1918 King's Birthday Honours.
Later career
Dodds returned to Australia in May 1919 and resumed his duties at Army Headquarters as a colonel. He was deputy director of the royal visit of the Prince of WalesPrince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
in 1920, for which he was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO). He was military secretary at Army Headquarters from 1920 to 1922 and Adjutant General from 1922 to 1924. In January 1925, the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel sent him to London as Australian Representative at the War Office. On his return in 1927, he became Commandant of the 2nd Military District (New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) and commander of the 1st Division
1st Division (Australia)
The 1st Division is the main formation of the Australian Army and contains the majority of the army's regular forces. Its headquarters is in Enoggera, a suburb of Brisbane...
. In 1929 Dodds once again became Adjutant General, with the task of dismantling the Universal Service Scheme that he had once built and creating a new volunteer militia. Dodds was promoted to major general in 1930 and retired in 1934, by which time the volunteer army was a reality.
Dodds held the post of honorary Federal Treasurer of the Returned and Services League
Returned and Services League of Australia
The Returned and Services League of Australia is a support organisation for men and women who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force ....
from 1931 to 1941. He was elected to the Hawthorn City Council
Hawthorn, Victoria
Hawthorn is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...
in 1935. On 15 October 1943, Dodds died of a sudden heart attack. He was accorded full military honours at his funeral.