20 Facts About Edward Milford

Edward Milford later commanded the 5th and 7th Divisions during the New Guinea and Borneo campaigns.

Edward Milford accepted the surrender of Japanese forces in Dutch Borneo on 8 September 1945.

Edward Milford retired from the army in 1948, due to an illness which was later found to be a misdiagnosis, and died in 1972 at the age of 77.

Edward James Milford was born to English immigrants James E Milford on 10 December 1894 in Melbourne.

Edward Milford attended Wesley College and then in 1913, encouraged by his headmaster, entered the Royal Military College at Duntroon.

Edward Milford held regimental and staff positions until being wounded in September 1917, by which time he had been promoted to major.

Edward Milford's wounds were such that he was evacuated to England for treatment.

Edward Milford opted to undertake training in ordnance in England after the war, and on 13 November 1919 married Wynne Rae Gray.

Edward Milford held a number of ordnance-related postings in both England and Australia, and attended the British Army Staff College at Camberley.

Edward Milford served for a time as chairman of the Resource Committee dedicated to "hardware, general stores and clothing", which reported to the Defence Resources Board.

In March 1940, Edward Milford was assigned to the newly formed 7th Division as commander of the division's artillery, one of a number of officers from the Staff Corps appointed to the division.

Edward Milford traveled to the Middle East in October but was destined to spend only a few weeks in his position before being recalled to Australia in January 1941 to take up the post of master-general of the ordnance.

Edward Milford was promoted to temporary major general, the first Duntroon graduate to reach the rank of general.

Edward Milford was involved with a committee investigating the supply requirements of each of the services and the available resources, as well as the development of new weapons.

In 1942, Edward Milford was commander of the 5th Division, then based in Queensland and intended for operations against the Japanese Empire.

Edward Milford landed with elements of his division at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on 14 January 1943 and began operations on nearby Goodenough Island.

Edward Milford was tasked with continuing offensive operations against the Japanese around Salamaua to divert resources away from the nearby Japanese base in the town of Lae.

Edward Milford ordered a halt to further offensive action and instructed his outlying forces to hold their position, thus concluding a successful operation.

Edward Milford remained the commander of the 7th Division, as well as the Morotai occupation force, until March 1946.

Edward Milford died in Macleod, Melbourne on 10 June 1972, and was survived by his son.