52 Facts About Vernon Sturdee

Promotion was stagnant between the wars, and Sturdee remained at his wartime rank of lieutenant colonel until 1935.

Vernon Sturdee served in a series of staff posts, and attended the Staff College at Quetta in British India and the Imperial Defence College in Britain.

Vernon Sturdee proceeded to conduct a doomed defence of the islands to the north of Australia against the advancing Japanese forces.

Vernon Sturdee then became head of the Australian Military Mission to Washington, DC, where he represented Australia before the Combined Chiefs of Staff.

Vernon Sturdee was charged with destroying the enemy when opportunity presented itself, but had to do so with limited resources, and without committing his troops to battles that were beyond their strength.

Vernon Sturdee became the Chief of the General Staff a second time in 1946, serving in the post until his retirement in 1950.

Vernon Sturdee developed a structure for the post-war Army that included regular combat formations.

Vernon Ashton Hobart Sturdee was born in Frankston, Victoria, on 16 April 1890, the son of Alfred Hobart Sturdee and his wife Laura Isabell, nee Merrett.

Vernon Sturdee served in the Boer War, where he was mentioned in despatches after he rode under fire to a donga near the enemy's position to aid wounded men.

Vernon Sturdee later commanded the 2nd Field Ambulance at Gallipoli and, with the rank of colonel, was Assistant Director of Medical Services of the 1st Division on the Western Front.

Vernon Sturdee received three more mentions in despatches and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Vernon Sturdee's Australian-born wife Laura, known as Lil, was the sister of Charles Merrett, a prominent businessman and Militia officer.

Vernon Sturdee married Edith Georgina Robins on 4 February 1913 at St Luke's Church of England, North Fitzroy, Melbourne.

Vernon Sturdee joined the Australian Imperial Force on 25 August 1914 with the rank of lieutenant.

Vernon Sturdee's duties included supervising the engineer stores park on the beach at Anzac Cove, as well as the construction of jam tin grenades.

Vernon Sturdee was evacuated twice for hospital treatment for enteric fever and for serious damage to his stomach lining from internal burns as a result of too much "Condy's crystals" disinfectant being put into drinking water.

Vernon Sturdee was promoted to major on 28 August 1915, and in September assumed command of the 5th Field Company, a unit raised in Egypt to support the newly formed 2nd Division.

Vernon Sturdee departed Anzac Cove for the last time on 17 December 1915, two days before the final evacuation.

On returning to Egypt after the evacuation of Anzac, Vernon Sturdee assumed responsibility for the provision of hutting at the AIF reinforcement camp at Tel el Kebir.

On 13 February 1917, Vernon Sturdee was appointed to command the 4th Pioneer Battalion, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

On 27 March 1918, Vernon Sturdee was seconded to General Headquarters British Expeditionary Force as a staff officer, remaining there until 22 October 1918.

Vernon Sturdee embarked for Australia on 16 November 1918, and his AIF appointment was terminated on 14 March 1919.

Vernon Sturdee was entitled to his AIF rank of lieutenant colonel as an honorary rank, but his substantive rank was still only that of a captain.

Vernon Sturdee was given the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel on 1 January 1920, but this did not become substantive until 1 April 1932.

Vernon Sturdee initially served as Senior Engineer Officer on the staff of the 3rd Military District at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne.

Vernon Sturdee was an instructor in military engineering and surveying at the Royal Military College, Duntroon from 16 February to 31 December 1924, before returning to Melbourne to serve on the staff of the 4th Division until 26 March 1929.

Vernon Sturdee was Director of Military Operations and Intelligence at Army Headquarters in Melbourne from 14 February 1933 to 1 March 1938, a period "when the Army was at rock bottom", and then served as Director of Staff Duties until 12 October 1938.

Vernon Sturdee was given the brevet rank of colonel on 1 July 1935; this became temporary on 1 July 1936 and finally substantive on 1 July 1937, over twenty years after he had become a lieutenant colonel in the AIF.

Vernon Sturdee was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year Honours in 1939 for his services on the Army Headquarters staff.

On 13 October 1939, Vernon Sturdee was promoted from colonel to lieutenant general and assumed control of the new Eastern Command.

Vernon Sturdee had to supervise the raising, training and equipping of the new Second Australian Imperial Force units being formed in New South Wales, as well as the now-conscript Militia.

On 1 July 1940, Vernon Sturdee accepted a demotion to major general to become the commander of Second AIF's newly raised 8th Division, receiving the Second AIF serial number NX35000.

Vernon Sturdee was restored to his rank of lieutenant general and appointed Chief of the General Staff.

Vernon Sturdee attempted to defend the islands to the north of Australia to satisfy an allied agreement made during the second Four-Power Staff Conference at Singapore on 22 February 1941.

Vernon Sturdee knew that their prospects were slim at best but he was required to secure Dutch support for the defence of the region.

Vernon Sturdee expected them "to put up the best possible defence" with what resources they had, and hopefully slow the Japanese advance to allow time for reinforcements to arrive.

In February 1942, on advice from Lavarack that the Dutch East Indies would soon fall, Vernon Sturdee urged the Australian government that the 17,800 troops returning from the Middle East, originally bound for Java, be diverted to Australia.

Vernon Sturdee contended that Java could not be held, and that Allied resources should instead be concentrated in an area from which an offensive could be launched.

The Allied cause therefore was well served in sound judgement and solid persistence of General Vernon Sturdee who maintained his advice against that of the Chiefs of Staff in London and Washington.

Blamey decided that after the hectic events of the previous months, Vernon Sturdee needed a rest and appointed him as Head of the Australian Military Mission to Washington, DC, where the war's strategy was now being decided.

Vernon Sturdee accepted on condition that after a year's duty in Washington he would be appointed to an important command.

In Washington, Vernon Sturdee represented Australia before the Combined Chiefs of Staff and managed to obtain the right of direct access to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General George Marshall.

Vernon Sturdee returned to Australia and assumed command of the First Army on 1 March 1944.

Vernon Sturdee's headquarters was initially located in Queensland, but on 2 October 1944 it commenced operations in Lae, and Sturdee assumed command of the troops in New Guinea.

Vernon Sturdee was concerned by this order's ambiguity and sought clarification from Blamey.

Vernon Sturdee became acting Commander in Chief on 1 December 1945.

On 1 March 1946, the post of Commander in Chief was abolished and Vernon Sturdee became Chief of the General Staff again.

Over next fifty years, operations would be conducted by the new Australian Regular Army that Vernon Sturdee created, rather than the Militia or specially enlisted expeditionary forces.

Vernon Sturdee became a director of the Australian arm of Standard Telephones and Cables and was honorary colonel of the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers from 1951 to 1956.

Vernon Sturdee died on 25 May 1966 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Heidelberg.

Vernon Sturdee was accorded a funeral with full military honours, and cremated.

Vernon Sturdee was survived by his wife, their daughter and one of their two sons.