John Overall (architect)

Sir John Wallace Overall CBE, MC & Bar (15 July 1913 – 2001) was an Australian World War II veteran and architect.

Overall served as an officer in the Australian Imperial Force during the Second World War,[1] where he was awarded the Military Cross for "great courage, devotion and initiative" in 1941 for his service during the early Western Desert Campaign in North Africa.[2][3] Overall was consequently awarded a Bar to the decoration for his "outstanding leadership and disregard for danger" on 1 September 1942 during the First Battle of El Alamein.[4][5] After serving with the 9th Divisional Engineers, in September 1943 he took over command of Australia's first parachute infantry battalion, the 1st Parachute Battalion and was in command of that unit when they deployed to Singapore at the end of the war.[6]

When he returned to Australia following the war, he worked as an architect and in 1952 was made the Chief Government Architect in the Commonwealth Department of Works. In 1957 he was appointed Commissioner of the newly established National Capital Development Commission (NCDC). In this role Overall made a significant contribution to the development of Canberra.

He returned to private practice in 1972. He was awarded the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1982, and John Overall Offices, the head office of the ACT Planning and Land Management and Overall Avenue in the Canberra suburb of Casey were named in his honour.

Sir John was a member of the Parliament House Construction Authority which oversaw the construction of the new Parliament House which was completed in 1988.

Notes

  1. ^ "Overall, John Wallace". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=A&VeteranID=153231. Retrieved 5 September 2009. 
  2. ^ "Recommendation for John Wallace Overall to be awarded a Military Cross" (PDF). Index to Recommendations: Second World War. Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM192/00318/003180305.pdf. Retrieved 5 September 2009. 
  3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35396. p. 7335. 30 December 1941. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Recommendation for John Wallace Overall to be awarded a Bar to Military Cross" (PDF). Index to Recommendations: Second World War. Australian War Memorial. http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM192/00318/003180304.pdf. Retrieved 5 September 2009. 
  5. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 35771. p. 4795. 5 November 1942. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  6. ^ Long 1963, p. 554.

References