John Whitelaw (1921–2010)

Note that his father was also Major General John Stewart Whitelaw

John Whitelaw
Born	11 June 1921 (1921-06-11) Hawthorn, Victoria
Died	18 June 2010(2010-06-18) (aged 89) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Australian Army
Years of service	1939–1978
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	World War II Vietnam War
Awards	Officer of the Order of Australia Commander of the Order of the British Empire Mentioned in Dispatches Outstanding Achievement Award, Greening Australia (1996)
Other work	Founding Executive Director, National Farmers Federation (1979–1985) Councillor, National Heart Foundation Colonel Commandant, RRAA[1] (−1984) National President, Regular Defence Force Welfare Association (1978–) National Vice-president, Australian Veterans and Defence Services Council (1978–) Member, National Conservation Strategy Consultative Committee (1982–) Member, National Tree Program Coordinating Committee (1982–) Consultant, Greening Australia (−1996) Patron of various associations and societies

Major General John Stewart Whitelaw AO CBE (11 June 1921 – 18 June 2010)^[2] was a career soldier in the Australian Army who rose to the position of Deputy Chief of the General Staff (1977–1978).^[3] In retirement he was very active on many councils and committees.

Early years

Whitelaw was born on 11 June 1921 in Hawthorn, Victoria into the military family of Major General John Whitelaw and his wife Esther Augusta née Norman. His brothers Fred and Norm also served as Artillery officers, Fred as a brigadier and Norm as a major. He attended schools in both rural and urban Victoria and from an early age displayed a penchant for mathematics. He attended Sydney Boys High School and Wesley College, Melbourne. In 1937 he commenced working as an indentured clerk with the paper merchants Spicers & Detmold Ltd in Melbourne.^[4]

Militia and WW II

On 11 June 1939, he enlisted in the Militia and served with 10 Field Brigade, Royal Australian Artillery. During his time with the Militia, he rose to the rank of Sergeant and served in Regimental and instructional positions. Based on his abilities and education, he was appointed a Provisional Lieutenant on 15 March 1940. He served with the Citizen Military Force (Full Time Duty) from 1 May 1940 to 25 September 1941, and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) from 26 September 1941 to 9 September 1946.

His wartime service saw duty with: Arty Wing RTD, Royal Australian Artillery 10 Field Brigade; Eastern Command, 2 Military District; and 9 Field Brigade, 14 Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. Whilst with Eastern Command, he was responsible for coastal defence on the Eastern seaboard. This experience exposed Whitelaw to radar, and he recognised this technology's potential and became a firm proponent of its use for domestic defence.

Whitelaw saw active service in New Guinea and Bougainville. He was wounded in action on Bougainville, however he remained on duty. Captain Whitelaw earned a mention in despatches on 6 June 1944 while serving as an artillery forward observer during an amphibious assault at Porton Plantation to cut off the withdrawing Japanese.^[5]

Post WW II

Following the cessation of hostilities, in September 1946 he returned to his job with Spicers in Melbourne. In December 1947 he married Nancy Bogle, and in 1948, Spicers transferred him to their Perth office.

When the Citizen Military Force (CMF) was restructured, Captain Whitelaw returned to the Active List with Headquarters Western Command on 4 July 1948. He applied for a commission in the Interim Army, and on 1 July 1949 began a full-time army career which consumed him for the next 29 years during which he rose to become a major general and Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

He served in several staff positions associated with movement control. He also served as Aide de Campe to the Governor of Western Australia. He was transferred to the Australian Regular Army (ARA) on 15 August 1952.

During 1955, Major Whitelaw, Nancy and their three young daughters enjoyed the Canadian Staff College at Kingston. He was subsequently appointed as the Exchange Instructor in Canada for the following 2 years.

Whitelaw continued to serve in various staff positions, which included: Headquarters Australian Army Force, Far East Land Force (FARELF); Chief of Operations, Operations Branch Army Office; and Army Headquarters, Canberra DEP (Director Equipment Policy). He also saw service in Vietnam and the United States.

On 21 April 1977, Whitelaw was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Department of Defence (Army Office). Whitelaw served in this position until 11 June 1978 when he retired from Australian Regular Army and was placed on Retired List, 2 Military District.

Retirement

Following his retirement from the military, Major General Whitelaw maintained close ties with veteran and Service organisations. On 20 July 1979, he became the inaugural executive director of the National Farmers Federation. He was active with the Department of Veterans Affairs and served on numerous councils including the Australian Veterans and Defence Services Council, and the Australian Capital Territory Treatment Monitoring Committee. Major General Whitelaw continued to write on military and social topics.

In November 2006 he was presented with Honorary Life Membership of the USI of the ACT, (Royal United Services Institute), in recognition of his enduring support of the organisation and its aims.

He died on Friday 18 June 2010; a military funeral was held at the Anzac Memorial Chapel, Duntroon at 1300hrs on Thursday 24 June 2010.

Personal

In retirement, Whitelaw and his wife, Mrs Nancy Lockhart Whitelaw, continued to reside in Canberra. He was survived by his wife, their three daughters, and many grandchildren.

Honours and awards

• Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) 1977^[6]
• Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 1971 (CAG 81/71)^[7]
• 1939–45 Star
• Pacific Star
• War Medal 1939–1945 with oak leaves for Mentioned in Dispatches (MID) 1943 (CAG 43/47)
• Australia Service Medal 1939–45
• Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 with clasp Vietnam
• Australian Service Medal 1945-1975 with clasp PNG
• Vietnam Medal
• Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (1953)
• Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977)
• Defence Force Service Medal with Four Clasps (35–39 years service)
• Australian Defence Medal
• National Medal with First Clasp^[8][9]
• Efficiency Medal
• Vietnam Campaign Medal (South Vietnam)
• Bronze Star (United States of America)
• Return from Active Service Badge

Summaries

Service details

Service numbers

Promotion details

Overseas service

Postings and appointments

See also

• John Whitelaw (general), his father

Source Documents

• Member's Service Records
• Medals Slip – World War II
• PM Keys
• Australian Army Orders, Gazette Notices and Supplements, General Orders & Regimental Lists
• Who's Who in Australia
• The Australian Roll of Honour (Honoured by the Queen)(1952–1998)
• It's an Honour Website
• Funeral notice, www.obits.com.au
• http://www.theorderofaustralia.asn.au/quiet_australians/database/extra/extra418.pdf