Thomas Albert Blamey GBE KCB (1884 - 1951)

Born 24 Jan 1884 in Lake Albert, New South Wales (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Minnie Caroline (Millard) Blamey — married 8 Sep 1909 in Toorak, Victoria, Australia

Husband of Olga Ora (Farnsworth) Blamey OBE — married 5 Apr 1939 in Toorak, Victoria, Australia

Died 27 May 1951 at age 67 in Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Thomas Blamey GBE KCB is Notable.

Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey GBE KCB CMG CStJ DSO ED was a highly-decorated Australian General of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to attain the rank of Field Marshal, in a career that spanned five decades. He was also a Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police for ten years, during which time he dealt with the issues that had led to a prior police strike and introduced several far-reaching innovations.

Formative years

Thomas Albert Blamey was born on 24th January 1884 at Lake Albert, New South Wales (Australia). He was the seventh of nine children, and fourth son, of Richard Henwood Blamey and Margaret Louisa Murray.^[1] Young Thomas was just five years of age when his eldest brother William, passed away as a teenager. Educated at Wagga Wagga Superior Public School, Thomas was employed from 1899 as a local pupil-teacher. In July 1903 he became an assistant-teacher at Fremantle Boys' School, Western Australia. He attended Claremont Methodist Church, organised church activities and preached occasional sermons. In early 1906 he was offered the post of probationary minister at Carnarvon, Western Australia, but, before accepting, saw an advertisement inviting applications for commissions in the Commonwealth Cadet Forces. In an Australia-wide military examination Blamey was placed third. He was subsequented commissioned as a Lieutenant on the Administrative and Instructional Staff in November, and posted to Melbourne.

He married Minnie Carol Millard on 8th September 1909 in her family's home, Hylands, in Toorak, Victoria.^[2] Minnie was nine years older than Thomas. They had two sons, both born prior to the war:

• Flying Officer Charles Middleton Blamey (1910-32)
• Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Raymond Blamey MBE (1914-98)

In 1910 he transferred to the Australian Military Forces and was promoted Captain. After graduating from the Staff College at Quetta in India in 1913, he was seconded to England for further experience. His wife and son sailed home to Victoria. In England when the First World War began (and missing his second son's birth in Victoria), Blamey was posted to the general staff of the 1st Australian Division in Egypt. Whilst in England, he visited his aunt, Jane Cardell, in Cornwall, meeting her for the first time. He had missed meeting his grandmother by less than six months.^[3]

The Great War

Thomas Blamey GBE KCB is an Anzac who served in World War One.

During The Great War, Blamey^[4] participated in the landing at Anzac Cove on 25th April 1915, and served as a staff officer in the Gallipoli Campaign, where he was mentioned in despatches for a daring raid behind enemy lines. He later served on the Western Front, where he distinguished himself in the planning for the Battle of Pozières. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General, and served as Chief of Staff of the Australian Corps under Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, who credited him as a factor in the Corps' success in the Battle of Hamel, the Battle of Amiens and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line.

After the war, Blamey was Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and was involved in the creation of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Top Policeman

He resigned from the regular Army in 1925 to take up the appointment of Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police, but remained in the militia, rising to command the 3rd Division in 1931. Although considered by some to be confrontational, violent, ruthless and controversial, Blamey dealt with the grievances that had led to the 1923 Victorian Police strike and implemented innovations such as police dogs and equipping vehicles with radios. An attempt to protect the man's reputation by covering up the details of the shooting of the Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Branch led to his forced resignation in 1936.

It has been argued that his latter years as commissioner was affected greatly by two very close-to-home deaths. His son, Dolf, a Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer, was killed in an air crash at RAAF Base Richmond in October 1932.^[5] Receiving a knighthood in the 1935 New Year Honours in recognition of his invaluable service as police chief commissioner was bitter-sweet however as Lady Minnie Blamey, invalided since 1930, passed away in October 1935.

Concentrating once more on militia service Blamey was appointed chairman of the Commonwealth Government's Manpower Committee and Controller General of Recruiting in 1938, heading a successful recruiting campaign which doubled the size of the part-time volunteer militia immediately prior to Australia's greatest war.

Sir Thomas and Lady (Olga) Blamey.

On 5th April 1939, Blamey married a second time, to 36-year-old artist Olga Ora Farnsworth, in St John's Church of England, Toorak. Olga immediately became entitled as Lady Olga Blamey. Throughout the war, from Palestine to Changi, Olga acted as a hospital visitor for the Red Cross; comforting the wounded, writing letters home for those unable to write for themselves and generally catering for the day-to-day needs of Australia’s troops. She was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1945 for her unstinting voluntary work.

Second World War

Thomas Blamey GBE KCB is a Military Veteran.
Served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force 1939-1946
6th Division; Commander-in-Chief

During the Second World War Blamey commanded the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and the I Corps in the Middle East. Receiving army serial number VX1 on 13th October 1939, he was the first Victorian to volunteer for the 2nd AIF.^[6] He was the first General Officer Commanding 6th Division, seeing it formed, trained and then acclimatised in Egypt. He was appointed Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Middle East Command in 1941 and was promoted to General. In 1942, he returned to Australia as Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces and Commander of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area. He assumed personal command of New Guinea Force during the Kokoda Track campaign, relieving Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell and Major General Arthur Allen under controversial circumstances out of his control. Blamey also planned and carried out the significant and victorious Salamaua–Lae Campaign. He signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of Australia at Japan's ceremonial surrender in Tokyo Bay on 2nd September 1945, and later personally accepted the Japanese surrender at Morotai on 9th September.^[7]

1941 Buick sedan used by Blamey as his staff car.

Having just turned 62 years of age, Blamey went on the Retired List on 31st January 1946.^[8] A farewell party was held in Melbourne, which was attended by 66 brigadiers and generals. The Deputy Prime Minister, Francis Forde, asked Blamey if he wanted anything in way of recognition for his services, to which Blamey responded, "Knighthoods for my generals". As Forde could not arrange this (knighthoods being against Labour party policy) he instead gave Blamey the 1941 Buick sedan he had used during the war as his staff car, which had clocked up 50,000 miles (80,000 km) in the Middle East and the South West Pacific.

Final years

Blamey returned to Melbourne, where he devoted himself to business affairs, to writing, and to promoting the welfare of ex-service personnel. His interests beyond military and public affairs included involvement in the early discussions to found the Australian National University. He was promoted to Field Marshal in the King's Birthday Honours List on 8th June 1950; Australia's first and only 'home-grown' Field Marshal. He received his Field Marshal's baton from Governor-General, William McKell, in Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital.

Sir Thomas Blamey passed away of hypertensive cerebral haemorrhage, aged just 67 years and only five years after concluding the aftermath of the Second World War, on 27th May 1951 in the Repatriation Hospital, Heidelberg, Victoria.^[9] Crowds estimated at 250,000 lined the streets of Melbourne at his state funeral. His ashes are interred in the Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park.^[10]

Honours and Awards, and Legacy

Sir Thomas Blamey medal set.

Blamey was highly decorated during his lifetime:

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (1943)^[11]
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (1942)^[12]
• Knight Bachelor (1935)^[13]
• Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (1918)^[14]
• Distinguished Service Order (1916)^[15]
• Commander of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John (1936)^[16]
• Efficiency Decoration
• Mentioned in Despatches (eight times)
• Croix de guerre (France) (1919)^[17]
• War Cross 1st Class (Greece) (1942)^[18]
• Distinguished Service Cross (United States) (1943)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Oranje-Nassau (Netherlands) (1946)
• King's Silver Jubilee medal (1935)^[19]
• Coronation medal (1937)^[20]
• campaign and service medals included: 1914/1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939-1945 Star, Africa Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-45, Defence Medal, Australia Service Medal 1939-1945, Australian Service Medal 1945-75.

Sir Thomas Blamey statue, Melbourne.

Sir Thomas Blamey is honoured in Australia through:

• the main Australian Defence Force and Department of Defence buildings in Canberra are grouped around Sir Thomas Blamey Square, with its bas-relief likeness of Blamey;
• a statue of Blamey by Raymond Ewers stands in Kings Domain, Melbourne, on the corner of Government House Drive and Birdwood Avenue, opposite that of General Sir John Monash and adjacent to the Shrine of Remembrance;
• Blamey Barracks at Kapooka, where the Army Recruit Training Centre is located;
• Blamey Street and Blamey Park in North Ryde, New South Wales.
• a portrait of Blamey by (Sir) Ivor Hele is held by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
• portraits by (Sir) William Dargie are in the rooms of the Commercial Travellers' Association of Victoria, and the Naval and Military Club, Melbourne.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #26278/1884
2. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #4961/1909
3. ↑ unsubstantiated family records
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial Nominal roll: Thomas Alfred Blamey; accessed 14 Apr 2018
5. ↑ The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) Thu 8 Dec 1932 Page 1 Funeral Of Air Victim; accessed 14 Apr 2018
6. ↑ Australian War Memorial Nominal roll: VX1 Thomas Albert Blamey; accessed 14 Apr 2018
7. ↑ Australian War Memorial: Field Marshal Thomas Albert Blamey; accessed 13 Apr 2018
8. ↑ Australian War Memorial Nominal roll: VX1 Thomas Albert Blamey
9. ↑ The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Mon 28 May 1951 Page 3 SIR THOMAS BLAMEY DIES AFTER FINE CAREER; accessed 26 Aug 2018
10. ↑ Victoria Death Index #5746/1951
11. ↑ London Gazette GBE
12. ↑ London Gazette KCB
13. ↑ London Gazette Kt
14. ↑ London Gazette CMG
15. ↑ London Gazette DSO
16. ↑ London Gazette CStJ
17. ↑ London Gazette Croix de guerre
18. ↑ London Gazette War Cross
19. ↑ The King's Silver Jubilee Medal
20. ↑ The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Wed 12 May 1937 Page 11 Coronation Medals for 2,000 Victorians

See also;

• Hetherington, John. Blamey, Controversial Soldier: A Biography of Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey. Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1973. ISBN 0-9592043-0-X. OCLC 2025093.
• Horner, David. Blamey, Sir Thomas Albert (1884–1951), Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993; accessed online 14 May 2018.
• Wikipedia: Thomas Blamey; accessed 14 May 2018.
• The White Army of 1931 by Michael Cathcart