Mervyn Francis Brogan KBE CB (1915-1994) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

LT GEN Sir Mervyn Francis Brogan KBE CB

Born 10 Jan 1915 in Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Son of Bernard Brogan and Hilda Marcella (Richards) Brogan

Brother of Bernard Alwyn Brogan and Trevor Verdun John Brogan

Husband of Sheila (Jones) Brogan — married Jun 1941 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

[children unknown]

Died 8 Mar 1994 at age 79 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Profile last modified 27 Jan 2024 | Created 14 Jun 2018

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Biography

Mervyn Brogan KBE CB is Notable.

Lieutenant General Sir Mervyn Brogan KBE CB BEng was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) from 1971 to 1973. In that position, he presided over the withdrawal of Australian troops from the Vietnam War, the ending of the National Service scheme, and the consequent reduction of the size of the Army, and sweeping organisational changes.

formative years

As Mervyn Francis Brogan he was born on 10th January 1915 in Crows Nest, on Sydney's North Shore, New South Wales, Australia. He was the second son of Bernard Brogan and Hilda Richards. ^[1] He had an older brother, Bernard, who later became a wing commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.

Mervyn entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, on 25th February 1932. In his final year, 1935, he was the Corps Sergeant Major, the senior cadet appointment and, on graduation was awarded the Sword of Honour and commissioned as a Lieutenant. On 16th March 1936, he entered the University of Sydney, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree. ^[2] He played rugby union for Victoria in 1938 and 1939, and attended tryouts for the Wallabies.

Mervyn married Sheila Jones, daughter of David Samuel Jones, a teacher at the Duntroon School, in June 1941 in Canberra. ^[3]^[4] They had two sons, Edward and Daryl.

military service

Mervyn Brogan KBE CB is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Australian Army 1932-1975, attaining rank of Lieutenant General
He served as Chief of the General Staff (Chief of Army)

When the Second World War broke out, he sought appointment with the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF), but instead was sent to Duntroon as an instructor on 11th November 1939. ^[2] He was finally permitted to join the Second Australian Imperial Force on 22nd September 1941. ^[5] Appointed to the staff of New Guinea Force he was involved in organising the air supply in support of the Salamaua–Lae campaign, for which he was Mentioned in Despatches and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 27th April 1944. ^[6] In 1945, Mervyn was sent as an observer with the British Army during the Western Allied invasion of Germany. Soon after he arrived, he came down with malaria – a legacy of his service in New Guinea – to the surprise of the doctors, who were not used to seeing a tropical disease in North West Europe. ^[2]

Brogan remained in Europe until 1947, at which time he returned to Australia to become commandant and chief instructor at the School of Military Engineering. From 1950 to 1952, he was back in England as a student at the Joint Services Staff College. ^[2]

In 1954, he was appointed Director of Military Training. Noticing a loss of skills in jungle warfare since New Guinea, Brogan re-opened the Land Warfare Centre at Canungra, incorporating lessons from the British Army's recent experience in the Malayan Emergency. ^[2]

Mervyn served as a Brigadier on the staff of the British Army's Far East Land Forces (1956-58), and went back to Britain once more to attend the Imperial Defence College in 1959. He was commandant of the Australian Staff College (1960-62), followed by general officer commanding Northern Command (1962-65), and was upgraded to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1963 Queen's Birthday Honours. ^[7] He filled the equivalent position at Eastern Command from 1968 to 1971. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the New Year's Honours 1970. ^[8]

On 19th May 1971, Mervyn's military career culminated with appointment as Chief of the General Staff (CGS) with the rank of Lieutenant General. He was created Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his service in that role in the 1972 Queen's Birthday Honours. ^[9] Australian troops were serving in the Vietnam War at that time, but the commitment was winding down. It fell to Mervyn to implement sweeping changes. The Whitlam government swiftly terminated the National Service scheme, causing the manpower of both the Australian Regular Army and the Citizen Military Force to rapidly shrink. The Department of the Army was abolished, replaced by the new Department of Defence. He revived the position of Vice CGS, appointing Major General Francis Hassett, who would become his successor, to the post. Mervyn's term as CGS ended on 19th November 1973. ^[10]

retirement

Mervyn retired from the army on 10th January 1975, his sixtieth birthday. In retirement, however, he retained his military associations, being appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Australian Engineers from 1974 to 1978, and Honorary Colonel of the University of New South Wales Regiment from 1975 to 1980. ^[2]

Sir Mervyn Brogan passed away, aged 79 years, on 8th March 1994 in Sydney. ^[2] The Canberra Times recalled in their obituary that he had gone from top cadet at RMC to top soldier. ^[11] He was survived by his wife of 53 years, Lady Brogan (who passed away at 96 years of age in 2015), their sons Edward and Daryl, daughter-in-law Judy, and grandsons James and Jonathon. ^[12]