John Austin Chapman CB OBE DSO (1896 - 1963)

Ancestors

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Formative years 1.2 The Great War 1.3 Between wars 1.4 Second World War 1.5 Post war 2 Sources

Biography

Major General John Chapman CB OBE DSO & Bar was a professional soldier in the Australian Army. Joining the army in 1913, he served as a junior officer during the First World War and saw action on the Western Front. After the war he was appointed to a number of staff and teaching positions prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. Appointed chief of staff, 7th Division, he served during the Syrian Campaign in 1941 before taking up important staff positions in Australia.

Formative years

John Austin Chapman was born on 15th December 1896 at Braidwood, New South Wales (Australia). He was the younger son of Sir Austin Chapman, the Braidwood representative on the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, and his wife, Lady Catherine Chapman nee O'Brien.^[1] He entered Royal Military College, Duntroon, Canberra, in 1913.

The Great War

Upon graduation from Duntroon in 1915, Chapman was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Australian Military Forces. Volunteering for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF), his first assignment was to 30th Australian Infantry Battalion, 8th Brigade, 5th Division. The division moved to the Western Front in July 1916.

Chapman, now a Captain, was wounded due to a gas attack in November, and this necessitated his evacuation to England for treatment. He returned to the battalion in May 1917 as adjutant and served in this capacity until October. Promoted to Major, he was attached to the Australian Corps and 5th Division headquarters. During the Hundred Days Offensive, he was acting brigade major of 8th Brigade. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his actions of 28th August 1918, when he carried out a reconnaissance of the front lines under heavy fire. He was also appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services while attached to divisional headquarters during the latter stages of the war.^[2]

Between wars

Chapman remained in the army after the cessation of hostilities, returning to Australia in June 1919.

He married in October 1919, to Helena Mary de Booten, originally from Chile.^[3] The couple had four children.

From 1919 to 1930, Chapman was posted to a series of staff appointments. He attended Staff College at Camberley in England from 1930 to 1933. He was then chief instructor at the Small Arms School in Randwick, Sydney from 1934 to 1938 before returning to Camberley in November with his wife to take up an instructor position, the first soldier from a British Dominion to do so.

Second World War

Still in England when the Second World War broke out in September 1939, he was posted to the British 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division as a staff officer but returned to Australia in January 1940, having been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He transferred to the 2nd Australian Imperial Force in April 1940. Promoted to Colonel, he became chief of staff to Major General John Lavarack, the commander of 7th Division. Commencing on 8th June 1941, the division participated in the two-month-long Syrian Campaign against the Vichy French during which Chapman earned a recommendation for a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order. Chapman was promoted to temporary Brigadier and became responsible for the AIF Base Area in the Middle East. He later returned to Australia as deputy adjutant and quartermaster general, based in Brisbane. Promoted to Major General in September 1942, he was appointed as Deputy Chief of the General Staff in October 1944. He served in this capacity until March 1946.^[4]

Post war

From May 1946, Chapman was based in Washington, DC as the army representative on the Australian Joint Service Mission to the United States. After completing his four-year term in the United States (and being awarded the Legion of Merit), he had a spell as General Officer Commanding, Central Command before commencing his final post of Quartermaster General and member of the military board in February 1951. He was honoured with appointment as Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1952. Chapman retired in December 1953 after 41 years of service in the army.

He passed away of cancer on 19th April 1963 at his home at Mosman, New South Wales. He was survived by his two sons and daughter. His wife had predeceased him in 1961. He was buried with military honours in Northern Suburbs Cemetery, New South Wales.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #1733/1897
2. ↑ Australian War Memorial Nominal Roll for Major John Austin Chapman
3. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #11083/1919
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial Nominal Roll for Major General John Austin Chapman
5. ↑ Death Index #13914/1963]

• Thompson, Roger C. Chapman, John Austin (1896–1963), Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993; accessed online 21 May 2018.
• Wikipedia: John Chapman; accessed 21 May 2018.
• NSW BDM
• BIRTH CHAPMAN JOHN1733/1897 AUSTIN CATHERINE J BRAIDWOOD