John Northcott

Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott KCMG KCVO CB KStJ, was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during World War II, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupation of Japan. He was the first Australian-born Governor of New South Wales.

History

John Northcott was born in Creswick, the son of John Northcott, merchant of Lydiard Street North, Ballarat. Northcott was educated at Dean State School and by A. A. Buley. After cadet training at Colac, Northcott joined the Lighthorse at Ballarat. He served as Staff-Sergeant of the 9th A.L.H., Ballarat; 2nd Lieutenant 9th A.L.H. 1908; Lieutenant 1910; Adjutant 1910-11; Captain 1911, appointed to Administration and Instruction Staff as Lieutenant in 1912. In 1912 John Northcott was attached to the 6th military district (Tasmania) for general instructional duties He was promoted to Captain, passed for major, and appointed adjutant in 1914.

He was Captain of the 3rd Lighthorse Brigade A.I.F. during World War One. He was involved in the Gallipoli Campaign from 1914 to 1915, and took part in the first landing at Gallipoli. He was wounded in four places on 26 April 1915. He was invalided to England, and retired to Victoria in December 1915. Northcott was appointed to the staff of the Royal Military College, Duntroon.

His appointment as Governor of New South Wales was extensively reported in the newspapers:

NORTHCOTT NEW GOVERNOR SYDNEY, Sunday.-Lieut.-General John Northcott, C.B., M.V.O., has been appointed Governor of New South Wales. The appointment was announced to night by the Premier (Mr. McKell). Lieut.-General Northcott will be obliged to resign from the post of Commander of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan to take the Governorship. The appointment of an Australian as Governor came after a long and bitter fight between the Premier and the Dominions Office. On his recent trip abroad, Mr. McKell insisted on an Australian's getting the position. He refused to accept a Dominions Office nominee. Lieut.-General Northcott recently paid a visit to Australia from Japan. The duties of Governor have been carried out by a Lieutenant Governor, Sir Philip Jordan. Sir Philip recently told Mr. McKell he wished to relinquish the position. The last Governor was Lord Wakehurst. Lieutenant-General Northcott has been in the permanent army most of his life. He has been Chief of the General Staff, Australian Military Forces and Allied Land Forces., since September, 1942. He was formerly G.O.C. Second Australian Corps. In 1941 he commanded the First Australian Armoured Division, and was Deputy Chief of the General Staff in 1939-40. Lieut.-General Northcott is a son of a Victorian dean, John Northcott. He was born on March 24, 1890., at Creswick, Victoria. He was educated at Grenville College, Ballarat, and Melbourne University. He was a lieutenant in the Ninth Australian Light Horse in 1908, and Adjutant in the 12th Battalion, A.I.F., in August, 1914. Wounded at Gallipoli He was severely wounded at Galli poli in 1915. He attended the staff college at Camberley in 1923-25, and was Director of Transport, and Supply at Army Headquarters in 1926. Lieut.-General Northcott was in 1931 General Service Office of the Third Division: G.S.O. war office, 1933: G.S.O. Wnolwich, England, 1934;. and attended the Imperial Defence College in 1935. He was on the Committee of Imperial Defence in 1936, posted for special duty in America and Canada, from 1936 to 1937, Director of Military Operations and Intelligence in 1938-39, and Military Adviser at the Dominions' war conference in Lon don in 1939. From 1926 to 1.928 he was Chair man of the Commonwealth Transport Committee. He was a Commonwealth staff officer attached to the Duke and Duchess of York's staff during the Royal visit in 1927. On September 14, 1915, he married Miss Winifred M. Paton, second daughter of Mr. Archibald Paten. Lieut.-General Northcott's recreations are golf, squash and riding. He belongs to the Army, Navy and Air Force Clubs, Melbourne

Further Reading

• Wikipedia: John Northcott

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