Eric Woodward

Lieutenant General Sir Eric Winslow Woodward (21 July 1899 – 29 December 1967) was an Australian military officer and viceroy. Following long service in the Australian Army, including terms as Deputy Chief of the General Staff and General Officer Commanding Eastern Command, he was appointed as the Governor of New South Wales from 1957 to 1965, thus becoming the first New South Welshman to be governor of the state.

Early life Woodward was born in Hay, New South Wales in July 1899, the third son of Victorian-born parents Albert William Woodward, a cattle station manager, and his wife Marie Woodward, née Reid. He and attended Toowoomba Grammar School. At school he did well academically, becoming Captain of the swimming team and playing in the First XV Rugby Team. However, due to his family's financial concerns, he was unable to attend university. Therefore, in 1917 he entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He graduated and was commissioned a lieutenant on 16 December 1920.

Following this service Woodward returned to Australia and, in 1925, he transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and qualified as a pilot at No. 1 Flying Training School in Point Cook, Victoria. On 7 February 1927, in Melbourne, he married his cousin Amy Weller. Despite his apparent success as a pilot, he reverted to the army service in 1928. In December 1928, he was promoted to captain and became adjutant and quartermaster of the 19th Light Horse Regiment (1928–1929), and of the 4th Light Horse Regiment (1929–1934) before being posted to the Directorate of Military Training, Melbourne. In January 1937 he was sent to the Staff College, Camberley in England. He served in the Greece Campaign from March to April 1941 as a lieutenant colonel on General Sir Thomas Blamey's staff and later served in the I Corps in the Syrian campaign. In May 1942 he was posted to the 9th Division. He fought in both the First and Second Battles of El Alamein and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 11 February 1943. He was twice mentioned in despatches for his work in the Middle East.

Arriving back in Australia in February 1943, in March Woodward was promoted to the rank of brigadier and was posted to the headquarters of the Northern Territory Force until December 1943. He then served in various administrative positions until the end of the war. From July 1945 to March 1946 he was appointed deputy adjutant and quartermaster-general, at headquarters on Morotai. Appointed General Officer Commanding Eastern Command in December 1953, he was elevated to the same role his great-grandfather Charles William Wall had held from 1823 to 1825. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1956. Woodward was further promoted as a lieutenant general in December 1953. As governor he was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1958 and a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1963. For part of his term in office, as the longest-serving governor, he acted as Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia from 16 June to 30 August 1964 in the absence of the Governor-General of Australia, Lord De L'Isle.

In recognition of his service as governor, Woodward was awarded honorary doctorates by various universities, including an honorary Doctor of Science (Hon.DSc) from the University of New South Wales (1958), an honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt) on 29 April 1959 by the University of Sydney and New England (1961).

The St. George Greek Orthodox parish in Rose Bay, Sydney was dedicated as a War Memorial by Woodward on 25 November 1962. On 30 June 1961, he officially opened Vaucluse Boys' High School. He laid the foundation for International House, University of New South Wales on 13 February 1965. Woodward retired on 31 July 1965 and he and his wife moved to Wahroonga. In 1970, the Public Transport Commission in charge of Sydney Ferries commissioned a new ship for the "Lady class" of ferries. Launched at the New South Wales State Dockyard in Newcastle in 1970, it was named the "Lady Woodward" to commemorate their service in office. The Lady Woodward was sold in 1993 and now operates as a privately owned craft in Tin Can Bay, Queensland.

Honours

Honorary military appointments 22px 14 August 1958 – 19 January 1966: Honorary Air Commodore of No. 22 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.

Honorary degrees In 1958, he was awarded a Doctor of Science (honoris causa) (Hon.DSc) by the University of New South Wales. On 29 April 1959, he was awarded a Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) (Hon.DLitt) of the University of Sydney. In 1961, he was admitted as an Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt) by the University of New England.