John Lavarack

Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack, (19 December 1885 – 4 December 1957) was an Australian Army officer who was the first Australian-born Governor of Queensland, serving from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957.

Early life

Lavarack was born in Kangaroo Point, a suburb of Brisbane in Queensland, on 19 December 1885. He was educated at Brisbane Grammar School, where he excelled in the school's army cadets program.

Military career First World War On 7 August 1905, Lavarack was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Artillery.

In early 1913, he trained as an officer at the Staff College, Camberley in England, and upon the outbreak of the First World War was assigned first to the War Office as a general staff officer, grade 3 (GSO3), then in February 1915 as a brigade major of the 22nd Division artillery. Lavarack's division spent a month in France during September 1915, but was transferred to Salonica in Greece, where it fought in the Balkans Campaign.

Georges Clemenceau, premier of France (left), whilst on his only visit to the Australian front, in July 1918, walking with Major General Ewen Sinclair-MacLagan, GOC 4th Australian Division, and Lieutenant General Sir John Monash, GOC Australian Corps (right, foreground). At far right is Lieutenant Colonel Lavarack, the division's GSO1.

In February 1915, Lavarack was assigned to the Australian Imperial Force, but did not join it until July 1916 when he joined the Australian 2nd Division for the Battle of Pozières. He was subsequently assigned as brigade major for the 5th Division, commanding two field artillery batteries during fighting at the Somme and the advance on the Hindenburg Line. In May 1917, his staff college training saw him transferred to 1st Division headquarters, which instigated a lifelong mutual antagonism between Lavarack and his superior at HQ, Thomas Blamey. Back in Australia in 1929, he found himself in heavy debate with fellow IDC student Frederick Shedden over the Australian government's adoption of the "Singapore strategy". Shedden believed that the presence of the British Royal Navy in Singapore would deter any aggression from Japan, whilst Lavarack was sure that Japan would take advantage of Britain's focus on Europe and that Australian ground forces should prepare for a possible invasion. In 1928, Lavarack was ordered to start making plans for a possible war with Japan, which he began with a paper questioning the Singapore Strategy and argued that the Australian Army needed "mobile land forces" to counter a Japanese invasion or raids. In a paper written in 1929, Lavarack predicted that Japan would only attack the British empire if Britain were involved in a major European war, which would put into question the entire assumptions behind the Singapore strategy, namely that the British would be able to move the main battle fleet to Singapore in the event of a Japanese threat.

In January 1933, Lavarack was made commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. After completing his five-year term in 1951, Lavarack's governorship was extended by another five years to 1956. In February 1952, he proclaimed Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch in Queensland, following the death of her father King George VI. Lavarack's oath of allegiance and oath of office were then re-administered (at his request) to reflect the new monarch. He was then reappointed for a further year from 1 October 1956, but due to ill health, Lavarack only served four months of the extended term, and was relieved of his duties on 25 January 1957 by his lieutenant governor, although he officially remained governor until September 1957.

Later life Left to right: Sir John Lavarack, his son Jim and daughter-in-law Sue, and his wife Sybil, Lady Lavarack at Government House, Brisbane circa 1954. Lavarack retired to his home in Buderim on a pension of £1000 per annum. On 4 December 1957, he collapsed at the breakfast table and died. He was survived by his wife and three sons. A state funeral was held on 5 December 1957.

Honours For his service during the First World War, Lavarack was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (1918) and the French Croix de guerre (1919). He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1919, and Mentioned in Despatches three times.

The Lavarack Barracks in Townsville, Queensland were named in his honour.

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