William George Stevens

Major-General William George Stevens, (11 December 1893 – 7 August 1975) was a New Zealand military leader and administrator.

Born in England, Stevens emigrated to New Zealand with his family in 1895. He joined the New Zealand Military Forces in 1912 and later served with the New Zealand Field Artillery during the First World War. Between the wars he attended Staff College in England and later held a number of positions which required co-ordination of civilian and military resources. During the Second World War he held important administrative roles in the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF). He was commander of the 2NZEF from November 1945 to June 1946 and oversaw its demobilisation.

Stevens retired from the military in 1946 with the rank of major-general. He became a diplomat, serving at the New Zealand High Commission in London for several years before his retirement in 1953. He later authored two volumes of the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45. He died in 1975 in Nelson.

Early life William George Stevens was born in London, England, on 11 December 1893. His father, William Stevens, was a mariner employed by the New Zealand Shipping Company and would be absent from the family home for long periods of time while at sea. His mother, Catherine , was a former teacher. The Stevens family moved to New Zealand in 1895 and settled in Auckland. He attended Auckland Grammar School and planned to pursue a career in civil engineering but his mother encouraged him to enter the New Zealand Military Forces.

Military career In 1912, after initially being rejected due to a heart murmur, Stevens entered the Royal Military College at Duntroon in Australia as a cadet officer. He enjoyed his time at Duntroon but when the First World War broke out, his class was graduated early in November 1914. before being appointed staff captain of the divisional artillery in December 1917. He was serving in this role when the war ended in November 1918. He was discharged from the NZEF in September 1919 with the rank of major. In November 1945, he reached the pinnacle of his military career when he was appointed general officer commanding, 2NZEF, replacing Bernard Freyberg. Promoted to major-general, he oversaw the demobilisation of the 2NZEF until mid-1946.

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