Lavarack, John Dudley, Sir, 1885-1957

Sir John Lavarack served as Australian Chief of the General Staff during World War II and Governor of Queensland 1946-1957. A brilliant professional soldier, he was forced to step down for General Blamey. Lavarack had command of the 7th Division in the Middle East and led it in the brief but bitter Syrian campaign, the only sucessful 1941 campaign in that area.

John Dudley Lavarack was born 19 December 1885, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane, the son of Cecil Wallace Lavarack and Helen Jessie MacKenzie. His paternal grandparents were James Lavarack, and Stella Allender, his maternal grandfather was Colonel Robert Mackenzie. Following his education at Brisbane Grammar School, he gained a commission in the Permanent Military Forces. On 7 August 1905 he was appointed lieutenant, Royal Australian Artillery. His junior regimental postings took him to Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Thursday Island and Queenscliff, Victoria.

Sybil Nevett Ochiltree was born in 1889, in Ballarat, Victoria, the third and youngest child of Edward Graham Ochiltree and Laura Josephine Mitchell.

John Dudley Lavarack met Sybil Nevette Ochiltree in Queenscliff, Victoria in 1909, when Sibyl was 19 and John 22. They were engaged within three weeks of meeting. They endured a long separation shortly after announcing their engagement, when John was posted to Thursday Island. In Sybil?s(?) own words, ?Almost immediately John was posted to Thursday Island. The powers that be didn?t like young officers marrying too young and doubtless thought John and Sybil would tire of waiting. They were wrong.? On 10 October 1912, Captain John Lavarack and Sybil Ochiltree were married at St George's Anglican Church, Queenscliff.

Following their marriage John and Sybil travelled to England, where John attended the Staff College, Camberley from early 1913 until the outbreak of World War I. During the war, John saw extensive service in the British and Australian Forces, and by the end of the war had risen to the rank of lieutenant colonel. For his war service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (1918) and the French Croix de Guerre (1919) and thrice mentioned in dispatches. In 1919 he was appointed C.M.G. (Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George). It was during this time in England that their first two sons were born, John Ochiltree in 1914 and Peter in 1915. Their third son, James Wallace, was born in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1922.

John Lavarack was a career officer, and following his return to Australia in 1919 was posted to the Royal Military College, Duntroon, as director of military art. From this time until the start of the Second World War, he held various military positions and received a number of promotions. He was appointed as C.B. (Companion of the Order of the Bath) in 1937.

In May 1939 John and Sybil returned to Britain so John could meet with senior British officers. They were in England when war was declared, and returned to Australia in September. John was promoted lieutenant general and given Southern Command. Sybil also played her part during the war ? she was president of the AIF Women?s Association and President of the Staff Corps Auxiliary. In March 1940 John was given command the 7th Division and reverted to the rank of major general to accept the appointment. He arrived in the Middle East in November of that year. As head of the 7th Division he was engaged at Tobruk and Syria through 1941.

John was promoted lieutenant general in June 1941 and given command of I Corps. The corps took responsibility for conducting almost the whole of the Syrian campaign. Reorganizing his force, which included British, Indian and Free French troops as well as the 7th Division, he supervised the capture of Damascus and Damour. An armistice came into effect on 12 July. For his commands at Tobruk and in Syria, John Lavarack was appointed K.B.E. (Knight of the Order of the British Empire) in 1942.

Following the outbreak of war with Japan, plans were made for I Corps to sail to the Far East. Arriving in Java in January 1942, John endeavoured to prevent the first of his units from being retained in Java. He was unsuccessful in this effort, but the remainder of his men were diverted to Australia. He left Java by aeroplane and arrived in Melbourne on 26 February. In March he was acting commander-in-chief of the Australian Military Forces, until General Blamey returned to Australia. The following month he took command of the First Army with responsibility for the defense of Queensland and New South Wales.

Being denied further active service commands, he applied to go to Washington and in February 1944 he flew to the United States to become head of the Australian Military Mission. Sybil joined him in Washington some months later, and following the end of hostilities, they traveled through Canada and down to San Francisco before returning to Australia in July 1946. Sir John retired from the military on 18 September 1946.

The Lavaracks were planning to settle in Victoria when they received the unexpected news that Sir John had been appointed Governor of Queensland. The couple arrived in Brisbane on 1 October 1946, and following a ?grand welcome? at the airport, were driven through Brisbane to Parliament House where Sir John was formally sworn in as Governor.

Sir John Lavarack was the first Queensland and Australian born Governor of the State. He was appointed K.C.V.O. (Knight Commander of the Victorian Order) during the 1954 Royal Visit, and in 1955 was appointed K.C.M.G. (Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George). He held the position of Governor for two full terms and the first year of a third term until 25 January 1957 when he was relieved from his duties due to ill health. He died on 4 December 1957 in his home at Buderim, Queensland. He was accorded a State Funeral. Sybil continued to live at Buderim until her own death on 24 December 1974.

Information sourced from D. M. Horner, 'Lavarack, Sir John Dudley (1885 - 1957)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, and the Lavarack Family Album.