Edmund Lind
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Edmund Frank Lind CBE
, DSO
(23 December 1888 – 2 May 1944) was an Australian medical practitioner and soldier.
Lind was born in South Yarra to bank manager Edmund Frank Lind and Emily Margaret, née Harris, and educated at Camberwell
Grammar School. He attended the University of Melbourne
and received a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1914, subsequently practising in Williamstown
. On 20 August 1914 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
, retaining the rank of captain
he had achieved in the Melbourne University Rifles in 1910. He was posted as regimental medical officer to the 5th Battalion, and his criticisms of training conditions in Egypt
were heeded. He arrived at Gallipoli
on 28 May 1915, having been delayed by a fractured skull from a fall in April.
Following the 5th Battalion's extensive campaign in Turkey
, it was sent to Egypt on 11 December. Lind, who transferred to the 8th Field Ambulance on 2 April 1916, was promoted temporary major on 8 June and sailed for France, serving in the Battle of Fromelles
before joining the 9th Field Ambulance training in England. He was promoted full major on 14 November. Returning to France on 23 November, Lind was involved in the Battle of Messines
in June 1917 as a medical officer and on 22 August was appointed deputy assistant director of medical services (DADMS) for the II ANZAC Corps
, serving at Broodseinde
and Passchendaele. Appointed DADMS for the 4th Division on 11 January 1918 he served at the Battle of Hamel
in July and was promoted temporary lieutenant colonel
in September. His AIF appointment was ended in March 1919; he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order
and was twice mentioned in dispatches
.
On 23 June 1920 at St Paul's Cathedral
in Melbourne
, Lind married Beulah Rotterdale McMinn. He practised medicine in Brighton
and rejoined the Melbourne University Rifles, which he commanded from 1921 to 1926. In 1926 he became a staff officer on 4th Division Headquarters of the Australian Military Forces
, and in 1929 was given command of the 29th
and then the 29/22nd Battalions, and in 1934 the 4th Infantry Brigade. Promoted colonel
in 1936 and brigadier
in 1938, Lind led the Australian Military Contingent to King George VI's coronation in 1937.
Lind was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and commander of the 23rd Brigade
in July 1940 and deployed to the Northern Territory
, where it was dispersed, with one battalion sent to Rabaul
, another to Ambon and a third to Dutch Timor
. Lind's protestations led him to lose favour with General Staff, and Lind, instead of commanding the Sparrow Force
in Timor, was left to defend 28 miles of coastline near Darwin
. Concern at the 1942 air raids and a general replacement of officers led Lind to be removed from command in March and retired in July.
In 1943 Lind was appointed inaugural chairman of the Soldiers and Citizens Party and ran unsuccessfully for Henty
in the 1943 federal election
. He died of a heart attack in 1944 at South Yarra and was buried in Box Hill
.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Edmund Frank Lind CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(23 December 1888 – 2 May 1944) was an Australian medical practitioner and soldier.
Lind was born in South Yarra to bank manager Edmund Frank Lind and Emily Margaret, née Harris, and educated at Camberwell
Camberwell, Victoria
Camberwell is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Camberwell had a population of 19,637....
Grammar School. He attended the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and received a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery in 1914, subsequently practising in Williamstown
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....
. On 20 August 1914 he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
, retaining the rank of captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
he had achieved in the Melbourne University Rifles in 1910. He was posted as regimental medical officer to the 5th Battalion, and his criticisms of training conditions in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
were heeded. He arrived at Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
on 28 May 1915, having been delayed by a fractured skull from a fall in April.
Following the 5th Battalion's extensive campaign in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, it was sent to Egypt on 11 December. Lind, who transferred to the 8th Field Ambulance on 2 April 1916, was promoted temporary major on 8 June and sailed for France, serving in the Battle of Fromelles
Battle of Fromelles
The Battle of Fromelles, sometimes known as the Action at Fromelles or the Battle of Fleurbaix , occurred in France between 19 July and 20 July 1916, during World War I...
before joining the 9th Field Ambulance training in England. He was promoted full major on 14 November. Returning to France on 23 November, Lind was involved in the Battle of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
in June 1917 as a medical officer and on 22 August was appointed deputy assistant director of medical services (DADMS) for the II ANZAC Corps
II Anzac Corps
The II ANZAC Corps was an Australian and New Zealand First World War army corps formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganization of the Australian Imperial Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli in November 1915, under the command of William Birdwood...
, serving at Broodseinde
Battle of Broodseinde
The Battle of Broodseinde was the most successful attack of the Battle of Passchendaele. Using the "bite and hold" tactic , the Allied forces conducted an attack on well-entrenched German forces and showed that it was possible for the allies to overcome even the stoutest German...
and Passchendaele. Appointed DADMS for the 4th Division on 11 January 1918 he served at the Battle of Hamel
Battle of Hamel
The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack launched by the Australian Corps of the Australian Imperial Force and several American units against German positions in and around the town of Hamel in northern France during World War I....
in July and was promoted temporary lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in September. His AIF appointment was ended in March 1919; he had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and was twice mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
.
On 23 June 1920 at St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, is the metropolitical and cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. It is the seat of the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Metropolitan of the Province of Victoria...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Lind married Beulah Rotterdale McMinn. He practised medicine in Brighton
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...
and rejoined the Melbourne University Rifles, which he commanded from 1921 to 1926. In 1926 he became a staff officer on 4th Division Headquarters of the Australian Military Forces
Australian Military Forces
The Australian Military Forces was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the "regular army", and the forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen Military Forces and the Australian Citizen Military Force .Initially this...
, and in 1929 was given command of the 29th
29th Battalion (Australia)
The 29th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. First formed in 1915 for service during the First World War it fought in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium before being disbanded in 1918. In 1921 it was re-raised as a unit of Australia's part-time military...
and then the 29/22nd Battalions, and in 1934 the 4th Infantry Brigade. Promoted colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in 1936 and brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
in 1938, Lind led the Australian Military Contingent to King George VI's coronation in 1937.
Lind was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and commander of the 23rd Brigade
23rd Brigade (Australia)
The 23rd Brigade was a brigade of the Australian Army. Formed in 1940 for service during the Second World War, the brigade was initially a formation of the Second Australian Imperial Force assigned to the 8th Division, however, after its subunits were captured by the Japanese in 1942 it was...
in July 1940 and deployed to the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, where it was dispersed, with one battalion sent to Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, another to Ambon and a third to Dutch Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. Lind's protestations led him to lose favour with General Staff, and Lind, instead of commanding the Sparrow Force
Sparrow Force
Sparrow Force was a detachment based on the 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion and other British and Australian 8th Division units, during World War II. The force was formed to defend the island of Timor, from invasion by the Empire of Japan...
in Timor, was left to defend 28 miles of coastline near Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
. Concern at the 1942 air raids and a general replacement of officers led Lind to be removed from command in March and retired in July.
In 1943 Lind was appointed inaugural chairman of the Soldiers and Citizens Party and ran unsuccessfully for Henty
Division of Henty
The Division of Henty was an Australian Electoral Division in Victoria. The division was created in 1913 and abolished in 1990. It was named for the Henty family of Portland, the first European settlers in Victoria. It was located in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, including at various times...
in the 1943 federal election
Australian federal election, 1943
Federal elections were held in Australia on 21 August 1943. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election. The incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister of Australia John Curtin easily defeated the opposition Country Party led...
. He died of a heart attack in 1944 at South Yarra and was buried in Box Hill
Box Hill, Victoria
Box Hill is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse. At the 2006 Census, Box Hill had a population of 8,616....
.