George Wootten
Encyclopedia
Major General
Sir George Frederick Wootten KBE
, CB
, DSO & Bar
, ED
(1 May 1893 - 30 March 1970), was an Australian soldier
, public servant, right wing
political activist and solicitor
. He rose to the rank of temporary Major General
during World War II
.
Wootten was famous, in part, for his heavy build. He put on weight after giving up smoking in 1930, and by 1941 — even though he was 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) tall — he weighed 127 kg (20 st). Nevertheless, he earned the respect of his soldiers and superiors; General
Douglas MacArthur
described Wootten as "the best soldier in the Australian Army who had it in him to reach the highest position".
Wootten was born in Marrickville
, Sydney
, the seventh child of English migrant parents, William Frederick Wootten (a carpenter and later a civil engineer) and Louisa Wootten, née Old, both of whom were born in London
. George Wootten attended Fort Street Model School
in Sydney.
He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon
, in 1911, and graduated in August 1914 as a Lieutenant
.
. He was posted to the 1st Battalion, went ashore at Gallipoli
on 25 April 1915, and was promoted to captain
in May that year. He was a major
by December.
Wootten later served on the Western Front
. He was Brigade Major
with the 11th Brigade, then with the 9th Brigade (under Brigadier General
Charles Rosenthal
). Wootten was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in October 1917 for staff work. He was then appointed to the staff of the 5th Division. In October 1918, he was appointed to the staff of Field Marshal
Sir Douglas Haig
, commander of British Empire
forces in France. He was mentioned in despatches four times.
Following the end of hostilities, Wootten was sent to the Staff College
, Camberley
, England, in March 1919.
, London on 3 January 1920. Wootten was posted back went to Australia that same year.
He resigned his commission in 1923, and moved back to London, where he worked as manager of a clothing factory.
Wootten returned to New South Wales in 1926 and became an articled clerk
at West Wyalong
. He was also recruited by a secret, quasi-official militia
organisation, the Old Guard, which had been formed by the conservative
Australian government of the day, in response to its fears about the supposed subversive
activities of left wing organisations. Wootten was admitted as a solicitor in July 1930, by which time he had four children. In 1931 he became an organiser for the Old Guard in Sydney.
Wootten joined the Citizen Military Forces
(CMF; the army reserve corps) and on 1 July 1937 — as a lieutenant colonel
— was appointed commander of the 21st Light Horse Regiment.
, On 13 October 1939, Wootten was seconded to the AIF
, and from 24 October 1939 until 9 February 1940, he commanded the 2/2nd Infantry Battalion. He then acting commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade until 20 May 1940.
I Corps was attached to the British Middle East Command
, and when an AIF Reinforcement Depot was set up in Palestine
, in late 1940, Wootten was promoted to temporary brigadier and made its commander.
Wootten was promoted to brigadier
, and from 1 February 1941, he commanded the 18th Infantry Brigade (7th Division), on active service in the North African campaign
, including the siege of Tobruk.
Following the outbreak of war with Japan
, the 7th Division returned to Australia and the 18th Brigade saw action on the Kokoda Track
, and was part of the historic victory over Japanese forces at Milne Bay
. This was followed by the fierce and costly fighting at Buna and Sanananda
.
On 15 March 1943, Wootten was promoted to temporary major general
and became General Officer Commanding, 9th Australian Infantry Division. Between September that year and January 1944 he led the 9th Division in the Battle of Lae
and the Huon Peninsula campaign
.
After a year of leave, consolidation, and re-training in Australia, the 9th took part in the Borneo campaign
, including Operation Oboe Six, the amphibious landings at Brunei and Labuan.
Wootten's nephew, Driver Evans, was a POW in Borneo who took part in one of the Sandakan death marches
, and was killed at Ranau.
Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, Wootten commanded the British Borneo Civil Affairs Unit, overseeing the recuperation and repatriation of Allied prisoners, surrendered Japanese personnel, and the transition back to civilian rule.
Wootten returned to Sydney on on 22 September, and transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 14 October. However, he was soon appointed to a military court of inquiry into Maj. Gen. Gordon Bennett's departure from Singapore in 1942.
In 1945-58, Wootten chaired the Repatriation Commission, in Melbourne
. He commanded the 3rd Division (CMF), in 1947-50 and was the CMF member of the Military Board in 1948-50. After retiring from the commission in 1958, he returned to Sydney.
Wootten died at the Repatriation General Hospital, Concord in 1970.
, with bar. He was also awarded the US Distinguished Service Cross
and Mentioned in Despatches four times. He was elevated to a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1958.
A 1956 portrait of Wootten by Sir William Dargie
is held at the Australian War Memorial
, Canberra
.
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
Sir George Frederick Wootten KBE
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...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO & Bar
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...
, ED
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
(1 May 1893 - 30 March 1970), was an Australian soldier
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, public servant, right wing
Right-wing politics
In politics, Right, right-wing and rightist generally refer to support for a hierarchical society justified on the basis of an appeal to natural law or tradition. To varying degrees, the Right rejects the egalitarian objectives of left-wing politics, claiming that the imposition of equality is...
political activist and solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
. He rose to the rank of temporary Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Wootten was famous, in part, for his heavy build. He put on weight after giving up smoking in 1930, and by 1941 — even though he was 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) tall — he weighed 127 kg (20 st). Nevertheless, he earned the respect of his soldiers and superiors; General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
described Wootten as "the best soldier in the Australian Army who had it in him to reach the highest position".
Early life
Marrickville, New South Wales
Marrickville, a suburb of Sydney's Inner West is located 7 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the state of New South Wales, Australia and is the largest suburb in the Marrickville Council local government area...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, the seventh child of English migrant parents, William Frederick Wootten (a carpenter and later a civil engineer) and Louisa Wootten, née Old, both of whom were born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. George Wootten attended Fort Street Model School
Fort Street High School
Fort Street High School is a co-educational, academically selective, public high school currently located at Petersham, an inner western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
in Sydney.
He entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
, in 1911, and graduated in August 1914 as a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
.
World War I
Wootten's graduation coincided with the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was posted to the 1st Battalion, went ashore at Gallipoli
Landing at Anzac Cove
The landing at Anzac Cove was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915. The landing, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast of the Peninsula, was made by soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was the first...
on 25 April 1915, and was promoted to captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in May that year. He was a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
by December.
Wootten later served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. He was Brigade Major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
with the 11th Brigade, then with the 9th Brigade (under Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Charles Rosenthal
Charles Rosenthal
Major General Sir Charles Rosenthal KCB, CMG, DSO, VD was an Australian Major General of World War I, and later a politician elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.- Early life :...
). Wootten was 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...
in October 1917 for staff work. He was then appointed to the staff of the 5th Division. In October 1918, he was appointed to the staff of Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Sir Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig was a British soldier and senior commander during World War I.Douglas Haig may also refer to:* Club Atlético Douglas Haig, a football club from Argentina* Douglas Haig , American actor...
, commander of British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
forces in France. He was mentioned in despatches four times.
Following the end of hostilities, Wootten was sent to the Staff College
Staff college
Staff colleges train military officers in the administrative, staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career...
, Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, England, in March 1919.
Civilian life between the wars
He married Muriel Frances Anna Bisgood, a nurse, at St Joseph's Catholic Church, RoehamptonRoehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
, London on 3 January 1920. Wootten was posted back went to Australia that same year.
He resigned his commission in 1923, and moved back to London, where he worked as manager of a clothing factory.
Wootten returned to New South Wales in 1926 and became an articled clerk
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
at West Wyalong
West Wyalong, New South Wales
West Wyalong is a town in New South Wales, Australia which is the main town of the Bland Shire, located in the Central West region of New South Wales. It is located 467 km west of Sydney. It is located on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the Mid-Western...
. He was also recruited by a secret, quasi-official militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
organisation, the Old Guard, which had been formed by the conservative
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
Australian government of the day, in response to its fears about the supposed subversive
Subversion (politics)
Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order, its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy; examples of such structures include the State. In this context, a "subversive" is sometimes called a "traitor" with respect to the government in-power. A subversive is...
activities of left wing organisations. Wootten was admitted as a solicitor in July 1930, by which time he had four children. In 1931 he became an organiser for the Old Guard in Sydney.
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
(CMF; the army reserve corps) and on 1 July 1937 — as a 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...
— was appointed commander of the 21st Light Horse Regiment.
World War II
Following the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, On 13 October 1939, Wootten was seconded to the AIF
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
, and from 24 October 1939 until 9 February 1940, he commanded the 2/2nd Infantry Battalion. He then acting commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade until 20 May 1940.
I Corps was attached to the British Middle East Command
Middle East Command
The Middle East Command was a British Army Command established prior to the Second World War in Egypt. Its primary role was to command British land forces and co-ordinate with the relevant naval and air commands to defend British interests in the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region.The...
, and when an AIF Reinforcement Depot was set up in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, in late 1940, Wootten was promoted to temporary brigadier and made its commander.
Wootten was promoted to 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....
, and from 1 February 1941, he commanded the 18th Infantry Brigade (7th Division), on active service in the North African campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, including the siege of Tobruk.
Following the outbreak of war with Japan
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
, the 7th Division returned to Australia and the 18th Brigade saw action on the Kokoda Track
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
, and was part of the historic victory over Japanese forces at Milne Bay
Battle of Milne Bay
The Battle of Milne Bay, also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on 25 August 1942, and fighting continued until the Japanese retreated on 5...
. This was followed by the fierce and costly fighting at Buna and Sanananda
Battle of Buna-Gona
The Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On 16 November 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. Both forces were riddled by disease and...
.
On 15 March 1943, Wootten was promoted to temporary major general
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
and became General Officer Commanding, 9th Australian Infantry Division. Between September that year and January 1944 he led the 9th Division in the Battle of Lae
Salamaua-Lae campaign
The Salamaua–Lae campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Australian and United States forces sought to capture two major Japanese bases, one in the town of Lae, and another one at Salamaua. The campaign to take the Salamaua and Lae area began with the Australian...
and the Huon Peninsula campaign
Huon Peninsula campaign
The Huon Peninsula campaign was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of the Second World War. Australian forces assaulted Japanese bases on the Huon Peninsula....
.
After a year of leave, consolidation, and re-training in Australia, the 9th took part in the Borneo campaign
Borneo campaign (1945)
The Borneo Campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between 1 May and 21 July, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. Allied naval and...
, including Operation Oboe Six, the amphibious landings at Brunei and Labuan.
Wootten's nephew, Driver Evans, was a POW in Borneo who took part in one of the Sandakan death marches
Sandakan Death Marches
The Sandakan Death Marches were a series of forced marches in Borneo from Sandakan to Ranau which resulted in the deaths of more than 3,600 Indonesian civilian slave labourers and 2,400 Allied prisoners of war held captive by the Empire of Japan during the Pacific campaign of World War II at prison...
, and was killed at Ranau.
Wootten returned to Sydney on on 22 September, and transferred to the Reserve of Officers on 14 October. However, he was soon appointed to a military court of inquiry into Maj. Gen. Gordon Bennett's departure from Singapore in 1942.
In 1945-58, Wootten chaired the Repatriation Commission, 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...
. He commanded the 3rd Division (CMF), in 1947-50 and was the CMF member of the Military Board in 1948-50. After retiring from the commission in 1958, he returned to Sydney.
Wootten died at the Repatriation General Hospital, Concord in 1970.
Honours
In recognition of his wartime service, Wootten was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and Companion of the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished 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...
, with bar. He was also awarded the US Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
and Mentioned in Despatches four times. He was elevated to a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1958.
A 1956 portrait of Wootten by Sir William Dargie
William Dargie
Sir William Alexander Dargie CBE was an Australian painter, known especially for his portrait paintings. He holds the record for the most Archibald Prize wins; eight. He was an official Australian War Artist during World War II.- Biography :William Dargie was born in Footscray, Victoria, the first...
is held at the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.