Henry Wynter
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General
Henry Douglas Wynter, CB, CMG, DSO
(6 June 1886 – 7 February 1945) was a regular Australian Army
officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general
during World War II
. Official Historian Gavin Long
described him as "perhaps the clearest and most profound thinker the Australian Army of his generation had produced."
Wynter joined the Australian Army as a reservist in 1907 before becoming a regular officer in 1911. On duty in Queensland
when the Great War broke out in 1914, he joined the 11th Infantry Brigade in 1916 as its brigade major
. He served on a series of staff posts on the Western Front
. After the war attended the Staff College, Camberley
and Imperial Defence College
.
Wynter's public criticism of the government's Singapore strategy
led to his being reduced in rank and sent to Queensland
. In 1938 he assumed command of the Army Command and Staff College. In 1940 he accepted a reduction in rank to become the Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General of I Corps. Wynter embarked for the Middle East in May 1940 with the advance party of I Corps but the convoy he was travelling with was diverted to the United Kingdom. He was appointed to command the AIF there, with a key role in the defence of southern England. In October 1940 his force became the nucleus of a new 9th Division, which he was appointed to command. Ill-health forced him to return to Australia, where he became Lieutenant General Administration.
, the sixth surviving child of Henry Philip Walter Wynter, a sugarcane
farmer, and his Maria Louisa née Maunsell. He was educated at Maryborough Grammar School
, where he served in the Australian Army Cadets
.
Wynter was a lieutenant
of Cadets from 1 July 1906 to 2 February 1907. On 26 February 1907 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in a Militia
unit, the Wide Bay Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant
on 24 March 1908 and captain on 24 June 1909. On 1 February 1911 Wynter transferred to the Administrative and Instructional Staff of the 1st Military District (Queensland), nominally with the rank of probationary lieutenant, but he was allowed to retain his Militia rank of captain. He was promoted to captain in the Permanent Military Forces on 1 July 1913.
Wynter married Ethel May White, a nurse, on 5 September 1913. They eventually had two sons.
on 24 April 1916 as a major
, having been promoted to the brevet rank on 1 December 1915. He became brigade major
of the 11th Infantry Brigade
, part of the newly-formed 3rd Division. At this time Wynter noticed his eyesight was deteriorating, and he was supplied with glasses. Wynter embarked for the United Kingdom from Sydney
with the 11th Infantry Brigade headquarters
on the transport HMAT Demosthenes on 18 May 1916, arriving on 20 July 1916.
The 3rd Division continued its training on the Salisbury Plain
in England but in October 1916 Wynter was sent to the 4th Division in France as its Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (DAA&QMG). On 24 March 1917, he was transferred to I Anzac Corps
headquarters as its Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (DAAG). He was promoted to lieutenant colonel
on 23 July 1917. On 6 July 1918 he was among a small number of Australian officers who accompanied General
Sir William Birdwood to Fifth Army headquarters. He rejoined the Australian Corps headquarters on 1 February 1919. For his services as a staff officer, Wynter was mentioned in despatches four times,
was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
and made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.
. The first two post-war classes at the re-opened Staff College were awash with distinguished students. Twenty had been brigadier general
s; five had been awarded the Victoria Cross
and no less than 170, including Wynter, had been awarded the Distinguished service Order. On returning to Australia in 1923, Wynter was posted to Army Headquarters in Melbourne as a staff officer. In 1925, he became Director of Mobilisation, responsible for the development of war plans.
Wynter published a paper on the command of the Imperial
forces in wartime in the British Army Quarterly in 1925. He became a notable critic of the Singapore strategy
of the government of Prime Minister
Stanley Bruce
. In September 1926 he delivered a lecture to the United Services Institute
of Victoria entitled "The Strategical Inter-relationship of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force: and Australian View", which was subsequently published in the British Army Quarterly in April 1927. In this article Wynter argued that if war was most likely to break out in the Pacific at a time when the United Kingdom was involved in a crisis in Europe which would prevent it from sending sufficient resources to Singapore and that Singapore was vulnerable, especially to attack from the land and air. Wynter argued for a more balanced policy of building up the Army and RAAF rather than relying on the RAN
, which was receiving the lion's share of defence funding at the time. Wynter attended the Imperial Defence College
in 1930. Soon after returning to Australia, Wynter became director of Military Training, with the acting rank of colonel
.
Following the visit of the British Cabinet Secretary
, Sir Maurice Hankey
, to Australia in 1934, political interest in the Singapore Strategy debate rose. A copy of Wynter's 1927 paper came into the possession of Senator
Charles Brand
, who had it copied and circulated amongst the members of the Parliament of Australia
. On 5 November 1936, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr John Curtin
used the paper to bolster a strong attack on the policies of the Minister for Defence
, Mr Archdale Parkhill
. Parkhill was further embarrassed by an article in the Daily Telegraph
written by Wynter's son Philip, that Parkhill believed contained classified information. In retaliation, in March 1937, Parkhill had Wynter posted to the staff of the 11th Mixed Brigade in Queensland at his substantive rank of lieutenant colonel, with a consequentially reduced salary. At the same time, Parkhill withdrew his recommendation for the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General
John Lavarack
, another opponent of the Singapore strategy, to be awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Parkhill lost his seat in the 1937 election
and Lavarack recalled Wynter, who had been promoted to colonel on 1 July 1937, to command the new Army Command and Staff College, which opened at Victoria Barracks, Sydney
on 1 July 1938. This was an important initiative for Lavarack, who was concerned that, just as politicians were uncritically following the Singapore strategy, too many military officers were uncritically adopting British ideas. Lavarack hoped to "develop and teach a system which, while taking note generally of the British Army system, will also be suitable to our special conditions." Wynter was promoted to brigadier
on 28 August 1939.
In October 1939, Wynter was promoted to major general
and assumed command of Northern Command. In April 1940, I Corps was formed and Wynter accepted an offer from Lieutenant General
Sir Thomas Blamey
to become its Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General, its senior administrative officer, "a post somewhat smaller than his exceptional experience and talents deserved but the highest the overseas force could offer in the field". Acceptance also involved a drop in rank back to brigadier. Wynter joined the Second Australian Imperial Force
on 22 April 1940, and was given the AIF serial number QX6150.
Wynter embarked from Melbourne on 15 May 1940 with the advance party of I Corps with orders to establish a base organisation in the Middle East but the convoy he was travelling with was diverted to the United Kingdom. Up until a couple of days before it arrived, the convoy had been under the command of Brigadier Leslie Morshead
of the 18th Infantry Brigade
but on 18 April, Wynter discovered that the Military Board back in Australia had promoted him to major general and appointed him to command the AIF in the United Kingdom. Wynter decided that, given the immediate danger of a German invasion of the United Kingdom, his force had to be ready to fight. He therefore reorganised the troops available to form a second infantry brigade. The 18th Infantry Brigade became the Southern Command
Striking Force, with a key role in the defence of southern England. However, the anticipated invasion did not eventuate.
In September Wynter was informed that his force would become the nucleus of a new 9th Division and on 23 October 1940 he was appointed to command it. Wynter and 18th Infantry Brigade departed the United Kingdom for the Middle East in November 1940. In January 1941, the medical authorities deemed him medically unfit for further duty and ordered his return to Australia for treatment. He arrived back in Sydney on 12 April 1941 and his AIF appointment was terminated on 6 July 1941. For his service in the United Kingdom, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1942.
Wynter assumed command of Eastern Command on 12 December 1941. In Blamey's reorganisation of the Army in April 1942, Wynter was appointed Lieutenant General Administration (LGA) at Allied Land Headquarters in Melbourne. As such he was in charge of all of the Army's logistical activities. His principal subordinates were the Adjutant General
, Major General Victor Stantke; the Quartermaster General
, Major General James Cannan
; and the Master General of the Ordnance, Major General Leslie Beavis.
Suffering from high blood pressure, Wynter relinquished his post of LGA on 19 September 1944. The next day he was placed on the Supernumerary List pending retirement. He was admitted to the 115th General Hospital
in Heidelberg, Victoria
where he died on 7 February 1945. The medical officer listed the cause of death as uremia
and hypertension
. He was buried with military honours in Springvale cemetery.
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
Henry Douglas Wynter, CB, CMG, 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...
(6 June 1886 – 7 February 1945) was a regular Australian Army
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...
officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
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...
. Official Historian Gavin Long
Gavin Long
Gavin Merrick Long OBE was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was the general editor of the Australia in the War of 1939–1945 and the author of three of the 22 volumes in the series....
described him as "perhaps the clearest and most profound thinker the Australian Army of his generation had produced."
Wynter joined the Australian Army as a reservist in 1907 before becoming a regular officer in 1911. On duty in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
when the Great War broke out in 1914, he joined the 11th Infantry Brigade in 1916 as its 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"...
. He served on a series of staff posts 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...
. After the war attended the Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
and Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
.
Wynter's public criticism of the government's Singapore strategy
Singapore strategy
The Singapore strategy was a strategy of the British Empire between 1919 and 1941. It was a series of war plans that evolved over a twenty year period to deter or defeat aggression by the Empire of Japan by basing a fleet of the Royal Navy at Singapore. Ideally, this fleet would be able to...
led to his being reduced in rank and sent to Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. In 1938 he assumed command of the Army Command and Staff College. In 1940 he accepted a reduction in rank to become the Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General of I Corps. Wynter embarked for the Middle East in May 1940 with the advance party of I Corps but the convoy he was travelling with was diverted to the United Kingdom. He was appointed to command the AIF there, with a key role in the defence of southern England. In October 1940 his force became the nucleus of a new 9th Division, which he was appointed to command. Ill-health forced him to return to Australia, where he became Lieutenant General Administration.
Education and early life
Henry Douglas Wynter was born on 5 June 1886 at Gin Gin, QueenslandGin Gin, Queensland
Gin Gin is a small rural town located on the Bruce Highway in central Queensland, Australia, approximately 51 km west of Bundaberg and 370 km north-west of Brisbane, the state capital. The town owes its existence to its strategic location about halfway between Brisbane and Rockhampton. It...
, the sixth surviving child of Henry Philip Walter Wynter, a sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
farmer, and his Maria Louisa née Maunsell. He was educated at Maryborough Grammar School
Maryborough State High School
Maryborough State High School is a public high school located in Maryborough, Queensland. The school is run by the Queensland State Government, and is split on either side of Kent Street. The school colors are blue and brown...
, where he served in the Australian Army Cadets
Australian Army Cadets
The Australian Army Cadets is a youth organisation that is involved with progressive training of youths in military and adventurous activities. The programme has more than 19,000 Army Cadets between the ages of 12½ and 19 based in 236 units around Australia...
.
Wynter was 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...
of Cadets from 1 July 1906 to 2 February 1907. On 26 February 1907 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in a Militia
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...
unit, the Wide Bay Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to 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...
on 24 March 1908 and captain on 24 June 1909. On 1 February 1911 Wynter transferred to the Administrative and Instructional Staff of the 1st Military District (Queensland), nominally with the rank of probationary lieutenant, but he was allowed to retain his Militia rank of captain. He was promoted to captain in the Permanent Military Forces on 1 July 1913.
Wynter married Ethel May White, a nurse, on 5 September 1913. They eventually had two sons.
First World War
Wynter joined the First Australian Imperial ForceFirst Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
on 24 April 1916 as 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. ...
, having been promoted to the brevet rank on 1 December 1915. He became 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"...
of the 11th Infantry Brigade
11th Brigade (Australia)
The Australian 11th Brigade is an Australian Army brigade which currently comprises most Australian Army Reserve units located in Queensland. The Brigade was first formed in early 1916 as part of the 3rd Division and saw action during World War I and World War II.-Brigade Structure:*Headquarters...
, part of the newly-formed 3rd Division. At this time Wynter noticed his eyesight was deteriorating, and he was supplied with glasses. Wynter embarked for the United Kingdom from 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...
with the 11th Infantry Brigade headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
on the transport HMAT Demosthenes on 18 May 1916, arriving on 20 July 1916.
The 3rd Division continued its training on the Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
in England but in October 1916 Wynter was sent to the 4th Division in France as its Deputy Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (DAA&QMG). On 24 March 1917, he was transferred to I Anzac Corps
I Anzac Corps
The I ANZAC Corps was a combined Australian and New Zealand army corps that served during World War I.It was formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli...
headquarters as its Deputy Assistant Adjutant General (DAAG). He was promoted to 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...
on 23 July 1917. On 6 July 1918 he was among a small number of Australian officers who accompanied General
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
Sir William Birdwood to Fifth Army headquarters. He rejoined the Australian Corps headquarters on 1 February 1919. For his services as a staff officer, Wynter was mentioned in despatches four times,
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...
and made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.
Between the wars
Wynter returned to Australia, disembarking in Sydney on 19 February 1920. His AIF appointment was terminated on 18 April 1920 and he reverted to his permanent rank of major. He was entitled to retain his AIF rank as an honorary rank but would not be promoted to the substantive rank until 1 October 1931. Wynter was posted to the 4th Military District (South Australia) but his sojourn in Australia was brief. On 19 November 1920 he re-embarked for the United Kingdom to attend the Staff College, CamberleyStaff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
. The first two post-war classes at the re-opened Staff College were awash with distinguished students. Twenty had been 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...
s; five had been awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
and no less than 170, including Wynter, had been awarded the Distinguished service Order. On returning to Australia in 1923, Wynter was posted to Army Headquarters in Melbourne as a staff officer. In 1925, he became Director of Mobilisation, responsible for the development of war plans.
Wynter published a paper on the command of the Imperial
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 wartime in the British Army Quarterly in 1925. He became a notable critic of the Singapore strategy
Singapore strategy
The Singapore strategy was a strategy of the British Empire between 1919 and 1941. It was a series of war plans that evolved over a twenty year period to deter or defeat aggression by the Empire of Japan by basing a fleet of the Royal Navy at Singapore. Ideally, this fleet would be able to...
of the government of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
. In September 1926 he delivered a lecture to the United Services Institute
Royal United Services Institute
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies , officially still known by its old name, the Royal United Services Institution, is a British defence and security think tank. It was founded in 1831 by The Duke of Wellington.RUSI describes itself asIt won Prospect Magazine's...
of Victoria entitled "The Strategical Inter-relationship of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force: and Australian View", which was subsequently published in the British Army Quarterly in April 1927. In this article Wynter argued that if war was most likely to break out in the Pacific at a time when the United Kingdom was involved in a crisis in Europe which would prevent it from sending sufficient resources to Singapore and that Singapore was vulnerable, especially to attack from the land and air. Wynter argued for a more balanced policy of building up the Army and RAAF rather than relying on the RAN
Rán
In Norse mythology, Rán is a sea goddess. According to Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda book Skáldskaparmál, in his retelling of the Poetic Edda poem Lokasenna, she is married to Ægir and they have nine daughters together...
, which was receiving the lion's share of defence funding at the time. Wynter attended the Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
in 1930. Soon after returning to Australia, Wynter became director of Military Training, with the acting rank of 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...
.
Following the visit of the British Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet Secretary
A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. In many countries, the position can have considerably wider functions and powers, including general responsibility for the entire civil service...
, Sir Maurice Hankey
Maurice Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey
Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC was a British civil servant who gained prominence as the first Cabinet Secretary and who later made the rare transition from the civil service to ministerial office.-Life and career:The third son of R. A...
, to Australia in 1934, political interest in the Singapore Strategy debate rose. A copy of Wynter's 1927 paper came into the possession of Senator
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
Charles Brand
Charles Brand
Major General Charles Henry Brand CB, CMG, CVO, DSO was an Australian Army brigadier-general in World War I. He retired in 1930 as a major-general.-Early life and career:...
, who had it copied and circulated amongst the members of the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
. On 5 November 1936, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
used the paper to bolster a strong attack on the policies of the Minister for Defence
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
, Mr Archdale Parkhill
Archdale Parkhill
Sir Robert Archdale Parkhill KCMG was an Australian politician. He was born at Paddington in Sydney to Robert Parkhill, a stonemason, and Isabella, née Chisholm. He attended Paddington and Waverley Public schools and became known as an excellent sportsman, participating in cricket, fencing, boxing...
. Parkhill was further embarrassed by an article in the Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
written by Wynter's son Philip, that Parkhill believed contained classified information. In retaliation, in March 1937, Parkhill had Wynter posted to the staff of the 11th Mixed Brigade in Queensland at his substantive rank of lieutenant colonel, with a consequentially reduced salary. At the same time, Parkhill withdrew his recommendation for the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
John Lavarack
John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
, another opponent of the Singapore strategy, to be awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Parkhill lost his seat in the 1937 election
Australian federal election, 1937
Federal elections were held in Australia on 23 October 1937. All 74 seats in the House of Representatives, and 19 of the 36 seats in the Senate were up for election...
and Lavarack recalled Wynter, who had been promoted to colonel on 1 July 1937, to command the new Army Command and Staff College, which opened at Victoria Barracks, Sydney
Victoria Barracks, Sydney
Victoria Barracks is an Australian Army base in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Victoria Barracks is located in the suburb of Paddington, between Oxford Street and Moore Park Road...
on 1 July 1938. This was an important initiative for Lavarack, who was concerned that, just as politicians were uncritically following the Singapore strategy, too many military officers were uncritically adopting British ideas. Lavarack hoped to "develop and teach a system which, while taking note generally of the British Army system, will also be suitable to our special conditions." Wynter 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....
on 28 August 1939.
Second World War
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 assumed command of Northern Command. In April 1940, I Corps was formed and Wynter accepted an offer from Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
Sir Thomas Blamey
Thomas Blamey
Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to date to attain the rank of field marshal....
to become its Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General, its senior administrative officer, "a post somewhat smaller than his exceptional experience and talents deserved but the highest the overseas force could offer in the field". Acceptance also involved a drop in rank back to brigadier. Wynter joined the Second Australian Imperial Force
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...
on 22 April 1940, and was given the AIF serial number QX6150.
Wynter embarked from Melbourne on 15 May 1940 with the advance party of I Corps with orders to establish a base organisation in the Middle East but the convoy he was travelling with was diverted to the United Kingdom. Up until a couple of days before it arrived, the convoy had been under the command of Brigadier Leslie Morshead
Leslie Morshead
Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian soldier, teacher, businessman, and farmer, with a distinguished military career that spanned both world wars...
of the 18th Infantry Brigade
18th Brigade (Australia)
The 18th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army, which served during the Second World War. The brigade was raised on 13 October 1939 and was one of the first three infantry brigades of the Second Australian Imperial Force to be formed. Initially commanded by Brigadier Leslie...
but on 18 April, Wynter discovered that the Military Board back in Australia had promoted him to major general and appointed him to command the AIF in the United Kingdom. Wynter decided that, given the immediate danger of a German invasion of the United Kingdom, his force had to be ready to fight. He therefore reorganised the troops available to form a second infantry brigade. The 18th Infantry Brigade became the Southern Command
Southern Command (United Kingdom)
-History:The Command was established in 1905 from the Second Army Corps and was initially based at Tidworth but in 1949 moved to Fugglestone Farm near Wilton in Wiltshire....
Striking Force, with a key role in the defence of southern England. However, the anticipated invasion did not eventuate.
In September Wynter was informed that his force would become the nucleus of a new 9th Division and on 23 October 1940 he was appointed to command it. Wynter and 18th Infantry Brigade departed the United Kingdom for the Middle East in November 1940. In January 1941, the medical authorities deemed him medically unfit for further duty and ordered his return to Australia for treatment. He arrived back in Sydney on 12 April 1941 and his AIF appointment was terminated on 6 July 1941. For his service in the United Kingdom, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1942.
Wynter assumed command of Eastern Command on 12 December 1941. In Blamey's reorganisation of the Army in April 1942, Wynter was appointed Lieutenant General Administration (LGA) at Allied Land Headquarters in Melbourne. As such he was in charge of all of the Army's logistical activities. His principal subordinates were the Adjutant General
Adjutant general
An Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue...
, Major General Victor Stantke; the Quartermaster General
Quartermaster general
A Quartermaster general is the staff officer in charge of supplies for a whole army.- The United Kingdom :In the United Kingdom, the Quartermaster-General to the Forces is one of the most senior generals in the British Army...
, Major General James Cannan
James Harold Cannan
Major General James Harold Cannan, CB, CMG, DSO, VD was an Australian Army brigadier general in the First World War and the Quartermaster General during the Second World War....
; and the Master General of the Ordnance, Major General Leslie Beavis.
Suffering from high blood pressure, Wynter relinquished his post of LGA on 19 September 1944. The next day he was placed on the Supernumerary List pending retirement. He was admitted to the 115th General Hospital
Austin Hospital, Melbourne
The Austin Hospital is a major teaching public hospital located in Melbourne's north eastern suburb of Heidelberg, and is administrated by Austin Health, along with the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.-History:...
in Heidelberg, Victoria
Heidelberg, Victoria
Heidelberg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule....
where he died on 7 February 1945. The medical officer listed the cause of death as uremia
Uremia
Uremia or uraemia is a term used to loosely describe the illness accompanying kidney failure , in particular the nitrogenous waste products associated with the failure of this organ....
and hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
. He was buried with military honours in Springvale cemetery.