Australian Military Units

Major General James Harold 'Bull' Cannan, CB, CMG, DSO, VD

Date of birth1882-08-29 Townsville, QLD 
Date and unit at appointment (Officers)  1903-03-27  Commissioned asa second Lieutenant in the 1st Queensland (Moreton) Regiment. 
Date promoted  1903-11-27  Promoted to first lieutenant. 
Date promoted  1904-09-24  Promoted to captain. 
Date promoted  1911-08-14  Promoted to major. 
Other units  1912-07-01  Transferred to the 8th Infantry (Oxley) Battalion and took command of it. 
Date promoted  1914-05-09  Promoted to lieutenant colonel. 
Other units  1914-08-05 - 1914-08-31  Appointed to command the Lytton Defences. 
Date and unit at appointment (Officers)  1914-09-23  Appointed to the AIF, commanding the 15th Battalion. 
Date of honour or award  1915  For his part in the Gallipoli campaign, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB). 
Other  1915-04-25  Arrived at Gallipoli in the evening. 
Other  1915-08-08  Lieutenant Colonel Cannan's brother, Major D H Cannan, killed in the 15th Battalion's attack on the Sari Bair Range. 
Other  1915-10  Evacuated sick, rejoining the 15th Battalion in Egypt. 
Other  1916-06  The 15th Battalion moved to France and saw action at Poziers and Mouquet Farm. 
Other  1916-08-30  Appointed to command the 11th Infantry Brigade. Made Colonel and Temporary Brigadier General. 
Date promoted  1917-06-24  Made a Brevet Colonel. 
Date of honour or award  1918  Awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for the battles of August and September 1918. 
Date of honour or award  1918-06-03  Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG). 
Other units  1918-10-01 - 1920-06-30  Commanded the 2/15th Infantry Battalion. 
Date of honour or award  1919-04-05  Belgiam Croix de Guerre. 
Date returned to Australia  1919-08-22   
Other  1919-12-13  Appointment to the AIF terminated. 
Other  1920-04-01 - 1923-03-21  Aide de Camp to the Govenor General. 
Date promoted  1920-07-01  Appointed honorary brigadier general. 
Date promoted  1920-07-01  Promoted to colonel. 
Other  1920-07-01 - 1921-05-30  Commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade. 
Other  1921-05-01 - 1925-04-30  Commanded the 11th Mixed Brigade. 
Other  1925-04-30  Transferred to the unattached list. 
Other  1940-05-27  Appointed Inspector General of Administration at the Department of Defence. 
Date promoted  1940-07-07  Appointed temporary major general and took over command of the 2nd Division. 
Other  1940-10-24  Became Quartermaster General and appointed a member of the Military Board. 
Other  1943-09  General Thomas Blamey nominated Cannan for a Knight of the British Empire (KBE) but it was refused. 
Other  1946 - 1947  Director of the United Nations Relief and Rehabillitation Administration in the South West Pacific. 
Other  1948 - 1957  Director of the Services Canteen Trust. 
Other  1950 - 1951  Director of the Queensland division of the Australian Red Cross Society. 
Date of death1976-05-23