Brigadier General William Burgess

Portrait of Brigadier-General William Livingstone Hatchwell Burgess (1880-1964), CMG, DSO, Commanding 4th Division Artillery, AIF.Born in England, William Burgess emigrated to New Zealand in the 1890s and worked as a carpenter and engineer before joining the New Zealand Volunteer Force, serving with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles in Timaru. He transferred to the New Zealand Regiment of Field Artillery Volunteers in Auckland. In November 1913 he was seconded to the Australian Military Forces for 12 months duty as an exchange officer and he subsequently became Brigade major on the staff of the 6th Military District in Hobart, Tasmania. He was appointed to the AIF as Captain in August 1914 and commanded the 9th Field Artillery Battery. After training in Egypt, he went ashore at Anzac in May 1915 and was promoted to Lt. Colonel in March 1916, two weeks before embarking for France. In France his brigade participated in the advance to the Hindenburg Line and the fighting around Bullecourt. Burgess returned to New Zealand after the war and in 1921 became chief of staff at Army Headquarters. In 1924 he became Director of Military Intelligence and in 1931 was appointed General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Forces.