Portrait of VX13844 Brigadier (Brig) John Austin Chapman, DSO, Chief of Staff, 7th Division. Brig ...

Portrait of VX13844 Brigadier (Brig) John Austin Chapman, DSO, Chief of Staff, 7th Division. Brig Chapman graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in June 1915 and was posted to the 30th Battalion. He embarked for the Middle East on 9 November 1915, where he helped to construct and man the Suez Canal defences. He was promoted to the rank of captain in June 1916 whilst serving in France and was evacuated to England in November 1916 after being gassed. He rejoined his unit in May 1917 and held the rank of adjutant until 30 October 1917, when he was promoted to the rank of major. While acting as the brigade major of the 8th Brigade, he reconnoitred the front line, under heavy fire, near the village of Estrées, France on 28 August 1918 and for his actions, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). At the cessation of the First World War he was posted back to Australia in June 1919 and continued his service in the Permanent Military Forces, holding staff and brigade major positions between 1919 and 1930. He returned to England in 1938 on exchange service and he taught at the British Army Staff College. With the outbreak of the Second World War, he was posted to the British 52nd (Lowland) Division and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel two months later. On 4 April 1939 he transferred back to the AIF as a colonel and embarked for the Middle East as chief of staff of the 7th Division. For his efforts during the Syrian campaign he was awarded a Bar to his DSO. In August 1941 he took command of the AIF's Base Area in the Middle East. He was later posted to Advanced Land Headquarters, Brisbane, Qld, as deputy-adjutant and quartermaster general, he was promoted to major general on 1 September 1942 and by October 1944 had become deputy chief of the General Staff. After the Second World War he was a member of the United Nations' (UN) commission of inquiry into incidents on the Greek frontier and he travelled to the Balkans. He also completed a period of duty in the United States (US) and was awarded the US Legion of Merit in 1949. He returned to Australia in February 1950 where he took the position of General Officer Commanding (GOC), Central Command. In February 1951 he was appointed as the Quartermaster General and third member of the Military Board in Melbourne until he retired from the military in December 1953. He died in Sydney on 19 April 1963, aged 67 years.