Portrait of Major General (Maj Gen) (later Sir) Edward Thomas Henry 'Curley' Hutton. Maj Gen ...

Portrait of Major General (Maj Gen) (later Sir) Edward Thomas Henry 'Curley' Hutton. Maj Gen Hutton was a British Army officer who held three colonial appointments during his army career. The first of these was a commander of the New South Wales Force between 1893 and 1896, where despite a small force and little money, he improved training, formed regiments into brigades, raised new corps and imposed a khaki uniform. Between 1898 and 1900 he was appointed to Canada where he was responsible for turning its disparate units into a modern army. He alienated many in the Canadian military because of his sweeping reforms and he was forced to resign when it was discovered he had secretly drafted plans for a force to go to the Boer War and fight in South Africa. He subsequently went to the Boer War, leading a brigade of soldiers from the British Empire and restoring his reputation. His final colonial appointment was as General Officer Commanding (GOC) in Australia in 1901, where his task to amalgamate the armies of each state into an Australian military force to train for participation in modern warfare. This task was to be completed with as little expense as possible and led to retrenchment, disbandments and lower pay, which, combined with an emphasis on drill and better discipline led to much discordance. However by 1904 the task of forming an Australian army was largely achieved, despite a post Boer War decline in martial training and recruitment. He terminated his appointment later that year after a furious quarrel and resignation, upon which he returned to England. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KCB) in 1912.