born on 16 April 1865 at Tabulam in New South Wales
a most accomplished horseman
My name is Harry Chauvel and I represent ‘Young and free’ because in 1929 I
became the first Australian soldier to be promoted to the rank of general. By then I had
had a long and distinguished career as a combat soldier and administrator. I had always
wanted to be in the Army because it was a family tradition. In 1888 my family moved to
Queensland, and in 1896 I was appointed as a captain with the Queensland Military Forces.
This was before Federation, when each colony had its own military force. At the outbreak
of World War One, in 1914, I was chosen to command the 1st Light Horse Brigade. I was one
of only two regular Australian soldiers to obtain a senior command in the original
Australian Imperial Force (AIF), the first Australian military force to be formed after
Federation. Then in 1918, towards the end of World War One, my divisions of the Desert
Mounted Corps were involved in one of the most successful operations of the war. Thanks to
careful planning, and some twenty-four hours of hard riding, I was able to position my
corps some 50 to 60 kilometres behind the disorganised Turkish army. The ensuing battle at
Megiddo marked the beginning of the end of the war in the Near East.
1901-2001 Centenary of
Federation