Iven Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay ( 7 April 1882 – 30 September 1966 ) was a senior Australian soldier who served in both World Wars . A graduate of the University of Sydney , Mackay taught physics there from 1910 until 1914 , when he joined the Australian Imperial Force . He served with the 4th Infantry Battalion at Gallipoli , where he distinguished himself in hand - to - hand fighting at the Battle of Lone Pine . In April 1916 , he assumed command of the 4th Infantry Battalion on the Western Front and led it at the Battle of Pozieres , Battle of Bullecourt and Battle of Broodseinde . He was promoted to brigadier general in June 1918 , and led the 1st Infantry Brigade at the Battle of Hazebrouck , the Battle of Amiens and in the attack on the Hindenburg Line . After the war Mackay studied physics at the University of Cambridge under Ernest Rutherford before returning to Australia and his old job as a lecturer at the University of Sydney . From 1933 to 1940 he was headmaster of Cranbrook School Sydney . He remained in the Militia between the wars , and was a major general by the time the Second World War broke out . He was selected to command the 6th Division in 1940 , and led it through the Australian Army ' s first battles of the war . Any doubts about his ability soon disappeared with the commitment of the division to the Western Desert Campaign . During the Battle of Bardia in January 1941 , the 6th Division captured the fortified town along with 36 , 000 Italian prisoners . In the Battle of Greece , he became the only Australian general to face the " Waffen SS " in battle . He suffered a series of reverses in Greece , but impressed the troops under his command with his courage under fire . He was recalled to Australia in 1941 to serve as General Officer Commanding Home Forces . On 6 April 1942 he assumed command of the Second Army . During 1943 he twice commanded New Guinea Force in the fighting in the New Guinea Campaign . His active service ended with his appointment as High Commissioner to India in November 1943 . Early life and career . Iven Giffard Mackay was born in Grafton , New South Wales , on 7 April 1882 . The eldest of three children , he was the only son of the Reverend Isaac Mackay , a Presbyterian minister from Armadale , Sutherland , Scotland , and his Canadian wife Emily Frances , née King . Iven was educated at Grafton Superior Public School , Newington College , and the University of Sydney , where he opened the batting for the university ' s cricket team , and won Blues for Rugby Union football and rowing . He graduated with his Bachelor of Arts ( BA ) degree in 1904 . Mackay had served in the Newington College cadet unit , reaching the rank of sergeant and winning a trophy in 1899 for being the school ' s best rifle shot . In 1911 , he became a lieutenant in the Cadet Corps . On 20 March 1913 , he transferred to the Militia as a lieutenant . In July he became the adjutant of the 26th Infantry Battalion , which was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry MacLaurin . As part of his training , he attended the School of Musketry in Randwick , New South Wales . He was promoted to captain on 1 June 1914 . Mackay joined Sydney Church of England Grammar School in 1905 , teaching various subjects and coaching the rowing and rugby teams . In 1910 he returned to the University of Sydney to teach physics . From 1913 to 1914 , he studied for a Diploma of Military Science course at the University of Sydney . First World War . Mackay joined the First Australian Imperial Force on 27 August 1914 as adjutant of the 4th Infantry Battalion , with the rank of captain . On 4 September 1914 , he married his fiancée , Marjorie Eveline Meredith , the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel John Meredith , in a ceremony at St Philip ' s Church , Sydney . The couple had met while Mackay was on holiday in Paterson , New South Wales in 1910 . In October 1914 , Mackay suffered a riding accident and was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with a punctured lung and broken ribs . The injury forced him to miss the scheduled embarkation of his battalion . He eventually sailed for Egypt with the 1st Reinforcements of the 13th Infantry Battalion , departing Sydney on the transport " Berrima " on 19 December 1914 , arriving at Alexandria on 31 January 1915 . He was then posted back to the 4th Infantry Battalion as the Transport Officer . He observed the landing at Gallipoli from the transport SS " Lake Michigan " , but did not go ashore with the battalion , as his job was to take care of the horses . He joined it there on 8 May 1915 . Heavy casualties in the early fighting had depleted the officer ranks and Mackay was promoted to major on 14 July 1915 , and given command of a company in August . Gallipoli . On 6 August 1915 , Mackay was involved in the Battle of Lone Pine . When the attack began , Mackay went over the top at the head of an attack . He ignored the first Turkish trench , taking a direct line to his objective . Firing from the hip , he shot and killed several Turks in the trenches below . Mackay positioned himself at the junction of two trenches , shooting down more enemy troops . When no others appeared , he came to the belief that the trenches were in Australian hands and ran across the junction into a wide bay . The first man who attempted to follow was shot dead , as were the next two after him . The rest decided not to follow . Mackay took up a position on a fire step , a raised part of the trench floor which allows men to fire over the top . Three Turkish soldiers appeared in the trench . Mackay attempted to fire but his magazine was empty . He lunged at the Turks , grazing one and making all three run . Mackay then instructed his party to fortify the position with sandbags . As the barricade was built up , it became possible for the rest of the party to join Mackay . The post became the north eastern corner of the new Australian position at Lone Pine . It was in an exposed position and came under hand grenade attack from Turkish troops . Mackay was slightly injured in one such attack . When Lieutenant Jack Massie was sent to relieve Mackay during the night , Mackay refused to leave the post . By the next day Mackay realised that the position could not be held . He personally kept the enemy at bay with his rifle while new barricades were constructed . When he was satisfied with the security of the new position he reported to the battalion commander , who sent him to have his wounds dressed . Mackay ' s injuries were severe enough for him to be evacuated to Malta and then England , and he did not rejoin his battalion until February 1916 , by which time it had been withdrawn to Egypt . For his actions at Lone Pine , Mackay was nominated for the Victoria Cross . He was overlooked for the award , although he was later Mentioned in Despatches . Western Front . Mackay sailed for France on 20 March 1916 on the transport " Minnewaska " as part of the Advance Party of the 1st Division . On 18 April 1916 , he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assumed command of the 4th Infantry Battalion . He led it at the Battle of Pozieres in July , where it was involved in the capture of the town . Here , a famous incident occurred : For his part in the battle , Mackay was Mentioned in Despatches a second time . He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his gallantry at Lone Pine , his part in the capture of Pozieres , and his role in repelling a German counterattack at Mouquet Farm , near Pozieres . Mackay held the temporary position of commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade in January 1917 , for the first of what would be five times totalling 92 days in 1917 . He commanded the 4th Infantry Battalion in the advance to the Hindenburg Line , including the capture of the fortified town of Hermies . During the German counter - attack at Lagnicourt in April 1917 his battalion held its positions , repulsing the Germans with heavy casualties . Acting brigade commander again during the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May , Mackay was Mentioned in Despatches for the third time , and awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order . His citation read : Along with Brigadier General H . Gordon Bennett and others , Mackay received personal congratulations from Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig . He later received his medals from King George V in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace . Mackay led his battalion once more at the Battle of Broodseinde , earning a fourth mention in despatches . In March 1918 , the four machine gun companies in each division were grouped into machine gun battalions . Mackay was given command of the 1st Machine Gun Battalion , the 1st Division ' s new battalion , which he led in the Battle of Hazebrouck . He was given the brevet rank of major in the 26th Infantry Battalion in the AMF back home on 3 June 1918 . On 6 June 1918 , Mackay was heading on leave to London to visit his wife , who had managed reach England after a long battle with wartime travel restrictions , when he was stopped and turned back at Boulogne by British military police . He had been appointed to command the 1st Infantry Brigade and had to return at once . He was immediately promoted to colonel and temporary brigadier general . Mackay commanded the 1st Infantry Brigade in the later stages of the fighting around Hazebrouck . In the operations east of there in June and July , his brigade was exceptionally active in the form of minor operations and patrolling that became known as the peaceful penetration . In August , the 1st Division moved south to the Somme sector to participate in the Battle of Amiens and later the attack on the Hindenburg Line . Through his " careful preliminary preparations and sound tactical knowledge " , Mackay contributed to the successes of his brigade and was once more Mentioned in Despatches . For his service as a brigade commander , he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George ( CMG ) in the 1919 New Year Honours . In addition , for his service on the Western Front , he was awarded the French Croix de guerre . Between the wars . After the end of the war , Mackay took advantage of Brigadier General George Merrick Long ' s education scheme to study physics at Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge under Ernest Rutherford . His first child , Jean Margaret , was born in Cambridge in 1919 . Iven and Marjorie later had two more children , a son , Iven John , born in Sydney in 1920 , and another daughter , Alison , born in Sydney in 1930 . They returned to Australia aboard the transport " Mantua " , which reached Sydney on 19 February 1920 . With the war over , the AIF was demobilised , and Mackay ' s appointment to the AIF was terminated on 4 April 1920 . Mackay returned to lecturing in physics at the University of Sydney . Between 1922 and 1932 , he was student adviser . From 1925 he was also faculty secretary . From 1932 to 1940 , Mackay also worked evenings as a Commonwealth Film Appeals Censor . In 1933 , he was appointed headmaster of Cranbrook School Sydney . The school ' s constitution was changed to allow Mackay , a Presbyterian , to hold the post . As a result of a case of mistaken identity following the death of Major General James Mackay in 1935 , Mackay got to read his own obituary in " The Times " , entitled " Athlete , Soldier and Headmaster " . He normally avoided publicity , but this incident brought him to national attention . Mackay remained active in the Militia throughout the inter - war period . He held the rank of honorary brigadier general from 21 January 1920 to late June 1937 , when he was promoted to that rank substantively . He commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade from 1 July 1920 to 30 April 1921 , the 8th Infantry Brigade from 1 May 1921 to 30 April 1926 and the 5th Infantry Brigade from 1 May 1930 to 31 December 1932 . On 24 March 1937 , he took command of the 2nd Division . He was promoted to major general on 1 July 1937 . Mackay was one of only four Militia officers to be substantively promoted to that rank between 1929 and 1939 . His term of office at Cranbrook ended acrimoniously after Justice Kenneth Street and others blamed Mackay for the school ' s slow recovery from the Great Depression , and the school council voted to remove him on 25 October 1939 . Mackay was given twelve months ' notice . When , in December 1939 , Mackay ' s daughter Jean married Lieutenant W . H . Travers , the grandson of Major General William Holmes , the reception was held at Cranbrook . Second World War . At the outbreak of war in 1939 , Mackay was ranked seventh on the army ' s seniority list . Following formation of a second infantry division for the Second Australian Imperial Force in 1940 , Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Blamey was elevated to command of the newly created I Corps . Mackay was selected to command the 7th Division on the advice of General Sir Brudenell White but Cabinet , after consulting with Blamey , switched this appointment to the 6th Division . Mackay assumed command on 4 April 1940 , receiving the serial number NX363 , and sailed from Melbourne for the Middle East on the ocean liner RMS " Strathaird " on 15 April . The troops nicknamed him " Mr Chips " , after the title character of the best selling 1934 novel " Goodbye , Mr . Chips " and the subsequent 1939 film , a reference to his peacetime profession , but also to the impression he gave of being cool , reserved and strict . Some of his staff had reservations about him . Colonel Alan Vasey , his Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General , asserted that Mackay lacked the ruthlessness to remove Militia officers who were not performing well . Vasey fumed about " that bloody schoolteacher who wants to dot every ' i ' and cross every ' t ' " . Many regular officers were embittered by years of slow promotion followed by Prime Minister Robert Menzies ordering that commands in the 6th Division be given to Militia officers . Colonel Frank Berryman considered this " a damn insult to the professional soldier , calculated to split the Army down the centre . We were to be the hewers of wood and the drawers of water . We , the only people who really knew the job , were to assist these Militia fellows " . Berryman , who worked closely with Mackay as his chief of staff , held him in high regard . " For moral and physical courage " , said Berryman , " few equalled him — none ever surpassed him . He was an educated and most knowledgeable soldier . . . and extremely patient " . His Commander , Royal Australian Artillery , a reservist , Brigadier Edmund Herring , considered Mackay " a most competent and able commander in North Africa and Greece , but a bit old . . . Modest , dignified , shy and scholarly . . . In action he never knew the meaning of fear . . . " Libya . His appointment to command the 6th Division meant that Mackay led its — and the Australian Army ' s — first battles of the war . Doubts about Mackay ' s ability soon disappeared with the commitment of the division to Operation Compass . During the Battle of Bardia , in Libya in January 1941 , the 6th Division captured the fortified town along with 36 , 000 Italian prisoners . For this success , Mackay was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire ( KBE ) . In a war of rapid movement over long distances , Mackay demonstrated careful planning and recognised the need to reinforce success . He also impressed others with the way he cared for soldiers ' lives . " Not only do I want Tobruk quickly " , he told his brigadiers before the battle , " but I also want it cheaply " . The victory at Bardia was followed by successes at Tobruk , Derna and Benghazi . Greece . The 6th Division ' s next campaign was the failed Battle of Greece , a disaster for the British Commonwealth forces sent there . While in Greece , Mackay led a hastily assembled Australian - British - New Zealand - Greek formation known as Mackay Force , defending the Klidi Pass at the Battle of Vevi . The Allies were forced to retreat in a fierce assault by the " Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler " brigade . Mackay was the only Australian general to face the " Waffen SS " in battle . As in Libya , Mackay shared the hardships of living in the field with his men , and impressed them by his coolness during air raids . They watched him sit in the open during attacks ; on one such occasion on 19 April 1941 , Mackay waited out a two - and - a - half - hour raid when his car was hit and his driver wounded . One staff officer " noticed Mackay moving in front of his tent quite unconcerned about the movement of enemy planes . He neither looked at the planes nor at the men dashing about , but they saw him , and those moving towards shelter stopped , and many of those who had gained shelter returned to their duties . Personal example is the only paying proposition in such circumstances " . For his actions in Greece , he was Mentioned in Despatches a sixth time , and awarded the Greek War Cross ( First Class ) . Casualties in Greece included Mackay ' s son - in - law , Captain W . H . Travers , who was captured in the Battle of Crete . Mackay resolved to reform the battalions that had been destroyed in Greece , and to rebuild his shattered division from the remnants that had been evacuated to Alexandria . He developed a training program in Syria in which he attempted to apply the lessons of the campaign in Greece . Defence of Australia . One lesson of Greece was that modern war was a young man ' s trade . Brigadier Sydney Rowell recommended to Blamey that all generals over the age of 50 be retired . In July 1941 , Ernest Turnbull , representing the motion picture industry , approached Menzies and several members of his Cabinet about the possibility of Mackay becoming Chief Commonwealth Film Censor . Menzies had a different post in mind . On 24 July 1941 the War Cabinet decided to appoint a General Officer Commanding Home Forces . In a cable to Blamey , Menzies stipulated that the War Cabinet wanted a high - ranking officer like Mackay with active service in the current war . Blamey replied that he considered " Mackay most suitable for the appointment " . On 14 August 1941 , Mackay handed over command of the 6th Division to Herring . Mackay departed Cairo for Australia by flying boat on 22 August . En route , he stopped in Singapore to confer with Bennett , now the commander of the 8th Division , which was based there , and had dinner at the Raffles Hotel with his son , Lieutenant Iven Mackay , an officer with the 8th Division ' s 2 / 18th Infantry Battalion . Mackay assumed command of Home Forces on 1 September 1941 , with the rank of lieutenant general . His task was to prepare the Militia to repel a Japanese invasion . Official historian Dudley McCarthy noted that : With the Fall of Singapore in February 1942 , Mackay ' s son Iven became a prisoner of war of the Japanese . A Japanese invasion of Australia now became a real possibility , so Mackay submitted a contingency plan in which he outlined a defence strategy whereby the army would concentrate on the defence of the most vital areas of eastern and southern Australia . This later gave rise to the controversial but mythical " Brisbane Line " . Regular officers took the opportunity to give Mackay petty snubs . Army Headquarters continually addressed him as " major general " , although his promotion to lieutenant general had been gazetted , and his pay was only £1 , 564 compared with Sturdee ' s £2 , 269 . His AIF serial number was taken away from him and he was sent a new recruit ' s papers to fill in . The Military Board even attempted to bring him before a medical board to decide his fitness for further service . Only the intervention of the Minister for the Army , Frank Forde , averted this . During a sweeping reorganisation of the army by Blamey , Mackay became commander of the Second Army on 6 April 1942 . New Guinea . When Blamey relieved Rowell of command of I Corps in New Guinea , he nominated Herring as successor . Blamey proposed Mackay as a second choice but preferred Herring as he was much younger , and this was important in the taxing New Guinea climate . When Blamey relinquished command of New Guinea Force on 30 January 1943 , he handed over temporary command to Mackay to enable Herring to go on leave . The period was a quiet one , with no major operations being carried out , and Mackay handed back to Herring and returned to command of the Second Army at Parramatta , New South Wales , in May 1943 . On 28 August 1943 , Mackay once again assumed command of New Guinea Force . This time , important operations were being undertaken in the Battle of Finschhafen and Mackay ' s period of command was marred by disagreements with General Douglas MacArthur ' s staff over the reinforcement of Finschhafen . Junior commanders felt that Mackay should have been more forceful , and should have enlisted the help of his superior , Blamey , at an earlier stage . Blamey agreed with them , feeling that his old colleague was slowing down , and no longer possessed the vigour required for the campaign in New Guinea . Mackay left New Guinea in November 1943 , handing over command of New Guinea Force to Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead , and on 20 January 1944 Mackay relinquished command of Second Army and New Guinea Force . India . In November 1943 , it was announced that Prime Minister John Curtin , with Blamey ' s approval , had appointed Mackay as High Commissioner to India . Sir Iven and Lady Mackay sailed from Perth , Western Australia , on SS " Tanda " on 14 February 1944 . Their arrival in Delhi marked the beginning of an Australian diplomatic presence in India . When Lieutenant Iven Mackay was liberated , the Supreme Allied Commander of South East Asia Command , Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten had him brought to Delhi to be reunited with his family . With the war ' s end , Mackay retired from the army on 27 February 1946 , and the post of High Commissioner gradually became a civilian one . India was not yet independent , but was about to become so , and Mackay met with future leaders Jawaharlal Nehru , Indira Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah . Mackay and the Minister for External Affairs , Dr H . V . Evatt , supported Indian independence , while expressing the hope that India would remain in the British Commonwealth . Mackay also promoted trade between India and Australia , and fostered a plan for Indian students and technicians to study and train in Australia . His term as high commissioner ended in May 1948 . Post war . Mackay was approached to consider nomination as a Liberal Party of Australia candidate for the Australian Senate , but declined . Instead , he accepted a directorship of Australian Cotton Textile Industries . From 1950 to 1952 , he chaired the New South Wales recruiting committee which was set up by the Federal government to increase enlistment in the armed forces . The University of Sydney appointed Mackay an honorary Esquire Bedell in 1950 and awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws in 1952 . When Blamey died in 1951 , Mackay rushed to Melbourne to be one of his pallbearer s . Mackay visited Greece in 1952 for the unveiling of a memorial to British Commonwealth servicemen who died in the 1941 campaign . In 1961 , he returned for the dedication of the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Faliro . This time he also revisited the Gallipoli battlefields , sailing to the Dardanelles on HMY " Britannia " as a guest of Field Marshal Prince Henry , Duke of Gloucester . Mackay climbed from the beach at ANZAC Cove up to Lone Pine once more . When it became known that he was visiting the United States in 1961 , the US Army took him to see Fort Sill . Mackay died at his home in East Lindfield , New South Wales , on 30 September 1966 and was cremated after a service at St Stephen ' s , Sydney . He was survived by his wife , his son and his two daughters . Veterans lined the streets and he had ten generals for his pallbearers : Herring , Woodward , Stevens , Pulver , Stevenson , Macarthur - Onslow , Dougherty , Harrison , Cullen and Galleghan . Mackay ' s papers and portraits are held in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra .