James Cannan Major General James Harold Cannan , CB , CMG , DSO , VD ( 29 August 1882 – 23 May 1976 ) was an Australian Army brigadier general in the First World War and the Quartermaster General during the Second World War . Cannan assumed command of the 15th Infantry Battalion in 1914 and landed with it at ANZAC Cove on the evening of Anzac Day , 25 April 1915 . The 15th Infantry Battalion garrisoned Quinn ' s Post , one of the most exposed parts of the Anzac perimeter , with Cannan as post commander . Later , Cannan led his battalion into action again on the Western Front at the Battle of Pozières and Battle of Mouquet Farm . He commanded the 11th Infantry Brigade at the Battle of Messines , the Battle of Broodseinde , and during the Hundred Days Offensive . Between the wars Cannan worked at Insurance Office of Australia , becoming the manager of its Sydney office in 1932 . He remained active in the Militia until he was placed on the unattached list in 1925 . During the Second World War , Cannan was recalled to duty in 1940 , first as Inspector General of Administration , and then as Quartermaster General . During the course of the war he visited operational areas to prepare and plan the logistical support of operations . Despite his immense responsibility and achievements , he received little recognition . He retired in 1946 as a major general , and was the last surviving Australian general of the First World War before his death in 1976 . Education and early life . James Harold Cannan was born in Townsville , Queensland on 29 August 1882 , the sixth child of John Kearsey Cannan , a Brisbane bank manager and his wife Elizabeth Christian née Hodgson . He was educated at Brisbane Central Boys ' State School and Brisbane Grammar School . James was employed by a firm of hardware merchants , and later worked for seven years for New Zealand Insurance . He was chief agent at the Queensland branch of the Patriotic Assurance Company and then from 1910 was the state manager of the Insurance Office of Australia . Cannan married Eileen Clair Ranken on 12 December 1911 . Their marriage produced no children . Cannan was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 1st Queensland ( Moreton ) Regiment on 27 March 1903 . He transferred to the 9th Infantry Regiment on 1 July 1903 . He was promoted to captain on 24 September 1907 and major on 14 August 1911 . On 1 July 1912 , he transferred to the 8th Infantry ( Oxley Battalion ) . He took command of the battalion and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 9 May 1914 . First World War . Gallipoli . When war broke out , Cannan was appointed to command the Lytton Fixed Defences , holding this post from 5 to 31 August 1914 . He was appointed to the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) on 23 September 1914 with the rank of lieutenant colonel , and assumed command of the 15th Infantry Battalion . His older brother , Captain D . H . Cannan , was also one of the original officers of this battalion , the Queensland and Tasmanian battalion in Colonel John Monash ' s 4th Infantry Brigade . They embarked for the Middle East from Melbourne on the transport HMAT " Ceramic " on 22 December 1914 . The ship passed through the Suez Canal safely , arriving at Alexandria on 31 January 1915 , although a Turkish force was operating in the nearby desert . The 4th Infantry Brigade encamped at Heliopolis , where it resumed its training . The 15th Infantry Battalion arrived at ANZAC Cove on the evening of Anzac Day , 25 April 1915 . Cannan was sent with half of his battalion to fill the gap between the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Brigades . Moving in the dark through the thick scrub of the Razorback , the 15th found in the scrub the empty positions that it was sent to fill . The 15th Infantry Battalion was soon switched to Quinn ' s Post , one of the most exposed parts of the Anzac perimeter , with Cannan becoming post commander . In the Battle of Sari Bair on 8 August 1915 , the 15th Infantry Battalion suffered heavily , having seven officers killed — including Cannan ' s older brother , Major D . H . Cannan — and most of the rest wounded . Cannan became ill and was evacuated from Anzac on 4 October 1915 , and transferred to hospitals on Lemnos and Malta , before being sent to the 3rd London General Hospital in England . For " distinguished service in the field during operations in the Dardanelles " , Cannan was mentioned in despatches and made a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 5 November 1915 . Western Front . Cannan resumed command of the 15th Infantry Battalion in Egypt on 21 January 1916 . It departed Alexandria for Marseilles on 1 June 1916 , to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front . Cannan led his battalion into action again at the Battle of Pozières and Battle of Mouquet Farm . On the night of 8 August 1916 , the 15th Infantry Battalion launched an attack on the German trench in front of Mouquet Farm known as Park Lane . Cannan ' s men captured their objectives , and indeed went beyond them in some places . However , the Suffolk Regiment on his flank was mown down by German machine gun fire and Cannan was compelled to withdraw part of his force to a more defensible position . On 30 August 1916 , Cannan was appointed to command the 11th Infantry Brigade by Major General John Monash , now commander of the 3rd Division . At this time the 3rd Division — of which the 11th Infantry Brigade was part — was training on the Salisbury Plain in England . Cannan returned to France with the 11th Infantry Brigade in November 1916 , and led it in the Battle of Messines in June 1917 and the Battle of Broodseinde in October 1917 . For these battles , Cannan was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George . His citation read : In the fighting in 1918 , the 11th Infantry Brigade was the first to check the German advance towards Amiens in April . In July , it was selected from the brigades of the 3rd Division to participate in the Battle of Hamel . The 11th Brigade went on to participate in the Battle of Amiens and the Hundred Days Offensive . For the battles of August and September , Cannan was awarded the Distinguished Service Order . His citation read : For his services on the Western Front , Cannan was also awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre , his citation noting his " tenacity , thoroughness and efficient organisation " , " his splendid qualities of leadership " , and his " personal gallantry . " He was mentioned in despatches another five times . Between the wars . Cannan studied insurance practice in London under the Army Education Scheme for two months before embarking for Australia on HMAT " Ancises " on 22 August 1919 . He arrived back in Australia on 17 October 1919 and his appointment to the AIF was terminated on 13 December 1919 . Cannan had been made a brevet colonel in the Militia on 24 September 1917 but he was entitled to keep his AIF rank of brigadier general as an honorary rank . Cannan returned to his old job at Insurance Office of Australia . He became manager of the Sydney office in 1932 and presided over the Insurance Institute of New South Wales from 1936 to 1937 . He was also president of the Queensland branch of the Returned Soldiers ' and Sailors ' Imperial League of Australia from 1920 to 1921 , and became the first president of the Brisbane branch of Legacy Australia in 1928 . Cannan commanded the 2 / 15th Infantry from 1 October 1918 to 30 June 1920 , although he did not actually take up command until 14 December 1919 . On 1 July 1920 , he became a substantive colonel and honorary brigadier general on assuming command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade . He then commanded the 11th Mixed Brigade from 1 May 1921 to 30 April 1925 , when he was transferred to the unattached list . Cannan was also aide de camp to the Governor General from 1 April 1920 to 21 March 1923 and honorary colonel of the 47th Infantry Battalion from 19 June 1930 . Second World War . On 27 May 1940 , after over fifteen years on the unattached list , Cannan was appointed Inspector General of Administration at the Department of Defence Coordination . Although his tenure was brief , Cannan gained valuable experience working with the bureaucracy . On 7 July 1940 , Cannan was promoted to temporary major general and took over command of the 2nd Division in succession to Major General Iven Mackay , who had been appointed to command the 6th Division . Because most Australian soldiers were Militia , the government decided in 1940 that there should be " direct Militia representation on the Military Board at Army Headquarters . " The appointment of a Militia officer to the board was opposed by the Chief of the General Staff , Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee , but when he was overruled by the Prime Minister , Robert Menzies , Sturdee offered the post to Cannan . On 24 October 1940 , Cannan became Quartermaster General and a member of the Military Board . His experience as a businessman gave him managerial skills that were to prove particularly useful . Cannan offered to resign in 1942 so that his post could be given to a regular officer , but General Sir Thomas Blamey refused to countenance it , and Cannan remained Quartermaster General until 31 December 1945 . However , in the 1942 reorganisation , the Military Board was abolished and Cannan now reported to the Lieutenant General Administration , Lieutenant General Henry Wynter , instead . Cannan volunteered for the Second Australian Imperial Force and was allotted the serial number VX89075 on 2 September 1942 . As Quartermaster General , Cannan was responsible for the Australian Army ' s supply , transport and engineering services throughout Australia and the South West Pacific Area . It was the most important logistical command in Australian history . In carrying it out , he clashed repeatedly with the Department of Defence Coordination in its attempt to maintain peacetime financial controls . Cannan had to work long hours and use all of his skills both as a soldier and a businessman . He had to attempt to keep ahead of the plans at General Headquarters in order to ensure that the required logistical support would be there on time . Colonel G . Drake - Brockman considered Cannan " a man of great personality and charm with tremendous drive " whose administration was " outstanding " . As well as supporting the Australian Army , Cannan was also responsible for providing a broad range of goods and services to the Americans . In no other theatre of war was local procurement of supplies by US forces as extensive or important as in the South West Pacific . Australian Reverse Lend Lease came to USD $ 1 . 1 billion , representing 13 % of all reciprocal aid to the United States . Such figures understate the value of Australian aid , for every ton of supplies procured in Australia meant a ton that did not have to be shipped across the Pacific Ocean . This required the same shipping space as two tons of supplies shipped across in the Atlantic Ocean , the distance there being half as great . Cannan was responsible for rationing the American forces in Australia until the American Quartermaster Corps felt capable of taking over the function in 1943 . When requirements to support the British Pacific Fleet were piled on top of American demands and an increasing tight Army manpower situation , Cannan protested the " lavishness and extravagance which characterised US demands whilst the Australian services ' demands were being subjected to rigid scrutiny and economies " , citing examples , and urged that economies be made on goods and services supplied to Allied countries . However the government was reluctant to take any action that might not be welcomed by American military and political leaders . Nonetheless , Prime Minister John Curtin did successfully persuade General Douglas MacArthur to rationalise his use of Australian resources in order to provide accommodation for the British Pacific Fleet . Cannan travelled widely in the combat areas to see conditions at first hand . He visited New Guinea between 19 October and 21 December 1943 and in February and March 1944 . In October 1944 , Cannan travelled with General Blamey to visit General Douglas MacArthur in Hollandia in order to prepare for Philippines campaign . In the event , plans to employ Australian troops in the Philippines fell through and they were employed in the Borneo Campaign instead . Cannan visited New Britain , Lae , Hollandia , Bougainville and Aitape in February 1945 to help plan the final campaigns and Hollandia , Morotai , Labuan and Darwin in August 1945 . Later life . Cannan received no honours for the Second World War . Blamey nominated him for a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in September 1943 , but it was refused , it not being the Labor government ' s policy to award knighthoods at this time . In November 1945 , Blamey was abruptly dismissed by the government . Asked if he wanted any honours for himself , Blamey declined , instead requesting knighthoods for his generals , including Cannan . His request was refused . In December 1949 , the government changed and Blamey wrote to the new Prime Minister , Robert Menzies , once again recommending knighthoods for a number of his generals , including Cannan . All were accepted " except , for some inexplicable reason , for Cannan " . Of Cannan , it was said that his " contribution to the defence of Australia was immense ; his responsibility for supply , transport and works , a giant - sized burden ; his acknowledgement — nil " . Cannan relinquished his appointment as Quartermaster General on 31 December 1945 and retired as a major general the next day . He remained an honorary colonel until 8 June 1953 . His abilities as an administrator were still in demand . He was Director of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration in the South West Pacific from 1946 to 1947 , of the Queensland division of the Australian Red Cross from 1950 to 1951 , and of the Services Canteens Trust from 1948 to 1957 . He was also a director of several companies . Survived by his wife Eileen , Cannan died on 23 May 1976 . He became the last of Australia ' s Great War generals to pass away , and was cremated with full military honours .