George Macarthur - Onslow Brigadier General George MacLeay Macarthur - Onslow CMG , DSO ( 2 May 1875 – 12 September 1931 ) was an Australian Army Brigadier General who served in World War I . Early life and career . George MacLeay Macarthur - Onslow was born 2 May 1875 in the town of Camden , New South Wales . He was the great grandson of John Macarthur . When his father died in 1882 , his mother took George and his five siblings to England in 1887 . In England George was educated at Rugby School . There his mother studied dairy farming , and on returning to Camden in 1889 she founded a dairy farming complex , the Camden Vale Milk Co , which eventually merged with the Dairy Farmers ' Co - operative Milk Co in 1928 . On 5 April 1895 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the New South Wales Mounted Rifles and was promoted to lieutenant the next year . In July 1903 he became a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Horse Regiment . He was promoted to captain in 1911 and major on 16 February 1914 , commanding the 9th Light Horse Regiment . World War I . In August 1914 , Macarthur - Onslow was given command of the 1st Light Horse Regiment , part of the First Australian Imperial Force . While organising the regiment , he had to relinquish command and undergo an operation for appendicitis . On 1 November 1914 , he was again appointed to the AIF , this time as second in command of the 7th Light Horse Regiment . The 7th Light Horse Regiment arrived in Egypt in February 1915 where it trained at Maadi . In May , it received orders to move to Gallipoli for dismounted service , arriving on 19 May 1915 . Macarthur - Onslow took over command of the 7th Light Horse in October and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 22 November 1915 . On 17 December 1915 he organised the famous cricket match at Shell Green . At Katia on 5 August 1916 , the 7th Light Horse , advancing in a single line , came under fire from a party of Turks some 200 metres in front of them . The Turks were rushed and overwhelmed . Macarthur - Onslow then advanced from the position with three men , 20 metres in front of his troopers ; all four were hit by Turks concealed in front of them . Severely wounded , Macarthur - Onslow was evacuated . He was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) . Macarthur - Onslow returned to the regiment in time to take part in the Battle of Beersheba , leading the 7th on a night march around Gaza . When the order to retire was received , he concentrated the regiment , and returned that way , having ridden around the town . He later led his regiment through the battles for Gaza , the pursuit across the Philistine Plain , and the operations across the Jordan . From May to August 1918 , Macarthur - Onslow was acting commander of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade in the absence of the Brigadier General Ryrie . On 3 September 1918 , he took command of the newly formed 5th Light Horse Brigade , with the temporary rank of brigadier general . In January 1919 , Macarthur - Onslow was evacuated with typhoid and returned to Australia four months later . For his services in Palestine , he was twice more mentioned in despatches , and appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George ( CMG ) . Later life . After the war , Macarthur - Onslow was elected councillor for Wolindilly Shire , alderman of Camden City Council and mayor of Camden . Like his brother James Macarthur - Onslow , he was aide de camp to the Governor General from 1920 to 1923 . He commanded the 1st Cavalry Division from 1927 to 1931 . He died on 12 September 1931 and was buried in the family cemetery at Camden .