caption serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date rank image article_title name
sir major general john duigan , in the uniform of a 1901 -- 1941 20px new zealand military forces chief tunnelling company of the general staff northern command new zealand 09 january 1950 havelock north , new zealand wanganui , new zealand new zealand knight companion of the order of the bath distinguished service order commander mentioned in despatches of the order of the british empire second boer war first world war 30 march 1883 major general mg john duigan.jpg john evelyn duigan
 sir john evelyn duigan
john evelyn duigan

major general sir john evelyn duigan -lrb- 30 march 1883 -- 9 january 1950 -rrb- was an officer who served with the new zealand military forces during the first and second world wars .
he was chief of the general staff of the new zealand military forces from 1937 to 1941 .
born in wanganui , new zealand in 1883 , duigan joined a unit of colonial volunteers during the boer war .
he was wounded and later repatriated to new zealand .
he returned to south africa with the 10th new zealand contingent to serve in the boer war .
after the war , he joined the new zealand military forces as a professional soldier .
during the first world war , he commanded the new zealand tunnelling company and was awarded a distinguished service order for his service .
from 1917 to 1918 he served in various staff and training positions .
he also served in staff positions in the postwar military , eventually rising to the rank of colonel and commanding northern command by 1930 .
in 1937 , he was promoted to major general and appointed the chief of general staff .
he oversaw a reduction in the size of the new zealand territorial force and did little to prevent the new zealand government from directing its attention on the royal new zealand air force to the detriment of the army .
overlooked for command of the second new zealand expeditionary force , which was raised for service abroad during the second world war , he retired from the military in 1941 .
he died nine years later at the age of 66 .
