serviceyears branch commands death_date death_place birth_place allegiance awards battles birth_date placeofburial rank image article_title name
1911 -- 1946 20px new zealand military forces chief 4th infantry brigade of the general staff 2nd new zealand division 25 july 1976 hamilton , new zealand timaru , new zealand new zealand knight service order & bar mentioned in despatches -lrb- 3 -rrb- commander of the order of the bath distinguished first world war 26 june 1890 karori cemetery , wellington , new zealand lieutenant general lg edward puttick.jpg edward puttick
 sir edward puttick
edward puttick

lieutenant general sir edward puttick kcb , dso & bar -lrb- 26 june 1890 -- 25 july 1976 -rrb- was an officer who served with the new zealand military forces during the first and second world wars .
the first new zealand-born soldier to reach the rank of lieutenant general , he was chief of the general staff of the new zealand military forces from 1941 to 1945 .
born in 1890 in timaru , puttick served in the territorial force prior to the first world war .
in august 1914 he was part of the expeditionary force that occupied german samoa .
he later served with the new zealand rifle brigade during the senussi campaign and on the western front .
he was commanding the 3rd battalion of the brigade in march 1918 when he was wounded and later repatriated to new zealand .
puttick joined the new zealand staff corps in 1919 and held a number of command and staff positions for the next 20 years .
during the second world war , he commanded the 4th infantry brigade in the battle of greece , for which he was awarded a bar to the distinguished service order he had won in the previous war .
following the allied evacuation from greece he commanded the 2nd new zealand division during the subsequent battle of crete .
in september he returned to new zealand as chief of general staff , new zealand military forces , and served in this capacity until late 1945 .
he retired from the military the following year and died in 1976 .
