John Meredith (Australian Army officer)

Infobox Military Person
name= John Meredith
lived= 11 November 1864 - Death date and age|1942|1|1|1864|11|11|df=yes
placeofbirth= Derrylough, Ireland
placeofdeath=


caption=
nickname=
allegiance= British Empire
branch= Australian Army
serviceyears= 1899-1923
rank= Brigadier General
commands=
unit=
battles= Second Boer War
World War I
awards=Distinguished Service Order
Mention in Dispatches
laterwork=
Brigadier General Dr. John Baldwin Meredith DSO (11 November 1864 - 1 January 1942) was an Australian Army Brigadier General who served in World War I.

Early life and career

John Meredith was born on 11 November 1864 in Derrylough, Queen's County, Ireland. He was educated at Arlington College, Port Arlington. Unable to afford an army commission, he studied medicine in Dublin from 1882 to 1887 under auspices of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. In 1888 he qualified as a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians, Edinburgh, and of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow. Meredith decided to try for a passage to one of the colonies as a ship's doctor. He immigrated to Australia, where he bought a practice at Raymond Terrace, New South Wales. He later became a government medical officer.

Meredith joined the Hunter River Light Horse and in 1899 he volunteered for South Africa, serving as a medical officer in the Citizen's Bushmen's Contingent. In 1905 as a second lieutenant, Meredith formed a troop of light horse at Raymond Terrance which became part of the 4th Light Horse Regiment. He was promoted to captain in 1906 and major in 1908. In 1908 he took his family to England and Ireland where he was attached to the 18th Hussars in Ireland for training. In 1910 after returning to Australia, he took command of the 4th Light Horse Regiment. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and took command of the 6th Light Horse Regiment in 1912.

World War I

On 28 August 1914 Meredith joined the First Australian Imperial Force as commander of the 1st Light Horse Regiment as a lieutenant colonel. He served with the regiment at Gallipoli from 22 August 1915 until the evacuation. From 6 to 29 December 1915 he was acting commander of the 1st Light Horse Brigade.

The 1st Light Horse regiment arrived back in Alexandria on 27 December 1915 and on 14 January 1916 was ordered to join the Western Frontier Force, defending the Sudan against the Senussi. On 5 May, Meredith once again took over command of the 1st Light Horse Brigade when Brigadier General C Cox went to England on sick leave, holding the rank of colonel while in command of the brigade. Meredith commanded the 1st Light Horse Brigade at the Battle of Romani in early August 1916, when his men fought off a series of Turkish attacks. He relinquished command the brigade on 26 August 1916 and reverted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. For his role in this battle, Meredith was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

On 2 September 1916, Meredith departed for Australia on a three months furlough, arriving in late September. He left Australia for Egypt again on 9 December 1916, sailing from Melbourne and arriving back at Suez on 19 January 1917. On 13 February 1917, Meredith took over the newly reformed 4th Light Horse Brigade. He was made a temporary brigadier general and was then promoted to full colonel on 1 May 1917. He led his brigade at the Second Battle of Gaza in April 1917 but on the eve of the Battle of Beersheba in October 1917, he was forced to return to Australia for family reasons. He boarded the transport on 12 November 1917 and arrived back in Australia on 20 December 1917, where his appointment to the AIF was terminated on 3 January 1918. For his command of the 4th Light Horse Brigade he was mentioned in dispatches.

Post war

Meredith commanded the 2nd Cavalry Brigade from 1921 to 1923, when he retired as a brigadier general. He died on 1 January 1942 and was cremated.

ee also

List of Australian Generals

References

* [http://www.unsw.adfa.edu.au/%7Ermallett/Generals/index.html John Meredith Biography] in "General Officers of the First AIF"