Sir Frederick Geoffrey Shedden (8 August 1893 – 8 July 1971) was an Australian public servant who served as Secretary of the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

from 1937 to 1956.

Background and early life

Frederick Shedden was born 8 August 1893 in

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. Kyneton is on Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country. The town has four main streets: ...

, Victoria. His father was George Shedden, a

wheelwright A wheelwright is a craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright", (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker or shaper of wood) as in shipwright and arkw ...

born in Victoria. His mother was Sarah Elizabeth (née Grey) from England. He was the youngest of five children. His was schooled at Kyneton State and Kyneton Grammar schools.

Career

After placing very high in the

Commonwealth Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the Go ...

examination, in March 1910 Shedden began his career in the Department of Defence at

Victoria Barracks, Melbourne Located on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Australia, Victoria Barracks Melbourne is architecturally and historically significant. It is one of the most impressive 19th century government buildings in Victoria, Australia. Pre-World War II Original ...

. He also studied law at Melbourne University, but the outbreak of World War One ended his studies. On 19 March 1917 he was appointed a lieutenant in the Australian Army Pay Corps. He served as the 4th Australian Divisions acting paymaster in August. On his return home he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 24 December 1917. Shedden was Secretary to the Australian Government Department responsible for defence between 1937 and 1956: *

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

of the Department of Defence (II) (1937 to 1939) *

of the

Department of Defence Co-ordination The Department of Defence Co-ordination was an Australian government department that existed between November 1939 and April 1942. History The department was formed shortly after Australia declared war on Germany in September 19 ...

(1939 to 1942) *

of the Department of Home Security (1941) *

of the Department of Defence (III) (1942 to 1956)

Private life

On 14 December 1927, Shedden married Anne Cardno Edward. Later that same day he sailed for England to study at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

Awards and honours

In the King's Birthday Honours of June 1933, Shedden was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE). He was also appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

(CMG) in the New Year's Day Honours of 1941, and knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the King's Birthday Honours of June 1943.

Death

Shedden died on 8 July 1971 in St Andrew's Hospital, East Melbourne. He was the subject of a biography, ''Defence Supremo'' written by

David Horner David Murray Horner, (born 12 March 1948) is an Australian military historian and academic. Early life and military career Horner was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 12 March 1948. He was raised in a military household—his father, Mur ...

and published by Allen & Unwin in 2000. In 2009, a street in the

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

suburb of Casey was named Shedden Street in his honour.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shedden, Frederick 1893 births 1971 deaths Australian Army officers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Secretaries of the Australian Department of Defence People from Kyneton Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies