Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

George MacLeay Macarthur-Onslow, (2 May 1875 – 12 September 1931) was an Australian grazier and

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

officer who commanded light horse units during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life and career

George MacLeay Macarthur-Onslow was born 2 May 1875 in the town of

Camden, New South Wales Camden is a historic town and suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, located 65 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Camden was the administrative centre for the local government area of Camden Council until July/August ...

. He was the great grandson of John Macarthur and

Elizabeth Macarthur Elizabeth Macarthur (14 August 1766 – 9 February 1850) was an Anglo-Australian pastoralist and merchant, and wife of John Macarthur. Early life Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Bridgerule, Devon, England, the daughter of provincial farmers, ...

. When his father Arthur Onslow died in 1882, his mother Elizabeth changed her name to Macarthur-Onslow and took George and his five siblings to England in 1887. In England George was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

. 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 Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairy product. Dairy farming has a history th ...

' 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.

First World War

In August 1914, Macarthur-Onslow was given command of the 1st Light Horse Regiment, part of the Australian Imperial Force. While organising the regiment, he had to relinquish command and undergo an operation for

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a ru ...

. 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 Maadi ( ar, المعادي / transliterated: ) is a leafy suburban district south of Cairo, Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile about upriver from downtown Cairo. The Nile at Maadi is parallelled by the Corniche, a waterfront promenade a ...

. In May, it received orders to move to Gallipoli for dismounted service, arriving on 19 May. Macarthur-Onslow took over command of the 7th Light Horse in October and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 22 November. On 17 December he organised the famous cricket match at

Shell Green Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

. At

Katia Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya. Notable people with this name Actresses and models * Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress *Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant *Katia Winter (born 1983), Swedis ...

on 5 August 1916, the 7th Light Horse, advancing in a single line, came under fire from a party of

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

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 The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(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 Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. From May to August 1918, Macarthur-Onslow was acting commander of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade in the absence of the Brigadier General Granville Ryrie. On 3 September 1918, he took command of the newly formed

5th Light Horse Brigade The 5th Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) that served during World War I. The brigade was initially formed as a part-time militia formation in the early 1900s in Queensland. During Wor ...

, with the temporary rank of brigadier general. In January 1919, Macarthur-Onslow was evacuated with

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...

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 Wollondilly Shire, alderman of Camden City Council and mayor of Camden. Like his brother

James Macarthur-Onslow Major General James William Macarthur-Onslow, (7 November 1867 – 17 November 1946) was a soldier, grazier and politician. The son of a prominent New South Wales family, he was commissioned in the New South Wales Mounted Rifles in 1892 and se ...

, he was aide de camp to the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

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 on the

Camden Park Estate The Camden Park Estate incorporating the Belgenny Farm is a heritage-listed large working historical farm located at Elizabeth Macarthur Avenue, in the south-western Sydney suburb of Camden South in the Camden Council local government area of ...

References

*Ross Mallett
George MacLeay MacArthur-Onslow
''General Officers of the First AIF'', adfa.edu.au *G. P. Walsh

Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10, Melbourne University Press, 1986, pp 196–198. {{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur-Onslow, George 1875 births 1931 deaths Military personnel from New South Wales Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian farmers Australian generals Australian military personnel of World War I People educated at Rugby School People from Sydney Onslow family Mayors of places in New South Wales Wollondilly Shire Macarthur family (Australia)

Early life and career

First World War

Later life

See also

References