George Merrick Long, (5 November 1874 – 9 July 1930) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and

educationist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Var ...

who served as a

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 ...

in the Australian Imperial Force 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 ...

. He was also involved in the establishment of Trinity Grammar School in Melbourne where he also became headmaster. He was the father of the historian

Gavin Long Gavin Merrick Long (31 May 1901 – 10 October 1968) was an Australian journalist and military history, military historian. He was the general editor of the official history series ''Australia in the War of 1939–1945'' and the author of thr ...

Early life and career

George Merrick Long was born in

Carisbrook, Victoria Carisbrook is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Pyrenees Highway, east of the regional and local government centre of Maryborough, in the Shire of Central Goldfields. At the 2016 census, Carisbrook had a population of 1115. Carisbr ...

. He was educated at

Maryborough Grammar School Maryborough State High School (commonly abbreviated as 'MSHS') is an Independent Public School located in Maryborough, Queensland, Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. The school is run by the Queensland State Government, and is split on either si ...

. He later

matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...

and was awarded the Rupertswood theological studentship to

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1899 and a Master of Arts in 1901. Long became a deacon on 28 May 1899 and a priest on 10 June 1900. In 1899 he was posted to the district of Foster in

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

. He later returned to Melbourne to become senior curate at Holy Trinity Church,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

. There he became involved with the foundation of Trinity Grammar School, becoming its headmaster in 1904. Long served on several diocesan committees and was made a canon of

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Melbourne, Australia. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Melbourne and the seat of the Archbishop of Melbourne, who is also the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Victoria. Th ...

in 1910. In May 1911 he was elected bishop of the

Anglican Diocese of Bathurst The Anglican Diocese of Bathurst is located in the Province of New South Wales. It includes the cities of Orange, Bathurst and Dubbo. The Bishop is the Right Reverend Mark Calder, installed on 23 November 2019. Ministry The diocese has 32 ...

and consecrated on 30 November 1911 at St Andrew's Cathedral in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. For his services, Long was awarded the

Lambeth degree A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 (25 Hen VIII c 21) (Eng) as successor of the papal legate in England. The degrees conferred most commonl ...

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

First World War

Long joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 16 November 1917 as an Anglican chaplain. He sailed for London in January 1918 and was posted to the Australian Reinforcement Camp in France in April 1918. There he was approached by Major General

Brudenell White General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White, (23 September 1876 – 13 August 1940), more commonly known as Sir Brudenell White or C. B. B. White, was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1920 ...

to head the AIF's education project. Long accepted the post of Director of Education, AIF on 10 May 1918 and was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 1 June 1918. Long established himself in London, and drew up a scheme for professional, general and technical training to be conducted by teaching within the AIF and by sending men out to universities, schools and businesses. Officers with instructional experience were selected and assembled for three weeks training at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. In three weeks at Cambridge, Kelly produced the books ''Beef, Mutton and Wool'', the first of a series of fifteen texts written by Long's agricultural section.

Post war

When the war ended on 11 November 1918, Long was forced to put the education scheme into full effect earlier than expected. He was promoted to colonel and then temporary brigadier general on 1 January 1919. In March, with the scheme fully underway, Long's health began to suffer, and in April he handed over control to Brigadier General

Walter McNicoll Brigadier General Sir Walter Ramsay McNicoll, (27 May 1877 – 24 December 1947) was an Australian teacher, soldier, and colonial administrator. Early life McNicoll was born in the Melbourne suburb of Emerald Hill, on 27 May 1877. He was the ...

. For his services, Long was awarded honorary Doctor of Letters (LLD) degrees by both the

and the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, and was appointed a

Commander 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 ...

(CBE). In July 1919, Long returned to his diocese, where he continued his involvement with education. He restarted All Saints College in Bathurst on a new site, and opened the Marsden School for Girls at Kelso. Long was grand chaplain of the United Grand Lodge from 1923 to 1926. He drafted a new constitution for the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

in Australia, making it independent of the church in Britain, and advocated the

White Australia Policy The White Australia policy is a term encapsulating a set of historical policies that aimed to forbid people of non-European ethnic origin, especially Asians (primarily Chinese) and Pacific Islanders, from immigrating to Australia, starting i ...

. Long was elected Bishop of Newcastle in December 1927 and was enthroned on 1 May 1928. Long went to England in March 1930 to attend the

Lambeth Conference The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867. As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...

in London. There he suffered a cerebral haemorrhage and died on 9 July 1930. His requiem was celebrated by Archbishop

Cosmo Lang William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop ...

before 300 bishops and his ashes returned to New South Wales and placed in All Saints Cathedral in Bathurst. He was commemorated in

Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle The Cathedral Church of Christ the King, also called Christ Church Cathedral, is an Australian cathedral in Newcastle, New South Wales. It is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Newcastle in the Anglican Church of Australia. The building, desi ...

, where a window of its Tyrrell chapel contains his portrait.

References

* Ross Mallett
George Merrick Long
''General Officers of the First AIF'', adfa.edu.au * Ruth Teale

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

, Volume 10,

Melbourne University Press Melbourne University Publishing (MUP) is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne. History MUP was founded in 1922 as Melbourne University Press to sell text books and stationery to students, and soon began publishing books itself. ...

, 1986, pp. 134–135. {{DEFAULTSORT:Long 1874 births 1930 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (Australia) Anglican bishops of Bathurst Anglican bishops of Newcastle (Australia) Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian generals Australian headmasters Australian military personnel of World War I Doctors of Divinity People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) University of Melbourne alumni World War I chaplains