Henry Esau Avery (3 October 1885 – 22 March 1961) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player, military officer and businessman. He played three rugby test matches for New Zealand in 1910, served as quartermaster general in New Zealand's military forces during World War II, and founded Avery Motors, the Wellington franchisee for

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

cars, in the 1920s.

Early life and family

Born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 3 October 1884, Avery was the son of Helen Jane Avery (née Boyle) and her husband Joseph Avery. He was educated at

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...

. On 2 July 1913 Avery married Alice Maude Draper at the Church of the Nativity in Blenheim. The couple went on to have seven children between 1914 and 1929.

Rugby union

A wing-forward, Avery represented

at a provincial level from 1905 to 1910, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

, on their tour of Australia in 1910. He played six matches for the All Blacks on that tour including three internationals. He twice served as club captain of the Wellington College Old Boys Rugby Football Club, in 1920 and then from 1923 to 1924.

Military career

Avery joined the New Zealand Field Artillery Volunteers as a gunner in 1904, and rose through the ranks to be commissioned as a lieutenant in 1910. In January 1911 he became a regular soldier in the

New Zealand Military Forces , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

as a lieutenant in the

New Zealand Staff Corps The New Zealand Staff Corps was a corps of professional officers in the regular New Zealand Military Forces which, in peacetime, administered the Territorial Force. During the First and Second World Wars, many members of the corps commanded batta ...

. He was promoted to temporary captain in July 1911 and captain in April 1914. During

World War I 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 ...

, Avery served overseas with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

in Egypt, Gallipoli and France, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In June 1916 he was appointed a

Companion of 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, typic ...

, and between 1916 and 1919 he was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

four times. In the 1919 King's Birthday Honours, Avery was 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. ...

in recognition of services rendered in relation to military operations in France and Flanders. After the end of the war, Avery served as New Zealand's military representative in the War Office in London from 1920 to 1921, and trained at the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

from 1921 to 1922. He was transferred to the Reserve of Officers in 1925. He received the New Zealand Long and Efficient Service Medal in 1920. Avery served as president of the Wellington branch of the Returned Soldiers Association from 1930 to 1932. Following the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Avery was recalled to serve at army headquarters in Wellington in August 1940. Two months later he was promoted to colonel and appointed quartermaster general and third military member of the Army Board, and remained in those posts until he was seconded to the War Assets Realisation Board as general manager in September 1944. He retired from that role and the army in March 1949, having been promoted to the rank of brigadier in late 1941. In the

1943 New Year Honours The 1943 New Year Honours were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 29 December 1942.United Kingdom (additiona ...

, Avery was appointed a Commander of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire. He was also awarded the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(Commander degree) by the American government.

Business career

Avery obtained the franchise for Ford motor vehicles and established Avery Motors in Wellington in 1924. He was general manager of the company from 1924 to 1936. He then became the secretary and assistant manager of the

New Zealand Centennial Exhibition The New Zealand Centennial Exhibition took place over six months from Wednesday 8 November 1939 until 4 May 1940. It celebrated one hundred years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 and the subsequent mass European settlement of ...

from 1937 to 1940.

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, Henry 1885 births 1961 deaths Military personnel from Wellington City Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley Rugby union players from Wellington City People educated at Wellington College, Wellington New Zealand rugby union players New Zealand international rugby union players Wellington rugby union players Rugby union wing-forwards New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand brigadiers New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Legion of Merit 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople