Major General Sir Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens, (7 September 1896 – 20 May 1969) was a senior officer in the Australian Army during the Second World War. He was best known as the commanding officer of the 6th Division from 1943 to 1945.

Early life

Born on 7 September 1896 at Daylesford, Victoria, Stevens was the youngest child of Herbert Clarence Stevens and Violet Ophelia, née Bury. He attended schooling at Daylesford. He began working at the age of 12 at a cigar factory, before joining the Postmaster-General's Department as a clerk in the electrical engineers' branch in 1915.

First World War

Stevens enlisted on 2 July 1915 in the Australian Imperial Force in the Signal Corp and sailed for Egypt in November with the rank of corporal. He was promoted in March 1916 to sergeant and served with the 4th Divisional Signal Company. In June, he was sent to France and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for "devotion and keen sense of duty" during the battles of Pozières and the Ypres salient. He was transferred to the 5th Divisional Signal Company in February 1917 and was promoted to lieutenant in April. He saw action at

Polygon Wood In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

and was transferred to the Australian Corps Signal Company in March 1918. Upon arrival in Melbourne after the cessation of hostilities he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 28 October 1919.

Between the wars

Upon returning home Stevens returned to work with the Postmaster-General's Department. He married Catherine McAllister Macdonald at the Presbyterian Church, South Melbourne on 26 April 1920. Rejoinining the Militia in 1921, he was promoted to captain in 1922 and commanded the 2nd Cavalry Divisional Signals and was promoted to major in 1924. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in command of the 4th Divisional Signals (1926–29), the 3rd Divisional Signals (1929–35) and the 57th/60th Battalion (1935–39).

Second World War

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Stevens was seconded to the Second Australian Imperial Force on 13 October 1939 and placed in command of the 6th Divisional Signals. He was chosen in April 1940 as the commander of the 21st Brigade, and was promoted to colonel and temporary brigadier. Sailing with his brigade, he left for the Middle East in October. During the

Syrian campaign Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

against

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...

forces in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and Lebanon he directed the

battle of the Litani River The Battle of the Litani River (9 June 1941) was a battle of the Second World War that took place on the advance to Beirut during the Syria-Lebanon campaign. The Australian 7th Division, commanded by Major-General John Lavarack, crossed the Li ...

on 12 June where he was wounded. For his actions during this battle he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and was

mentioned in despatches 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 ...

. After recovering from his wounds he led the brigades actions during the successful coastal advance towards Sidon and in the

Battle of Damour The Battle of Damour (5–9 July 1941) was the final major operation of the Australian forces during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign of World War II. Background In 1941, Damour was the French administrative capital. Damour is a large town on the ...

between 5–9 July 1941. During the Syrian campaign against Vichy French forces in Syria and Lebanon he directed the battle of the Litani River on 12 June 1941 and, after recovering from wounds, he led the brigade's actions during the Battle of Damour between 5 and 9 July 1941. Stevens returned with the 21st Brigade to Australia in March 1942. Stevens was promoted to temporary major general and given command of the Militia's 4th Division in April before being appointed commander of

Northern Territory Force Northern Territory Force was an Australian Army force responsible for protecting the Northern Territory during World War II. Most units assigned to the Northern Territory Force were based near Darwin and were responsible for defending the import ...

in August. He was given the additional command responsibilities of the 12th Division and the Northern Territory Lines of Communications Area in December. Appointed the commanding officer of the 6th Division in April 1943 and oversaw the division's training on the

Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the Barron River. It was dammed to form an irrigation reservoir named Lake Tina ...

, Queensland. Stevens deployed to the Territory of New Guinea in late 1944 for action in the Aitape–Wewak campaign, advancing along the coast to Wewak and clearing Japanese units from the

Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...

-Wewak & Maprik area. The campaign inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese 18th Army. He was appointed the

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

for "gallant and distinguished service" and "outstanding leadership in operations against the Japanese" in 1946. He was relinquished of command against his wishes in August 1945.

Later life

Stevens became the assistant-commissioner of the Commonwealth Public Service Board in 1946, before being appointed the general manager and chief executive officer of the Overseas Telecommunications Commission in September 1946. He also kept an association with the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) as the commanding officer of the 2nd Division (1947–50) and for two months as the CMF member of the Military Board prior to being placed on the Reserve of Officers on 1 July 1950. In 1950, he was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Development and given responsibility for uranium mining at Rum Jungle, Northern Territory. He was later appointed as the Secretary of the

Department of Supply The Department of Supply was an Australian government department that existed between March 1950 and June 1974. History Established in 1950, the Department of Supply headquarters transferred to Canberra in January 1968. In 1964 the D ...

in 1951 to oversee research and development. He organised agreements with the United Kingdom and the United States of America on atomic research issues, and during the atomic tests in Australia. Stevens was appointed as the first chairman of the Australian Atomic Energy Commission (AAEC) in September 1952 to carry out research into atomic energy and enable access to overseas technology and secure technical co-operation. Under his leadership the AAEC established the experimental nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights, New South Wales. For his role he was appointed

Knight 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 ...

. Retiring from the government sector in 1956, he became chairman of Australian Electrical Industries Ltd and British Automotive Industries Pty Ltd, and a director of Commonwealth Industrial Gases Ltd, Custom Credit Corporation Ltd, Mount Isa Mines Ltd and the Trustees Executors & Agency Co. Ltd. Stevens died of a

coronary occlusion A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack. In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored ...

on 20 May 1969 in Sydney and was cremated. He was survived by his wife. His only child, Duncan Stevens, was the captain of and was killed during the collision with on 10 February 1964.

References

External links

Jack Stevens
at Australian War Memorial Site

at www.generals.dk , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens 1896 births 1969 deaths Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian Companions of the Order of the Bath Australian generals Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian public servants People from Daylesford, Victoria