John Alexander Lachlan Shaw (26 August 1902 – 20 April 1983) was an Australian engineer and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

public servant.Obituary in ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', 22 April 1983

Early life and education

John Shaw was born on 26 August 1902 in

Marrickville, New South Wales Marrickville is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Marrickville is located south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the largest suburb in the Inner West Council local governme ...

, the son of John and Alice Shaw. He attended

Sydney Technical High School Sydney Technical High School (STHS) is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1911 as part of Sydney Technic ...

and thereafter studied civil engineering at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. After graduating with honours with a

Bachelor of Engineering A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Bache ...

(BE) in 1925, Shaw was recruited into newly established Main Roads Board of New South Wales, which was a part of the NSW Department of Main Roads. In 1928 he was included amongst the first six divisional engineer appointments made by the Board, taking up postings at Glen Innes,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and

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 ...

. In 1926 he married Nellie Hicks in Chatswood.

Military service

When the

Second World War 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 ...

broke out, Shaw enlisted on 8 July 1940 in the 2/12 Field Company,

Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army (although the word corps does not appear in their name or on their badge). The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, be ...

.World War II Nominal Roll:
Shaw, John Alexander Lachlan – Army Service As part of the

8th Division 8th Division, 8th Infantry Division or 8th Armored Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 8th Division (Australia) * 8th Canadian Infantry Division * 8th Air Division (People's Republic of China) * 8th Division (1st Formation) (People's Repu ...

in the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

, Shaw was sent over in February 1941 to Malaya to assist in the defence of Singapore. He surrendered along with all allied forces in Malaya on 31 January 1942 and was taken prisoner, being held in the notorious

Changi Prison Changi Prison Complex, often known simply as Changi Prison, is a prison in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. History First prison Before Changi Prison was constructed, the only penal facility in Singapore was at Pearl's Hill, beside t ...

. Liberated at the end of the war, he was discharged on 24 January 1946 with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. On 6 March 1947 for "Organisation, courage and coolness in Malaya" he was 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, typ ...

(DSO).Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
DSO, 6 March 1947, itsanhonour.gov.au
Citation: "Organisation, courage and coolness in Malaya" He was presented with his award by the

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.Sir William McKell Sir William John McKell (26 September 1891 – 11 January 1985) was an Australian politician who served as the 12th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1947 to 1953. He had previously been Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947 ...

, on 24 January 1949 at

Admiralty House, Sydney Admiralty House is the Sydney official residence of the governor-general of Australia. It is located in the suburb of Kirribilli, on the northern foreshore of Sydney Harbour (adjacent to Kirribilli House, which is the Sydney official residenc ...

Later career and legacy

On returning to civilian life in Australia, Shaw resumed his work with the then Department of Main Roads, rising to Assistant Commissioner in 1953 and overseeing various post-war infrastructure projects such as the

Gladesville Bridge Gladesville Bridge is a heritage-listed concrete arch road bridge that carries Victoria Road over the Parramatta River, linking the Sydney suburbs of Huntleys Point and Drummoyne, in the local government areas of Canada Bay and Hunter's Hill, ...

, where he served as Chief Engineer. Shaw eventually rose to the office of Commissioner for Main Roads from 20 April 1962 to 1967. As Commissioner, on 12 June 1966 he was invested as 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).Commander of the Order of the British Empire
CBE, 12 June 1966, itsanhonour.gov.au
Citation: "Commissioner of Main Roads – New South Wales" After his retirement John Shaw served as the Deputy Chief Commissioner of the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

from its dismissal by the Askin Government on 14 November 1967 to 26 September 1969. Shaw also served as the National President of the Australian Road Federation from 1968 to 1979. He is the only Australian ever to have been honoured by the International Road Federation as "Man of the Year". The "John Shaw Award", which was initiated in the Queensland Region of the Australian Road Federation, acknowledges his outstanding contribution to roads. Roads Australia has an award in his honour. The "John Shaw Medal" is considered as one of the most significant achievements in the Australian Road Transport Sector. In 1991, his son established the "JAL and DL Shaw Award" with the gift of $10 000 in memory of his father, for graduates of the University of Sydney Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, John Alexander Lachlan 1902 births 1983 deaths Australian Army officers Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order 20th-century Australian engineers Australian military personnel of World War II Australian prisoners of war Public servants of New South Wales Executive directors of government departments of New South Wales People educated at Sydney Technical High School University of Sydney alumni World War II prisoners of war held by Japan People from Marrickville Councillors of Sydney County Council