Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Selwyn Havelock Watson Craig Porter, (23 February 1905 – 9 October 1963) was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

officer and Chief Commissioner of

Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''. , Victo ...

Early life

Born on 23 February 1905 in Tintaldra, Victoria, Porter was educated at Wangaratta High School before taking up a position as a clerk in the State Savings Bank of Victoria.Johnston 2002, pp. 20–21.

Military career

Porter began his military career in 1924 when he was commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the Citizens Military Force, serving with the 58th Battalion. By 1936 he had reached 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 ...

. Upon the outbreak of 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 ...

, Porter joined the Second Australian Imperial Force that was raised for overseas service and was allocated to the 2/5th Battalion as second in command. Deployed to the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, he temporarily commanded the 2/6th Battalion and led them as the Australians advanced past Derna, for which he 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 ...

. Later he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and given full command of the 2/31st Battalion and led them through the Syria-Lebanon Campaign, for which he later received 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 ...

, before being wounded in the thigh. He then returned to Australia and was promoted to the temporary rank of

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

and sent to

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

where he was placed in command of the 30th Brigade, which had been sent there in response to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

's entry into the war. Following the Japanese landing at Buna, Porter led the 30th Brigade and then during August 1942 temporarily commanded Maroubra Force along the

Kokoda Track The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...

, before handing over to Brigadier

Arnold Potts Brigadier Arnold William Potts, (16 September 1896 – 1 January 1968) was an Australian grazier and army officer who served in the First World War and led the 21st Brigade of the Second Australian Imperial Force during its defence of the Koko ...

. He later commanded the 30th Brigade around Sanananda. In November 1943 Porter took command of the 24th Brigade and led them through the fighting at Finschhafen. In early 1945 he was attached to the 9th Division's planning staff, before leading his brigade during the invasion of North Borneo. Following the end of the war, Porter returned to Australia and briefly returned to civilian life. In 1947 he 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 ...

. When the Citizens Military Force was re-raised in 1948, Porter was given command of the 6th Brigade and then later promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in command of the 3rd Division. During 1953–1954 he took up a position on the Military Board as the CMF representative.

Later life

In 1955 he was appointed as chief commissioner of

, a post that he held until his death on 9 October 1963 from 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 ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Selwyn 1905 births 1963 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (Australia) Australian bankers Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian generals Australian Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order Australian Army personnel of World War II Chief Commissioners of Victoria Police People from Victoria (Australia) University of Melbourne alumni