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 ...

Victor Conradsdorf Morisset Sellheim, (4 May 1866 – 25 January 1928) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

military officer during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

and 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 ...

. Sellheim fought in the

with Chauvel's Mounted Infantry and fought in the

Battle of Modder River The Battle of Modder River ( af, Slag van die Twee Riviere, lit=Battle of the two rivers) was an engagement in the Boer War, fought at Modder River, on 28 November 1899. A British column under Lord Methuen, that was attempting to relieve the ...

. For his actions during the war, Sellheim became a

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 ...

. After serving in a variety of staff positions, he became Quartermaster general of the

Australian Military Forces The Australian Military Forces (AMF) was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the (full-time) "regular army", and the (part-time) forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen ...

in 1912 and two years later was

Adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

. Between 1914 and 1916 he oversaw the Australian Imperial Force base at

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

. He became the Adjutant general again. After the end of the First World War, Sellheim became Quartermaster general in 1920 but resigned in 1927 to become

Administrator of Norfolk Island The administrator of Norfolk Island acts as a representative both of The Crown and of the Government of Australia, as well as carrying out other duties according to the ''Norfolk Island Amendment Act 2015''.Balmain, New South Wales Balmain is a suburb in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of the Inner West Council. It is locate ...

, the eldest son of

Philip Frederic Sellheim Philip Frederic Sellheim (1832–1899) was a Grand Duchy of Hesse, Hessian Pastoralism, pastoralist and mining official in Australia in the latter half of the 19th century. He was born on 28 September 1832 at Ortenberg, Hesse, Konradsdorf in the G ...

and his wife Laura Morriset. He was educated at the

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

and was a surveyor afterwards. Sellheim married Susan Howell-Griffith on 7 December 1890. He enlisted in the

Kennedy Regiment The 31st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (31 RQR) was a Reserve infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Although it was officially formed as 31 RQR in 1965 the battalion can trace its lineage back to units formed in 1881 as part of the ...

, where he received a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

's commission in 1892 and was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

the next year. As the regimental

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

, he obtained a permanent commission in the

Queensland Defence Force Until Australia became a Federation of Australia, Federation in 1901, each of the six colonies were responsible for their own defence. From 1788 until 1870 this was done with British regular forces. In all, 24 British infantry regiments served i ...

in 1896. After attending courses in the United Kingdom, Sellheim served in the

as an officer attached to British units and the chief of staff of

Harry Chauvel General Sir Henry George Chauvel, (16 April 1865 – 4 March 1945) was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World War ...

's Mounted Infantry, taking part in the

Battle of Belmont The Battle of Belmont was fought on November 7, 1861 in Mississippi County, Missouri. It was the first combat test in the American Civil War for Brigadier general (United States), Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, the future Union Army general in ch ...

and the

. He later joined the Queensland Mounted Infantry during the advance on

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

. For his services during the war, Sellheim was appointed a

and also

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 the Boer War, Sellheim was shifted through various staff appointments and 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 ...

in December 1909 and appointed the Quartermaster General to the

in 1912. Promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in 1913, he became the

Adjutant-General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

in August 1914.

First World War

Sellheim served as the head of the administrative staff in the 1st Division of the Australian Imperial Force. He did not have a good relationship with his superior, Major General

William Bridges William or Bill Bridges may refer to: * William Bridges (author) (1933–2013), American writer and organizational consultant * William Bridges (general) (1861–1915), commander of the Australian Army's First Australian Imperial Force in 1 ...

and as a result Bridges did not deal directly with Sellheim on administrative matters. Sellheim organised a base for the AIF in

and was promoted to

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 1916. AIF Administrative Headquarters was moved to England in May. Sellheim was replaced by Robert Anderson in August and was sent back to Australia to become the Adjutant General again. He was again mentioned in despatches and also 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. ...

Later life

Promoted to major general in January 1920, Sellheim became the Quartermaster General as well as the Adjutant General as a result of decreasing defence expenditures due to the end of the First World War. He resigned his positions in January 1927 to become the

administrator of Norfolk Island The administrator of Norfolk Island acts as a representative both of The Crown and of the Government of Australia, as well as carrying out other duties according to the ''Norfolk Island Amendment Act 2015''.Kingston, Norfolk Island Kingston ( Norf'k: ''Daun a'Taun''Buffett, Alice Inez, ''Speak Norfolk Today: An Encyclopedia of the Norfolk Island language'', Himii Publishing, Norfolk Island 1999: 24) is the administrative centre of the Australian external territory of Norfol ...

. Sellheim's maternal grandfather,

James Morisset Lieutenant Colonel James Thomas Morisset (1780Baptised 21 August 1780 in the Church of St Giles in the Fields, Holborn, London, the son of James Morisset (1738–1815) and Jannetta Tadwell. His father, James Morisset, was a famous goldsmith of ...

, had served as commandant of Norfolk from 1829 to 1834.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellheim, Victor 1866 births 1928 deaths Australian military personnel of the Second Boer War Australian military personnel of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Administrators of Norfolk Island Australian generals Military personnel from Sydney Australian people of German descent People educated at Brisbane Grammar School