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 ...

Sir Keith Lindsay Stewart, (30 December 1896 – 13 November 1972) was a professional soldier in the

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

. He served during the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

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 ...

s and was

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

of the New Zealand Military Forces from 1949 to 1952. Born in 1896 in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

, New Zealand, he joined the New Zealand Military Forces in 1914 as a cadet and served 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 ...

from 1916 in the Middle East for the last two years of the First World War. After the war he held a number of staff positions in New Zealand and abroad. He saw active service during the Second World War as part of the

2nd New Zealand Division The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry Division (military), division of the New Zealand Army, New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the World War II, Second World War. The division was ...

. He was made a prisoner of war in August 1944 and spent most of the final months of the war in captivity in Germany. After the war he commanded

J Force J Force (sometimes referred to as "Jayforce") was the name given to the New Zealand forces that were allocated to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) which occupied Japan following the end of the Second World War. The force was deploy ...

while it was engaged in occupation duties in Japan. While Chief of General Staff, he oversaw the deployment of New Zealand's military personnel to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

to assist the United Nations during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. He retired from the military in 1954 and died in Kawakawa, in 1972.

Early life

Keith Lindsay Stewart was born in

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the Southe ...

on 30 December 1896. His father, David Stewart, was a bank manager. He had a stutter and was educated at

Napier Boys' High School Napier Boys' High School is a secondary boys' school in, Napier, New Zealand. It currently has a school roll of approximately pupils. The school provides education from Year 9 to Year 13. Notable alumni Business * Rod Drury – chief execu ...

and then

Wanganui Collegiate Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

Military career

In 1914, Stewart entered the

Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...

in Australia, having passed its entrance exams. He graduated early to volunteer for the

(NZEF) in 1916.

First World War

Stewart did not embark for the Middle East until June 1917. Most of his war service was in Egypt, where he was the adjutant of the New Zealand Training Units and Depots there. He also spent a period of time with the headquarters of the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division, which was serving in the Sinai and Palestine campaign. By the end of the war, he had been promoted to captain and was appointed a

Member 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 ...

for his services. He returned to New Zealand in December 1919 and his service with the NZEF was terminated.

Interwar period

After arriving back in New Zealand, Stewart joined 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 ...

. After serving as a staff officer, firstly to the commandant of the

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

and then in the Central Military District, he attended the

Staff College Staff colleges (also command and staff colleges and War colleges) train military officers in the administrative, military staff and policy aspects of their profession. It is usual for such training to occur at several levels in a career. For ex ...

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

, England, for several years. In 1931, he was seconded to the

Ceylon Defence Force The Ceylon Defence Force (CDF) was established in 1910 by the Ceylonese legislation ''Ceylon Defence Force Ordinance'', which reformed the Ceylon Volunteer Force (CVF) that existed previously as the military reserve in the British Crown colon ...

, where he spent three years as a staff officer. He returned to New Zealand in 1934 and was made an

Officer 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 ...

for his services in Ceylon. He held staff positions in Southern Command, the military district that covered the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand, until 1939.

Second World War

Following the outbreak of the

, Stewart was posted to Army Headquarters in Wellington, with responsibility for training and staff duties. Now a

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 ...

, he was seconded to the Second Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) in late 1939 and embarked for the Middle East in early 1940 as General Staff Officer for the

.McClymont, 1959, p. 14 He worked closely with Major General

Bernard Freyberg Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the 7th Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952. Freyb ...

, the divisional commander during the

Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usu ...

. After the end of the campaign in Greece, most of the division, including Stewart and Freyberg, was evacuated to Crete. Here, Stewart was promoted to

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 served with Creforce as Freyberg's Brigadier General Staff. His services on Crete were recognised with 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 ...

.Haigh & Polaschek, 1993, p. 244 Stewart returned to New Zealand in late 1941 to take up an appointment as deputy chief of staff, firstly under Major General

John Duigan John Duigan (born 19 June 1949) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films ''The Year My Voice Broke'' and ''Flirting'', and the 1994 film ''Sirens'', which stars Hugh Grant. Biogra ...

and then Lieutenant General

Edward Puttick Lieutenant General Sir Edward Puttick, (26 June 1890 – 25 July 1976) was an officer who served with the New Zealand Military Forces during the First and Second World Wars. The first New Zealand-born soldier to reach the rank of lieutenant ge ...

. His poor health was also a factor in his return. He assisted in preparations to defend New Zealand against an attack by the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

. He remained in this position for 18 months before returning to the 2NZEF in August 1943 as commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade.McGibbon, 2000, pp. 512–513 Stewart commanded the brigade through the early stages of the Italian campaign before handing over responsibility to Brigadier

Howard Kippenberger Major General Sir Howard Karl Kippenberger, (28 January 1897 – 5 May 1957), known as "Kip", was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces who served in the First and Second World Wars. Born in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, Kippen ...

in November 1943. Stewart then took over command of the 4th Armoured Brigade while its nominal commander, Brigadier Lindsay Inglis, was on furlough in New Zealand.Phillips, 1957, p. 63 When Kippenberger became temporary commander of the 2nd New Zealand Division, Stewart returned to the 5th Infantry Brigade as its commander. He led the brigade through the

Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...

and up until early August 1944, when he was captured by German forces while visiting the front line. He was held in Germany as a prisoner of war until March 1945, when his camp was liberated by Allied Forces. 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 ...

twice during the course of the war as well as being awarded the United States

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 ...

and the Greek

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

Postwar career

Stewart returned to New Zealand in July 1945, and was made 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 ...

. He commanded the 9th Infantry Brigade from October 1945 to July 1946. The brigade was originally based in the Middle East, but in early 1946 moved to Japan as part of

, New Zealand's contribution to the

British Commonwealth Occupation Force The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952. At its peak, t ...

(BCOF). After Stewart's period in command ended he returned to New Zealand and was appointed adjutant general of the New Zealand Military Forces. The following year, he was appointed 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 ...

in the 1947 New Year Honours. In April 1949, Stewart replaced Major General

Norman Weir Major General Sir Norman William McDonald Weir, (6 July 1893 – 11 July 1961) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces. He served during the First and Second World Wars, and was Chief of the General Staff of the New Zealan ...

, New Zealand Military Forces. He reestablished compulsory military training and advanced plans for the government's commitment to deploy military forces to the Middle East in the event of hostilities with the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. This led to a clash with Prime Minister Sydney Holland in 1950 over the rate of progress of these plans for which he later apologised. He also oversaw the deployment of New Zealand forces to

following the outbreak of the

Later life

Stewart retired from the military in 1954 but, in a break with convention, he was not rewarded with a knighthood for his services. This was most likely due to his previous clashes with Holland. He was knighted as a

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 ...

four years later by the newly elected Labour Government in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours. He retired to Northland and died in the small town of Kawakawa on 13 November 1972. He was survived by his wife Rita, who he had married in 1922, and the couple's two children. He is buried in the servicemen's section of Wellington's Karori Cemetery.

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Keith Lindsay 1896 births 1972 deaths New Zealand military personnel New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath New Zealand generals New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand prisoners of war in World War II Officers of the Legion of Merit People from Timaru People educated at Napier Boys' High School People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates World War II prisoners of war held by Germany Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley