IRVING, Godfrey George Howy
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 May 1902, Victoria Barracks-Melbourne, VIC, Australia |
| Last Rank: | Brigadier General |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Brigade Headquarters |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 25 August 1867 |
| Home Town: | Kew, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Hawthorn Grammar School |
| Occupation: | Army Officer; Colonel of Australian & Colonial Military Forces-Boer War; Brigadier-General (AIF) 15th, & 14th Aust-Inf-Battalions. |
| Died: | Natual causes-Illness: Coronary Vascular Disease, Kew, Victoria, Australia, 11 December 1937, aged 70 years |
| Cemetery: |
Boroondara (Kew) General Cemetery, Victoria Grave Location: C/E D 0388, Church of England-Section D/Grave 388. |
| Memorials: |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Lieutenant Colonel, 6th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 May 1902: | Enlisted Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Lieutenant Colonel, Officer, 6th Battalion, Australian Commonwealth Horse, Victoria Barracks-Melbourne, VIC, Australia |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Dec 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Brigadier General, 15th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, 1st Involved-Date: 01/12/1915, appointed - Colonel; later appointed - Brigadier-General (NAA, Pg's-22, 18). Proceeded as Brigadier-General prior to transferring to [14th Aust., Inf., Btn]. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Dec 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Colonel, 15th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, Melbourne, VIC, Australia | |
| 21 Feb 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Brigadier General, 14th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, (NAA, Pg's-18, 19) | |
| 21 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Brigadier General, 14th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, (NAA, Pg-18) | |
| 19 Nov 1918: | Discharged AIF WW1, Brigadier General, 14th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, (NAA, Pg-19) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Daniel Bishop
Colonel (Honorary Brigadier-General)
Godfrey George Howy IRVING
Born at the University of Melbourne on the 25th August 1857, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Son of Professor Martin Howy Irving [IRVING, Martin Howy (1831-1912) (adb.anu.edu.au)], and his first wife Caroline (nee Bruyeres) Irving.
He was originally educated at the Hawthorn Grammar School and was still attending school when he joined the 2nd Battalion -Victorian Rifles- as Private in June 1885. He gained a militia commission as Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion in 1887, and in 1891 was appointed Captain in the permanent forces as battalion adjutant. For the next nine years he was adjutant of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th Battalions at various times.
First appointment in the militia forces, Victoria, 2nd Infantry Battalion was on the 11th November 1887.
PROMOTIONS:
- Lieutenant in the militia forces, Victoria, 2nd Infantry Battalion, on 11 November 1887.
- Appointed to a commission in the permanent military forces with rank of Captain, on 1 January 1891.
- Major in the permanent forces on 20 July 1900.
- Temporary Lieutenant Colonel in the permanent forces from - 14 January 1904, to - 11 January 1905.
- Lieutenant Colonel in the Administrative and Instructional Staff on 17 December 1909.
- Colonel in the Administrative and Institutional Staff on 1 May 1914.
- Honorary Brigidier-General for the (AIF-WW1) on 1 December 1915.
- Colonel in the staff corps on 1 October 1920.
APPOINTMENTS / UNITS:
Adjutant 2nd Infantry Battalion - from, 1 January 1881 - to, 1 July 1893.
Adjutant 1st, and 2nd Infantry Battalions - from, 1 July 1893 - to, 31 May 1897, and from, 15 November 1899 - to, 29 March 1900.
Adjutant 3rd, and 4th Infantry Battalions - from, 1 June 1897 - to, 14 November 1899.
Adjutant 5th Infantry Battalion - from, 1 January 1899 - to, 14 November 1899.
Adjutant Victorian Rangers - from, 30 March 1900 - to, 7 February 1901.
Commanding (temporarily) Victorian Rangers - from, 8 February 1901 - to, 9 November 1901.
Adjutant Victorian Rangers - from, 10 November 1901 - to, 12 March 1902.
(D.A.A.G) [3rd M.D] 3rd Military District-Melbourne, VIC., - from, 13 March 1902 - to, 26 November 1903.
Acting (A.A.G) HQ Staff - from, 27 November 1903 - to, 13 January 1904.
(D.A.A.G) HQ - from, 14 January 1904 - to, 30 June 1905.
Instructional Staff, 1st (QLD) & 2nd (NSW) Military Districts - from, 1 July 1905 - to, 30 June 1907.
(D.A.Q.M.G) 2nd Military District - from, 1 July 1907 - to, 30 June 1908.
Action (D.A.A.G) 2nd Military District on 16 June 1907.
(D.A.A.G) 2nd Military District - from, 1 July 1908 - to, 31 August 1909.
Commander 5th Military District - from, 15 September 1909 - to, 30 June 1914.
Commander 4th Military District - from, 1 July 1914 - to, 23 April 1915; from, 25 June 1916 - to, 15 February 1917.
Chief of General Staff - from, 24 May 1915 - to, 30 November 1915.
Commander of Australian Details and Reinforcements (AIF) Egypt - from, 1 December 1915 - to, 20 February 1916.
Commander of 15th Infantry Brigade (AIF) - from, 21 February 1916 - to, 1 March 1916.
Commander of 14th Infantry Brigade (AIF) - from, 2 March 1916 - to, 30 April 1916.
Commander of (AIF, HQ Egypt) Australian Imperial Force-Headquarters-Egypt - from, 1 May 1916 - to, 12 May 1916.
Commander of 1st District - from, 16 February 1917 - to, 30 April 1921; Infantry (Qld Reg) Queensland Regiments - from, 1st May 1921 - to, 31 July 1922.
Allotted to unattached list on 1 August 1922.
(A.D.C) to his His Excellency the Governor General on 1 May 1923.
Retired from service and duty: 25 November 1925.
ACTIVE SERVICES:
Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 6th Contingent Australian Commonwealth Horse-Victoria during the Boer War (1899-1902) Sth Africa.
Served as Colonel, and Brigidier-General in the Australian Imperial Force-World War I - 1st Involved: 15th Australian Infantry Brigade HQ; 2nd Involved: 14th Australian Infantry Brigade HQ.
Godfrey George Howy IRVING, passed away of coronary vascular disease on the 11th December 1937, at his home in residency of Kew, Melbourne City, Victoria, and was buried in Booroonda (Kew) Cemetery. He was survived by a son and two daughters; his wife had died in 1934. Sybil Howy Irving [IRVING, Sybil Howy (1897-1973) (adb.anu.edu.au)] was the founder and controller of the Australian Womens' Army Service in 1941-47. Ronald Godfrey Howy Irving (1898-1965) graduated from the Royal Military College-Duntroon, 1919, and retired from the Australian Military in 1953, with the last rank of Brigadier. Freda Howy Irving (b., 1903) became a well-known Melbourne Journalist.
INFORMATION REFERENCED
- Original parts of Text - extracted from (NAA, Pg's-15, to 18), (NAA) National Archives of Australia, Attestation Paper-Boer War-Sth Africa (1899-1902), Service Record-WW1 of Brigadier-General-Godfrey George IRVING. Web Link: Brigadier-General-Godfrey George Howy IRVING (recordsearch.naa.gov.au)
- Original parts of Text - extracted from (ADB) Australian Dictionary of Biography; Profile: IRVING, Godfrey George Howy (1867-1937), by Author: Chris Clark; This article was published in the Australian Dictionary of Biography -Volume 9- (MUP) 1983. Web Link: IRVING, Godfrey George Howy (1867-1937) (adb.anu.edu.au)
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