Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Sir Edward Puttick, (26 June 1890 – 25 July 1976) was an officer who served with the
New Zealand Military Forces
The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...
during the
First
First most commonly refers to:
* First, the ordinal form of the number 1
First or 1st may also refer to:
Acronyms
* Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array
* Far Infrared a ...
and
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
s. The first New Zealand-born soldier to reach the rank of lieutenant general, he 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
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan)
* Chief of the General Staff (Albania)
* C ...
of the New Zealand Military Forces from 1941 to 1945.
Born in 1890 in
Timaru
Timaru (; ) 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 Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...
, Puttick served in the
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...
prior to the First World War. In August 1914 he was part of the Expeditionary Force that occupied
German Samoa
German Samoa officially Malo Kaisalika / Kingdom of Samoa (; Samoan: ''Malo Kaisalika'') was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the Independent State ...
. He later served with the
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War it fough ...
during the
Senussi campaign and on the
Western Front. He was commanding the 3rd Battalion of the brigade in March 1918 when he was wounded and later repatriated to New Zealand.
Puttick 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 ...
in 1919 and held a number of command and staff positions for the next 20 years. During the Second World War, he commanded the
4th Infantry Brigade in the
Battle of Greece
The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasi ...
, for which he was awarded a bar to the Distinguished Service Order he had won in the previous war. Following the Allied evacuation from Greece he commanded the
2nd New Zealand Division
The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-G ...
during the subsequent
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
. In September he returned to New Zealand as Chief of General Staff, New Zealand Military Forces, and served in this capacity until late 1945. He retired from the military the following year and died in 1976.
Early life
The son of a railway worker from London, Edward Puttick was born in
Timaru
Timaru (; ) 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 Ocean, Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to peo ...
, 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 S ...
. He was educated at
Waitaki Boys' High School
Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students.
The ...
, after which he joined the Roads Department, as it was then known, as a draughtsman. He joined the newly formed
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry in ...
in 1911, serving as a
second lieutenant in the
15th (North Auckland) Regiment
The Northland Regiment was a territorial infantry regiment of the New Zealand Military Forces. The Regiment was formed in 1911 and provided service companies to the Auckland Infantry Regiment during the First World War. Men from the Regiment al ...
. The following year he moved to Wellington and was transferred to the
5th (Wellington) Regiment.
First World War
Following the outbreak of the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
in the summer of 1914, Puttick's territorial regiment was designated part of the Samoa Expeditionary Force, which was raised for the
Occupation of German Samoa in early August 1914. Now with the rank of
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, he landed at
Apia
Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga.
The Apia Urban A ...
on 29 August. The occupation was achieved without loss of life and he spent the next several months on garrison duty before returning to New Zealand in April 1915. On his return, he volunteered for 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 ...
(NZEF) which was then in the Middle East, preparing for the
Gallipoli campaign.
On arrival in Egypt, Puttick was posted to the 1st Battalion,
New Zealand Rifle Brigade
The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War it fough ...
. He commanded 'B' Company of the battalion during the
Senussi Campaign from January to February 1916, before being transferred to the
2nd Infantry Brigade of the newly formed
New Zealand Division
The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...
. He was promoted to major and appointed Staff Captain of the brigade, under the command of Brigadier General
William Braithwaite. He went with the division to the
Western Front in April and remained with the brigade during its settling in period in the Armentieres sector of the front. In July, prior to the start of the
Somme Offensive
The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...
, he was transferred back to the Rifle Brigade, and appointed second-in-command of its 4th Battalion.
Puttick fought in the
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...
in mid-September 1916 and was
mentioned in despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...
for his leadership and support of his battalion commander, Colonel
Charles Melvill, immediately following the battle. In December he temporarily commanded the 4th Battalion while Melvill was briefly commander of the 2nd Infantry Brigade. In June 1917 he had an extended period as temporary commander of the battalion when, during the
Battle of Messines, Melvill was promoted to command of the 1st Infantry Brigade following the death of its previous commander, Brigadier General
Charles Henry Brown. Puttick led the battalion through the
Battle of Passchendaele
The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies of World War I, Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front (World Wa ...
until November 1917 at which time he was given command of the 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade. Late in the year he was again mentioned in despatches and on 1 January 1918, in recognition of his service in the previous six months, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...
(DSO).
On 21 March 1918, the
Germans
Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...
began their
Spring Offensive and the New Zealand Division was rushed to plug a gap in the front near
Colincamps. On 27 March, Puttick was wounded in the chest while leading his battalion in an action designed to link up with an Australian brigade in the nearby village of
Hébuterne. He was evacuated to England for treatment and after recuperating, commanded the New Zealand Rifle Brigade's training camp in
Brocton, Staffordshire
Brocton is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Stafford in Staffordshire, England. The village describes itself as the ''Gateway to Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a Site of Special Scientific Interest''. It is ...
. However, his wounds were such that he was eventually repatriated to New Zealand at the end of the war.
Interwar period
Shortly after Puttick's return to New Zealand, he married Irene Lillian Dignan in Auckland. The couple had three daughters. After being discharged from the NZEF in March 1919, he rejoined the Roads Department. Later that year he applied to join New Zealand's permanent military forces but was declined. He returned to the Roads Department but was seconded to the military in August 1919. A few months later he received a commission in 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 ...
as a major.
In 1920, Puttick was appointed commander of the Fiji Expeditionary Force, which had been raised following a request from the Fijian government for military forces to support local police dealing with striking labourers and farmers. The force, numbering about 55 men, was based in Fiji for two months before returning home. He then served in a number of staff positions. He was sent to England for attachment to the
War Office
The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...
and the same year attended the Imperial Defence College in 1937, with the rank of colonel. He was also one of New Zealand's representatives at the
coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Elizabeth, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realm, ...
in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
. In 1938 he was appointed as
Adjutant General of the New Zealand Military Forces as well as a second term as
Quartermaster General, having previously served in this capacity from 1934 to 1936.
Second World War
Puttick was commanding the Central Military District when the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
broke out and, as a skilled administrator, played a key role in the raising of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) for service overseas. The
4th Infantry Brigade with Puttick, promoted to temporary
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 (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
, as its commander was to be the first brigade of the newly formed
2nd New Zealand Division
The 2nd New Zealand Division, initially the New Zealand Division, was an infantry division of the New Zealand Military Forces (New Zealand's army) during the Second World War. The division was commanded for most of its existence by Lieutenant-G ...
, under the overall command of Major General
Bernard Freyberg
Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General Bernard Cyril Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, (21 March 1889 – 4 July 1963) was a United Kingdom, British-born New Zealand soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, who served as the List of g ...
. The brigade duly departed for the Middle East in January 1940.

Puttick oversaw the training of the brigade once it settled in its base in Egypt. In June 1940, Freyberg travelled to England to where the second infantry brigade of the division had been shipped. In his absence, Puttick was temporary commander of the New Zealand forces in Egypt. Anticipating a German invasion of Greece, the division was one of the Allied units transferred to that country. Arriving in April 1941, he led the brigade competently during the
Battle of Greece
The German invasion of Greece or Operation Marita (), were the attacks on Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is usually known as the Greco-Italian War, was followed by the German invasi ...
as it retreated from the Aliakmon Line in northern Greece to the Servia Pass and onto the beaches at Porto Rafti from where it was evacuated on 27 April to
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
. He was later awarded a
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
** Chocolate bar
* Protein bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...
to his DSO for his "gallantry and devotion to duty" during this period.
On Crete, Puttick was promoted to temporary major general and, following Freyberg's appointment as the commander of
Creforce This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Crete and related operations in 1941.
Allied
Land forces
Commonwealth & Allied forces, Crete - "Creforce"
;Headquarters Creforce - (Eastern Zone, east of Chania)
:Major-general Bernard Freyb ...
, took over responsibility for the 2nd New Zealand Division. During the
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete (, ), codenamed Operation Mercury (), was a major Axis Powers, Axis Airborne forces, airborne and amphibious assault, amphibious operation during World War II to capture the island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May ...
his failure to pressure
James Hargest
Brigadier James Hargest, (4 September 1891 – 12 August 1944) was an officer of the New Zealand Military Forces, serving in both the First and Second World Wars. He was a Member of New Zealand's Parliament from 1931 to 1944, representin ...
, one of his brigade commanders, to make a counterattack to support the defenders of Maleme airfield resulted in its eventual loss to the Germans. With reinforcements and supplies landed at the airfield the Germans were able to consolidate the tenuous gains made in the opening days of the invasion. Any meaningful chance of the Allies successfully preventing the capture of the island was lost and the survivors of Creforce were eventually evacuated to Egypt.

On his return to Egypt, Puttick was offered the opportunity to become
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
* Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia)
* Chief of General Staff (Afghanistan)
* Chief of the General Staff (Albania)
* C ...
, effectively the commander of the New Zealand Military Forces, by the visiting New Zealand prime minister,
Peter Fraser
Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...
. He accepted the role and returned to New Zealand in September 1941. Puttick's focus was on ensuring the manpower of the 2NZEF in North Africa was adequately maintained by reinforcements. In the face of the increasing threat of the
Japanese Empire
The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to ...
in the Pacific, he also put considerable effort into improving New Zealand's defences. After the Japanese entered the war, he considered the actual threat of invasion to be minimal but continued to encourage improvements in home defence as a means of boosting morale.
In April 1942 Puttick was promoted to
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
, the first New Zealand-born soldier to reach this rank. In the
1942 King's Birthday Honours, 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 caregi ...
(CB). As the war progressed he was faced with the difficulty of juggling resources to maintain both the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Middle East and the
3rd New Zealand Division in the
Pacific theatre. Later in the war, he was in favour keeping the 2nd Division in Italy to deal with what he considered to be the greater priority, the defeat of Germany, rather than have it be used against the Japanese.
Later life
Puttick was succeeded as Chief of the General Staff by Major General
Norman Weir in late 1945 and was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
in the
1946 New Year Honours
The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginn ...
.
In June 1946, he led the New Zealand contingent at the
Victory Parade
A victory parade is a parade held to celebrate a victory. Numerous military and sport victory parades have been held.
Military victory parades
Among the most famous parades are the victory parades celebrating the end of the First World War and ...
in London. He retired from the military three months later.
In his retirement, Puttick authored one of the volumes of the ''
'', a unit history of the
25th Battalion, which was published in 1960. His wife died in 1964 and in his later years, he lived in
Raglan, a small seaside town on the west coast of the North Island. He died on 25 July 1976 in
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
, survived by his three daughters, and was buried at
Karori Cemetery
Karori Cemetery is the second-largest cemetery in New Zealand. It opened in 1891, and is located in the Wellington suburb of Karori.
History
Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery.
In 1909, it recei ...
in
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
with
military honours
A military funeral is a memorial or burial rite given by a country's military for a soldier, sailor, marine or airman who died in battle, a veteran, or other prominent military figures or heads of state. A military funeral may feature guards ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puttick, Edward
1890 births
1976 deaths
Military personnel from the Canterbury Region
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
New Zealand military personnel of World War I
New Zealand military personnel of World War II
New Zealand generals
Battle of Crete
People from Timaru
People from Raglan, New Zealand
Burials at Karori Cemetery
Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School