Sir Frederick Geoffrey Shedden (8 August 1893 – 8 July 1971) was an Australian public servant who served as Secretary of the Department of Defence from 1937 to 1956.

Background and early life

Frederick Shedden was born 8 August 1893 in

Kyneton Kyneton ( ) is a town in the Macedon Ranges region of central Victoria, Australia. The Calder Freeway bypasses Kyneton to the north and east. The town has three main streets: Mollison Street, Piper Street and High Street. Piper Street has ...

, Victoria. His father was George Shedden, a

wheelwright A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...

born in Victoria. His mother was Sarah Elizabeth (née Grey) from England. He was the youngest of five children. His was schooled at Kyneton State and Kyneton Grammar schools.

Career

After placing very high in the Commonwealth Public Service examination, in March 1910 Shedden began his career in the Department of Defence at

Victoria Barracks, Melbourne Victoria Barracks Melbourne is an Australian Government building located on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Australia. It was constructed in the mid-to-late 19th century as barracks for Colonial forces of Australia, British colonial forces in Austra ...

. He also studied law at Melbourne University, but the outbreak of World War One ended his studies. On 19 March 1917 he was appointed a lieutenant in the Australian Army Pay Corps. He served as the 4th Australian Divisions acting paymaster in August. On his return home he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 24 December 1917. Shedden was Secretary to the Australian Government Department responsible for defence between 1937 and 1956: *

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

of the Department of Defence (II) (1937 to 1939) *

of the Department of Defence Co-ordination (1939 to 1942) *

of the Department of Home Security (1941) *

of the Department of Defence (III) (1942 to 1956)

Private life

On 14 December 1927, Shedden married Anne Cardno Edward. Later that same day he sailed for England to study at the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

Awards and honours

In the King's Birthday Honours of June 1933, Shedden was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE). He was 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George I ...

(CMG) in the New Year's Day Honours of 1941, and knighted as a

Knight Commander 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, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

(KCMG) in the King's Birthday Honours of June 1943.

Death

Shedden died on 8 July 1971 in St Andrew's Hospital, East Melbourne. He was the subject of a biography, ''Defence Supremo'' written by David Horner and published by Allen & Unwin in 2000. In 2009, a street in the

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

suburb of Casey was named Shedden Street in his honour.

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Shedden, Frederick 1893 births 1971 deaths Military personnel from Victoria (state) Australian Army officers Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Secretaries of the Australian Department of Defence People from Kyneton Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies