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 ...

John Wilson Crawford, (8 July 1899 – 7 March 1943) served in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

during 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 ...

. Prior to the war, he was a solicitor and an officer in the

Citizen Military Forces The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the military reserve force, reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citize ...

. Called up to the army following the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, he commanded the 2/17th Battalion during the

Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk () took place between 10 April and 27 November 1941, during the Western Desert campaign (1940–1943) of the World War II, Second World War. An Allies of World War II, Allied force, consisting mostly of the 9th Division ...

. From April 1942, he commanded the 11th Brigade and York Force. He was killed in an aircraft crash near

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

on 7 March 1943.

Early life

Crawford was born on 8 July 1899 in

Paddington Paddington is an area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Paddington station, designed b ...

, a suburb of

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, to Irish immigrants. He had an interest in the military from an early age, joining his school's cadet unit and later, the Sydney University Scouts. After completing his university education, he qualified as a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

. During the Great Depression, he was associated with the Old Guard, a paramilitary group organized in order to prevent a hypothesized

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

revolution. Crawford was group clerk for quota 1 headquarters of the Old Guard's Pacific Highway nucleus. He was also active in the

, and by 1933 was in command of the Sydney University Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Second World War

When the Second World War began, Crawford was called up for full-time duty with the

. After a brief period in command of the 4th Battalion, he volunteered for the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one ...

(AIF) in March 1940. In due course, he was tasked with the establishment of the 2/17th Battalion. The battalion was duly formed at

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, and was intended to be attached to the 20th Brigade, 7th Division for service in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. The battalion was formed mainly from New South Welshmen and would spend the next six months in training. Crawford was a firm believer in discipline; his nickname of "Cake Eater" was derived from his strict adherence to formal protocols for official social functions.

North Africa

Crawford's battalion arrived in the Middle East in November 1940 and was initially based in Palestine. However, in February 1941, it was decided to reorganise the AIF forces present in the Middle East, and this resulted in the battalion's parent formation, the 20th Brigade, being transferred to the newly formed 9th Division.Maughan, 1966, p. 9 This new formation replaced the 6th Division in the area around

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, with the 2/17th Battalion situated at near Mersa Berga by early March.Maughan, 1966, p. 16 The Italian forces in Libya's

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

region had largely been destroyed during

Operation Compass Operation Compass (also ) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British metropolitan, Imperial and Commonwealth forces attacked the Italian and Libyan forces of ...

. However, the Germans were gradually building up their forces in the area and, on 24 March,

Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...

Afrika Korps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its Africa ...

attacked the Allied lines. This eventually forced the withdrawal of 9th Division to

Tobruk Tobruk ( ; ; ) is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near the border with Egypt. It is the capital of the Butnan District (formerly Tobruk District) and has a population of 120,000 (2011 est.)."Tobruk" (history), ''Encyclop� ...

, a critical port city. The 2/17th Battalion was placed on the southern portion of the defensive perimeter on 10 April.Maughan, 1966, p. 127 The following day, it beat off an initial attack by German infantry and armour.Maughan, 1966, p. 133 Probing attacks followed, and Crawford recognised these as preparatory skirmishing for a heavier attack in the following days. Reorganising his battalion's defences, he was able to respond appropriately when the expected attack commenced on the evening of 13 April.Maughan, 1966, pp. 145–146 Despite tanks penetrating the battalion's lines, Crawford's control of subsequent counterattacks (supported by artillery and the neighbouring 2/15th Battalion) saw the attack rebuffed. The battalion remained on the outskirts of Tobruk, manning its defensive positions and carrying out patrols until the night of 21 October, at which stage it was relieved.Maughan, 1966, p. 397 During his time at Tobruk, Crawford was recommended for 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) and was twice

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 during the period March to July 1941. The battalion, together with the rest of the division, spent the next several months in Palestine and Syria. In January 1942, Crawford handed over command of his battalion to Maurice Fergusson when he was assigned to the position of liaison officer, I Corps headquarters.

Home Front

In April 1942, Crawford was promoted to temporary brigadier and placed in command of the 11th Brigade, a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

formation, in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

. He was also commander of York Force, a militia unit defending the

Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...

. On 7 March 1943, Crawford was a passenger on a

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

plane, which, following take off, went missing. Reported overdue that evening, it took searchers five days to locate the crash site, which was in remote and difficult terrain. Crawford was one of three men killed in the crash and was buried with full military honours. He was survived by his wife, Gladys Marjory Lyndon Clay, whom he had married in 1928, and his daughter. His DSO insignia was presented to his wife in June 1944.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, John Wilson 1899 births 1943 deaths Military personnel from Sydney Australian brigadiers Australian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian solicitors Lawyers from Sydney People from the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) University of Sydney alumni Australian Army personnel of World War II