Sir Eric Woodward | |
|---|---|
 Sir Eric Woodward c.1959 | |
| 31st Governor of New South Wales | |
| In office 1 August 1957 – 1 August 1965 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Premier | Joseph Cahill (1957–1959) Bob Heffron (1959–1964) Jack Renshaw (1964–1965) Robert Askin (1965) |
| Lieutenant | Sir Kenneth Street |
| Preceded by | Sir John Northcott |
| Succeeded by | Sir Roden Cutler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1899-07-21)21 July 1899 Hay, New South Wales |
| Died | 29 December 1967(1967-12-29) (aged 68) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Resting place | Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens |
| Spouse | Amy Weller |
| Children | 2 (includingSir Albert Edward Woodward) |
| Civilian awards | |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch/service | Australian Army (1917–1925, 1928–1957) Royal Australian Air Force (1925–1928) |
| Years of service | 1917–1957 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Eastern Command (1953–1957) Deputy Chief of the General Staff (1951) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Military awards | Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches (2) |
Lieutenant GeneralSir Eric Winslow WoodwardKCMG, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO, KStJ (21 July 1899 – 29 December 1967) was an Australian military officer and viceroy. Following long service in theAustralian Army, including terms asDeputy Chief of the General Staff and General Officer Commanding Eastern Command, he was appointed as theGovernor of New South Wales from 1957 to 1965, thus becoming the first New South Welshman to be governor of the state.
Woodward was born inHay, New South Wales in July 1899, the third son of Victorian-born parents Albert William Woodward, a cattle station manager, and his wife Marie Woodward, née Reid. He and attendedToowoomba Grammar School. At school he did well academically, becoming Captain of the swimming team and playing in the First XV Rugby Team. However, due to his family's financial concerns, he was unable to attend university. Therefore, in 1917 he entered theRoyal Military College, Duntroon. He graduated and was commissioned a lieutenant on 16 December 1920.[1] Woodward first served twelve months with the7th Queen's Own Hussars of theBritish Army inIndia from 1921–1922.[2]
Following this service Woodward returned to Australia and, in 1925, he transferred to theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and qualified as a pilot at No. 1 Flying Training School inPoint Cook, Victoria. On 7 February 1927, inMelbourne, he married his cousin Amy Weller. Despite his apparent success as a pilot, he reverted to the army service in 1928. In December 1928, he was promoted to captain and became adjutant and quartermaster of the19th Light Horse Regiment (1928–1929), and of the4th Light Horse Regiment (1929–1934) before being posted to the Directorate of Military Training, Melbourne. In January 1937 he was sent to theStaff College, Camberley in England.[2]
Following the outbreak of theSecond World War in 1939, Woodward joined theSecond Australian Imperial Force as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General for the6th Division, and left for the Middle East in April 1940. In the Middle East he gained distinction during theNorth African campaign from December 1940 to January 1941 and was invested as anOfficer of the Order of the British Empire on 8 July 1941.[3] He served in theGreece Campaign from March to April 1941 as alieutenant colonel on GeneralSir Thomas Blamey's staff and later served in theI Corps in theSyrian campaign. In May 1942 he was posted to the9th Division. He fought in both theFirst andSecond Battles of El Alamein and was awarded theDistinguished Service Order on 11 February 1943.[4][5] He was twicementioned in despatches for his work in the Middle East.[6]
Arriving back in Australia in February 1943, in March Woodward was promoted to the rank ofbrigadier and was posted to the headquarters of theNorthern Territory Force until December 1943. He then served in various administrative positions until the end of the war. From July 1945 to March 1946 he was appointed deputy adjutant and quartermaster-general, at headquarters onMorotai.[6]
In 1948 Woodward attended theImperial Defence College and remained in London as Australian Army representative for theHigh Commission of Australia in London. In December 1949 he was at Army Headquarters in Melbourne and implemented the new National Service scheme, and fought for improvements in soldiers' pay and conditions. In 1950 and 1951 he reported directly to Prime MinisterRobert Menzies as head of a special staff which planned counter-measures in the event of the government's attempt to ban theCommunist Party of Australia leading to industrial unrest. On 20 February 1951 he was promoted to temporarymajor general and madeDeputy Chief of the General Staff. Weary of involvement with bureaucrats, he requested not be put forward as a candidate forChief of the General Staff. In 1952 he was invested as aCommander of the Order of the British Empire.[7] Appointed General Officer Commanding Eastern Command in December 1953, he was elevated to the same role his great-grandfatherCharles William Wall had held from 1823 to 1825. He was invested as aCompanion of the Order of the Bath in 1956.[8] Woodward was further promoted as alieutenant general in December 1953.[6]
WhenSir John Northcott's term asGovernor of New South Wales drew to a close, the PremierJoseph Cahill sought another Australian-born military officer to succeed him and chose Woodward, who assumed office on 1 August 1957. The thirty-first governor of New South Wales, he was the first to have been born in the state.[9] As governor he was invested as aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1958[10] and aKnight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in 1963.[11] For part of his term in office, as the longest-serving governor, he acted as Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia from 16 June to 30 August 1964 in the absence of theGovernor-General of Australia,Lord De L'Isle.[12]
In recognition of his service as governor, Woodward was awarded honorary doctorates by various universities, including an honorary Doctor of Science (Hon.DSc) from theUniversity of New South Wales (1958),[13] an honoraryDoctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt) on 29 April 1959 by theUniversity of Sydney[1] andNew England (1961).
The St. George Greek Orthodox parish inRose Bay, Sydney was dedicated as a War Memorial by Woodward on 25 November 1962.[14] On 30 June 1961, he officially openedVaucluse Boys' High School.[15] He laid the foundation forInternational House, University of New South Wales on 13 February 1965.[16] Woodward retired on 31 July 1965 and he and his wife moved toWahroonga.[6]
Woodward died on 29 December 1967 atRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital,Camperdown and was given a state funeral with full military honours. Lady Woodward survived him, as did their daughter and son,Sir Edward Woodward, who became a Judge of theFederal Court of Australia. He was cremated with his ashes interred atNorthern Suburbs Memorial Gardens,North Ryde.
The Sir Eric Woodward Memorial School for children with intellectual and physical disabilities was established in 1971 and named in his honour.[17] In 1970, thePublic Transport Commission in charge of Sydney Ferries commissioned a new ship for the "Lady class" of ferries. Launched at theNew South Wales State Dockyard in Newcastle in 1970, it was named the "Lady Woodward" to commemorate their service in office. The Lady Woodward was sold in 1993 and now operates as a privately owned craft inTin Can Bay, Queensland.[18]
| Viceregal styles of Sir Eric Woodward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
 | Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) | 1958[19] |
 | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) | 1963[20] |
 | Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | 1956[21] |
_Ribbon.png) | Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) | 1952[7] |
| Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) | 1941[22] | |
 | Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | 1943[5] |
_ribbon_-vector.svg) | Knight of Justice of theVenerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (KStJ) | 1958[23] |
 | 1939–45 Star | |
 | Africa Star | |
 | Pacific Star | |
 | Defence Medal | |
 | War Medal 1939–1945 with palm forMentioned in Dispatches | |
 | Australia Service Medal 1939–1945 | |
 | King George VI Coronation Medal | 1937 |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal | 1953 |
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14 August 1958 – 19 January 1966: HonoraryAir Commodore ofNo. 22 Squadron,Royal Australian Air Force.[24][25]
In 1958, he was awarded aDoctor of Science (honoris causa) (Hon.DSc) by theUniversity of New South Wales.[13] On 29 April 1959, he was awarded aDoctor of Letters (honoris causa) (Hon.DLitt) of theUniversity of Sydney.[1] In 1961, he was admitted as an HonoraryDoctor of Letters (Hon.DLitt) by theUniversity of New England.[2]{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Deputy Chief of the General Staff 1951–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | GOC Eastern Command 1954–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of New South Wales 1957–1965 | Succeeded by |
| BeforeFederation |  | |
|---|---|---|
| AfterFederation | ||
