Copy of Last Will and Testament dated the 6 May 1941--1945
Honours and Awards
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 11 July 1919, page 8826, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 30 October 1919, page
1661, position 30
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 28 December 1917, page 13563, position 24
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 18 April 1918, page 841,
position 28
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 4 January 1917, page 253, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 29 June 1917, page 1391,
position 29
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: 3rd Div
Service: Army
Honour / Award: US Distinguished Service Medal
Date of London Gazette: 12 July 1919, page 8938, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 17 October 1919, page
1531, position 50
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Distinguished Service Order
Date of London Gazette: 2 May 1916, page 4428, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 21 September 1916, page
2621, position 5
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Bar to Distinguished Service Order
Date of London Gazette: 18 June 1917, page 5980, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 4 October 1917, page
2628, position 5
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 13 July 1916, page 6942, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 30 November 1916, page
3233, position 10
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Knight Commander of the Bath
Date of London Gazette: 9 June 1919, page 7420, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 6 October 1919, page
1468, position 4
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 5 May 1916, page 4517, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 21 September 1916, page
2621, position 13
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 1 June 1917, page 5419, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 4 October 1917, page
2622, position 37
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Temporary Brigadier General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Companion of the Bath
Date of London Gazette: 4 June 1917, page 5455, positi
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 4 October 1917, page
2626, position 3
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: 3rd Div
Service: Army
Honour / Award: France Croix de Guerre
Date of London Gazette: 21 August 1919, page 10608, position 1
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 29 January 1920, page 85,
position 4
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: 3rd Div
Service: Army
Honour / Award: France Legion of Honour - 4th Class Officer
Date of London Gazette: 29 January 1919, page 1445, position 2
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 23 May 1919, page 899,
position 63
Gellibrand, John
Service Number:
Rank: Major General
Unit: Staff
Service: Army
Honour / Award: Mention in Dispatches
Date of London Gazette: 31 December 1918, page 15225, position 28
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 23 May 1919, page 878,
position 90
Sir John Gellibrand (1872-1945) served as a divisional commander in the Australian army during World War One.
Born on 5 December 1872 in Leintwarden in Tasmania the son of a landowner and politician, Gellibrand was brought to England by his mother in 1876 upon the death of his father.
Educated in both England and Frankfurt-am-Main (in Germany), Gellibrand was admitted to Sandhurst in 1882, thus beginning his eventful, if sometimes interrupted, military service.
Graduating at the top of his class at Sandhurst Gellibrand's outspoken unconventionality nevertheless succeeded in alienating him from both his contemporaries as well as those in senior positions.
Thus despite serving with distinction during the South African War of 1899-1902 he was unexpectedly placed on half-pay in 1912 following a wave of army reductions. He chose to leave the army rather than remain as a half-pay officer.
Having settled albeit temporarily as a farmer he immediately offered his services when war broke out in August 1914. Sixteen days later, on 20 August 1914, he was appointed to the Australian Imperial Force with the rank of Captain and assigned the post of Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General with William Bridge's 1st Division.
Eventually winding up in Gallipoli via Egypt, Gellibrand drew the ire of Bridges for his apparent inability to organise an officer's mess of sufficient quality. It is feasible that Gellibrand - whose staff-work Bridges also faulted - may have been broken by Bridges but for the latter's fatal wound at the hands of a Turkish sniper on 15 May 1915.
Wounded himself by the fragments of an exploding shell Gellibrand returned to Anzac Cove following a spell of recuperation on 31 May 1915, 13 days following Bridge's death. Transferred to 2nd Division in Egypt the following month he returned to Gallipoli with them in September 1915.
Suffering typhoid for the second time in October 1915 (having first been taken ill during the Boer War) Gellibrand was evacuated for the briefest of recuperation before returning on 23 October. For his ongoing services at Gallipoli Gellibrand was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) medal.
December 1915 brought Gellibrand promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and command of 1st Division's 12th Battalion, ultimately destined for Egypt. March 1916 saw Gellibrand promoted again, to full Colonel and as temporary Brigadier-General. He was given command of 6th Brigade on the specific request of divisional commander General Legge, whom Gellibrand had greatly impressed while at Gallipoli.
On 10 April Gellibrand's 6th Brigade entered the lines of the Western Front. Gellibrand was soon afterwards wounded by a German shell which struck close to his HQ on 31 May. Following recuperation in England he returned to the line on 28 June 1916 in time for the Somme Offensive.
His 6th Battalion fought at Pozieres and although praised for their efficiency Gellibrand himself drew criticism for placing his HQ several kilometres behind the front line.
January 1917 brought a fresh promotion, to Brevet Colonel. He was also nominated acting commander of 2nd Division until early March 1917. Shortly afterwards the British Fifth Army commander Sir Hugh Gough gave Gellibrand and Pompey Elliott command of two semi-autonomous brigade groups. Elliott performed well but Gellibrand accepted much criticism for the ensuing disastrous Battle of Bullecourt, although his own conduct earned him a bar to add to his DSO.
Gellibrand's command failure at Bullecourt severely dented Australian commander General Birdwood's faith in Gellibrand, who subsequently asked to be relieved of command; Birdwood duly obliged. He was sent to command of AIF depots sited in Britain, where he went on to earn praise for his training methods.
Returning to the Western Front in November 1917 Gellibrand was handed command of 12th Infantry Brigade, which performed well at Dernancourt in April 1918 in halting the German advance.
Surprisingly appointed to a divisional command on 30 May 1918 - over the head of the arguably better suited (if insufferable to authority) Pompey Elliott - Gellibrand was given 3rd Division by Birdwood. Although Birdwood himself doubted the wisdom of giving Gellibrand a division (and was particularly horrified at Gellibrand's practice of dressing as a private soldier) he nevertheless accepted the advice of Major-General Cyril White.
In line with his new command Gellibrand was accordingly promoted Major-General on 1 June 1918. Despite the misgivings of Birdwood and former divisional commander Sir John Monash, and Gellibrand's frequent disagreements with the latter, he nevertheless performed well in his new role.
Following the armistice Gellibrand was knighted by King George V on 1 January 1919, afterwards returning to Tasmania where he served in local government positions.
In 1921 while in Melbourne Gellibrand was appointed to command of 3rd Division, retaining the position until his return to Tasmania the following year.
He entered Federal politics in November 1925 and was elected to represent Denison; however he suffered electoral defeat in both 1928 and 1929, after which he returned to his pre-war farming career.
Gellibrand was occasionally consulted during the 1930s by Prime Ministers Lyons and Menzies regarding defence matters; Gellibrand remained committed to a strong national defence and increased army.
The Second World War brought Gellibrand an appointment as commander of the Victorian Volunteer Defence Corps in June 1940, although ill-health caused him to retire the following month.
He died on 3 June 1945 aged 72.<->
HISTORY OF LEGACY AUSTRALIA
Legacy had its origins in Gallipoli, Palestine, France and Flanders in the Great War of 1914-18. Some of the men who returned from those battlefields felt their colleagues in business were failing to assist other returned men adequately. One of them who lived in Hobart decided to do something about it. His name was General Sir John Gellibrand.
In 1923 Gellibrand founded the Remembrance Club in Hobart. Its aim was to encourage returned men in business. A former 24 Battalion Officer, who had also served on Gellibrand's brigade staff, visited Hobart in August 1923. His name was Stanley Savige and Gellibrand urged him to set up a similar club in Melbourne.
Soon after Savige's return to Melbourne a group of ex servicemen met to farewell one of their number who was about to go to England and Savige used this time to bring up the suggestion of a club similar to Gellibrand's Remembrance Club. After several informal meetings the inaugural meeting was held in ANZAC House in Melbourne. For the next 26 years, due to Savige's commitment, energy and enthusiasm, his name, the Club and the movement he founded were inseparable.
In 1925 it was suggested that Legacy should look into the interests of the children of deceased servicemen. This proposal was accepted and Legacy found its soul and began its much needed work which continues to this day
1893. Webley "Wilkinson" Model 1892 six shot revolver.
Barrel top engraved "WILKINSON" MODEL 1892 PALL MALL LONDON and on the left side LT JOHN GELLIBRAND. Sth LANc REGt.
One piece checkered grips with the serial number stamped on the left side and a lanyard ring on the butt base.
This revolver is contained in an oak case measuring 320x205x65 mm and on the lid is a 50mm brass disc engraved ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE JULY 1893 PRIZE DRILL GENTn CADET J.GELLIBRAND. The inside of the case is lined in red felt with compartments holding a wood handled cleaning rod, two rod brushes, a rod mop, a brass cleaning rod and a small nickel oil bottle made by C&J.W.HAWKSLEY. A book plate with the Gellibrand of Pauls Cray coat of arms is also loose inside the case. This cased pistol was a prize awarded to Gentleman Cadet John Gellibrand who later became Sir John Gellibrand, KCB, DSO*.