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General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White, (23 September 1876 – 13 August 1940), more commonly known as Sir Brudenell White or C. B. B. White, was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1920 to 1923 and again from March to August 1940, when he was killed in the Canberra air disaster.
After the early 1916 evacuation from Gallipoli which he masterminded as "The Silence Ruse", he was Brigadier General, General Staff (BGGS) of I ANZAC Corps in France, arriving there late in March. In the battle for the Pozières Heights in late July 1916 which ended in failure, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front, General Sir Douglas Haig, found fault with Birdwood and White. White stood up to Haig and pointed out that whatever mistakes had been made, the commander-in-chief had been misinformed in several particulars, which White then specified "in detail, item by item". Haig was so impressed that when he had finished he placed his hand on White's shoulder claiming, "I dare say you're right, young man."
White was promoted to the temporary rank of major general in January 1917. The difficult year of 1917 saw the value of the Australian troops becoming more and more appreciated, but among the troops themselves there was some feeling that they were being too often sacrificed through the mistakes of the higher command. By September White had become convinced that as far as possible piecemeal operations must be avoided, that too great advances should not be attempted, and that there must be a proper use of artillery barrage. These tactics were successfully applied in the on 20 September 1917, and in later thrusts.
Early in 1918, White, realizing the difficulties of repatriation at the end of the war, raised the problem of what would have to be done while the men were waiting for shipping. This led to the educational scheme afterwards adopted. In May, Birdwood and White, at the request of General Sir Henry Rawlinson, commander of the British Fourth Army, prepared plans for an offensive but these were shelved in the meanwhile. When Birdwood was given command of the British Fifth Army, the choice of his successor in command of the Australian Corps lay between John Monash and White. Monash was White's senior and, though White's reputation stood very high, it was impossible to pass over so capable and successful an officer as Monash. White was given the important position of Major General, General Staff of Birdwood's army. It was a happy combination, for, though Birdwood was a great leader, he was less interested in organization, and White had a genius for it.
The length of White's appointment was destined to be short-lived, as the new CGS was aboard the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) plane that crashed in the Canberra air disaster on 13 August 1940, killing all aboard, which included three Federal ministers. "After a service at St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, with state and military honours, White was buried in Buangor cemetery. His wife, two daughters and two sons survived him; his estate was sworn for probate at £20,699".
White was highly regarded by many of his generation, with Monash in particular describing him as "far and away the ablest soldier Australia had ever turned out".
Between the wars
After the war White was appointed Chief of the General Staff from 1920 until his retirement in 1923. In the same year he was appointed Chairman of the newly constituted Commonwealth Public Service Board, supervising the transfer of departments from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra. In 1928 he chose not to move to Canberra, declining a further term with the Public Service Board in order to remain close to his home and grazing property "Woodnaggerak" near Buangor.
Second World War and death
In 1940, as Australia mobilised the Second Australian Imperial Force to take part in the Second World War, White, although doubting himself and believing himself to be "out of date", was nevertheless recalled to service at the age of 63, promoted to general, and re-appointed Chief of the General Staff, after his predecessor, Lieutenant General Ernest Squires, had died in office. Among his first acts in his new position was to recommend Lieutenant General Thomas Blamey to command the Second AIF. In April he urged for Blamey and the 7th Division to join the 6th Division, which was already overseas. In the next few weeks, while the Battle of France was well underway, he recommended that the Second AIF be sent to assist the Allies on the Western Front. "Meanwhile, he grappled with the problems of training and munitions supply".
Notes
Peter Dennis (2025). 9780195517842, Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN 9780195517842
External links
Categories: 1876 Births, 1940 Deaths, Accidental Deaths In The Australian Capital Territory, Australian Companions Of The Distinguished Service Order, Australian Generals, Australian Knights Commander Of The Order Of The Bath, Australian Knights Commander Of The Royal Victorian Order, Australian Military Personnel Killed In World War Ii, Australian Military Personnel Of The Second Boer War, Australian Military Personnel Of World War I, Australian Public Servants, Graduates Of The Staff College, Camberley, People From St Arnaud, Australian Recipients Of The Croix De Guerre, Recipients Of The Croix De Guerre, Recipients Of The Order Of The Rising Sun, Victims Of Aviation Accidents Or Incidents In Australia, Victims Of Aviation Accidents Or Incidents In 1940, Australian Army Personnel Of World War Ii, Military Personnel From Victoria, Chiefs Of Army
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