Frank Horton Berryman | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Frank the Florist Berry the bastard |
Allegiance | Australia |
Service/ | Australian Army |
Years of service | 1915 – 1954 |
Rank | lieutenant general |
Commands held | 18th Field Artillery Battery 14th Field Artillery Battery II Corps I Corps |
Battles/wars | World War I: |
Awards | Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of the Bath Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mention in Despatches (4) |
Other work | Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales |
Lieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO, pac, psc (11 April 1894 – 28 May 1981) was an Australian Army officer who rose to the rank of during World War II. The son of an engine driver, he entered Royal Military College, Duntroon with one of its earliest classes. Graduating early due to World War I, he served on the Western Front with the field artillery. After the war, he spent nearly twenty years as a major.
Berryman joined the Second AIF on 4 April 1940 with the rank of full colonel, and became GSO1 of the 6th Division. As such, he was responsible for the staff work for the attacks on Bardia and Tobruk. In January 1941, Berryman became Commander, Royal Artillery, 7th Division and was promoted to brigadier. During the Syria-Lebanon campaign, he commanded "Berry Force" at Battle of Merdjayoun. Although he had built his reputation as a gunner and a staff officer, Berryman showed in Syria that he was a thrusting commander who led from the front and repeatedly demonstrated his coolness under fire.
Berryman returned to Australia in 1942, where he was promoted to major general, becoming Major General General Staff of the First Army. Later that year, Berryman became Deputy Chief of the General Staff under the Commander in Chief, General Sir Thomas Blamey, who brought Berryman up to Port Moresby to simultaneously act as chief of staff of New Guinea Force. As such, Berryman was intimately involved with the planning and execution of the Salamaua-Lae campaign and the Huon Peninsula campaign. In November 1943, he became acting commander of II Corps, which he led in the Battle of Sio. In the final part of the war, Berryman was Blamey's representative at General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's headquarters and he was the Australian Army representative at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.
After the war, he commanded Eastern Command and as such he directed the military response to the 1949 Australian coal strike. Berryman hoped to become Chief of the General Staff but he was passed over as he was seen as a "Blamey man" by Prime Minister Ben Chifley. Berryman retired and became the Director General of the Royal Tour of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954, for which he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, and he was Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales from 1954 to 1961.
Education and Early Life
Frank Horton Berryman was born in Geelong, Victoria on 11 April 1894, the fourth of six children and the eldest of three sons of William Lee Berryman, a Victorian Railways engine driver, and his wife Annie Jane née Horton.[1] William Berryman joined in the 1903 Railway Strike and when it failed, was reinstated with a 14.2% pay cut, only regaining his 1903 pay level in 1916.[2] Frank was educated at Melbourne High School, where he served in the school Cadet Unit,[3] and won the Rix prize for academic excellence.[4] On graduation, he took a job with the Victorian railways as a junior draughtsman.[5]
In 1913, Berryman entered the Royal Military College, Duntroon, having ranked first among the 154 candidates on the entrance examination.[6] Of 33 members of his class, nine died in the Great War, and six later became generals: Leslie Ellis Beavis, Frank Horton Berryman, William Bridgeford, John Austin Chapman, Edward James Milford and George Alan Vasey. The Great War caused his class to be graduated early, in June 1915.[7] At this time, Berryman was ranked fifth in order of merit.[8]
Great War
At the time, Berrymans's Duntroon class had not yet completed its military training. Major General William Throsby Bridges decided that regimental duty would rectify that deficiency, so he allotted the Duntroon cadets as regimental officers of the First AIF, rather than as staff officers.[9] Cadets were given the choice of service in the infantry or light horse. One cadet, Lawrence Wackett, protested that he wished to service in the technical services. When asked if they would prefer the technical services, twelve cadets, including Berryman, Beavis, Clowes, Vasey, and Wackett stepped forward.[10] Berryman was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Permanent Military Forces (PMF) on 29 June 1915, and joined the First AIF, in which he was commissioned as a Lieutenant on 1 July 1915.[11] He was posted to Lieutenant Colonel Harold William Grimwade's 4th Field Artillery Brigade of the 2nd Division Artillery, along with Vasey and Milford.[12] Berryman embarked for Egypt with the 4th Field Artillery Brigade on the transport Wiltshire on 17 November 1915.[13] In Egypt, Berryman briefly commanded the 4th Brigade Ammunition Column before it was absorbed into the 2nd Division Ammunition Column.[14]
The 2nd Division moved to France in March 1916. Berryman became a temporary captain on 1 April 1916, a rank which became substantive on 10 June 1916.[11] In January 1917, he was posted to the 7th Infantry Brigade as a trainee staff captain.[15] During the Second Battle of Bullecourt he served with 2nd Division headquarters.[16] He was appointed to command the 18th Field Artillery Battery, and became a temporary major on 1 September 1917, which became substantive on 10 September 1917.[11] While commanding the 18th Field Battery, he saw action at the Battle of Passchendaele.[17] He was wounded in the right eye in September 1918 while he was commanding the 14th Field Artillery Battery.[18] From 28 October 1918 to 1 July 1919, he was Brigade Major of the 7th Infantry Brigade. He returned to Australia in October 1919.[11] For his service as a battery commander, he was twice Mentioned in Despatches,[19][20] and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[21]
Between the Wars
Berryman was appointed to the Staff Corps on 1 October 1920. Although he was entitled to keep his AIF rank of major as an honorary rank, his substantive rank was still lieutenant. He was promoted to captain and brevet major on 1 March 1923,[22] but was not promoted to the substantive rank of major until 1 March 1935.[11] Berryman attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich from 1920 to 1923 and Staff College, Camberley from 1926 to 1928. He served at the Australian High Commission in London from 1929 to 1932.[23] Berryman enrolled in a bachelor of Science program at the University of Sydney.[24] On 30 November 1925, he married Muriel Whipp. They eventually had a daughter and a son.[25] After nearly twenty years as a major, he was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel on 12 May 1935 and substantive rank on 1 July 1938, when he became Assistant Director of Military Operations at Army Headquarters. From December 1938 to April 1940 he was GSO1 of the 3rd Division.[11] The slow rate of promotion of regular officers in the inter-war years fostered a sense of injustice and frustration among officers with good war records who found themselves outranked by CMF officers who had enjoyed faster promotion.[26]
World War II
Berryman joined the Second AIF on 4 April 1940 with the rank of full colonel, and became GSO1 of the 6th Division in succession to Sydney Rowell who stepped up to become chief of staff of the I Corps. Berryman's talent for operational staff work came to the fore, and as senior operations staff officer of the 6th Division, he was responsible for the operational staff work for the attacks on Bardia and Tobruk.[18] For his services, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[27]
This period was far from harmonious however. Despite the friction between Militia and Staff Corps officers, Berryman choose to assess officers on performance. This meant that while Berryman viewed some Militia officers, like Brigadier Stanley Savige of the 17th Infantry Brigade, with disdain, he maintained good relations with others such as Brigadier Arthur Samuel Allen of the 16th Infantry Brigade and Major General Iven Mackay. There were also personal rivalries with other Staff Corps officers, such as Colonel George Alan Vasey. Yet even those who disliked him personally for his lack of patience and tact and referred to him as "Berry the Bastard" respected his abilities as a staff officer.[28]
In January 1941, Berryman became Commander, Royal Artillery, 7th Division and was promoted to brigadier. During the Syria-Lebanon campaign, he commanded "Berry Force" at Battle of Merdjayoun. Although he had built his reputation as a gunner and a staff officer, Berryman showed in Syria that he was a thrusting commander who led from the front and repeatedly demonstrated his coolness under fire. When his headquarters came under shell fire for the first time, Berryman sat calmly eating his breakfast "among the flying brick dust and bursting shells", simply telling the men to shut the door, "so they can eat breakfast without being covered in dust". During the Vichy French counterattack, Berryman was given command of the Australian forces in the centre of the position around Merdjayoun. For two weeks, outnumbered and outgunned, he battled to retake the strategically important town and stop the Vichy French from penetrating the Allied positions.[18] For his part in the campaign, Berryman received a third mention in despatches.[29]
On 3 August 1941, Berryman became Brigadier General Staff (BGS) — chief of staff — of I Corps, again in succession to Rowell, who became Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS). As such, he served under Lieutenant General John Lavarack. Along with the advance party of the I Corps headquarters staff, Berryman arrived in Jakarta by air on 26 January 1942 to plan its defence. Berryman reconnoitred Java and prepared appreciations of the situation. Berryman also attempted to find out as much as possible about Japanese tactics through interviewing Colonel Ian MacAlister Stewart. This information found its way into papers circulated throughout the Army in Australia.[30] It soon became apparent that the situation was hopeless and any troops committed to the defence of Java would be lost.[31]
Berryman returned to Australia, where he was promoted to Major General on 6 April 1942, when he became Major General General Staff — chief of staff — of Lavarack's First Army.[32] On 14 September 1942, Berryman became DCGS under the Commander in Chief, General Sir Thomas Blamey, in succession to Major General George Vasey.[33] When New Guinea Force split into a rear headquarters under Blamey and an advanced headquarters under Lieutenant General Edmund Herring, so the latter could go forward to direct the Battle of Buna-Gona, Blamey brought Berryman up from Advanced LHQ in Brisbane to simultaneously act as chief of staff of New Guinea Force from 11 December 1942.[34] As such, Berryman formed a very close professional and personal relationship with Blamey, and henceforth Berryman would be Blamey's chief of staff and head of operational planning, which made him "one of the most important officers in the Australian Army in its struggle against the Japanese."[35]
Blamey and Berryman remained close for the rest of the war, and Blamey came to rely heavily on Berryman for advice.[36] It was Berryman who was sent to Wau to investigate the difficulties that Major General Stanley Savige was having, and it was Berryman who exonerated Savige. "I reported the situation [to Blamey and Herring]," Berryman record in his diary, "and said Savige had done well and we had misjudged him."[37] Berryman was intimately involved with the planning of the Salamaua-Lae campaign, working closely with Brigadier General Stephen Chamberlin at General Douglas MacArthur's GHQ in Brisbane. Berryman established good working relations with the Americans, even though their staff practices were quite different to those of the Australian Army.[38] One of Blamey's biographers wrote:
Berryman understood the Americans and they understood him; he had a knack of avoiding friction without sacrificing Australian dignity or interests. His achievements in keeping the peace were of no mean order in light of America's preponderant contribution to the overall forces under MacArthur's command. It was a time when a careless word or a thoughtless gesture could have upset the delicate balance of the Australian-American partnership.[39]
Berryman was also involved in the plan's execution, once more becoming chief of staff at New Guinea Force under Blamey in August 1943.[40] Berryman was frustrated at the failure of the Vasey's 7th Division to destroy the Japanese retreating from Lae,[41] and personally annoyed by the way that Vasey forwarded compliments to Major General Ennis Whitehead while leaving any complaints about air support to be taken up by Berryman.[42] Berryman was next involved with the planning for the landing at Finschhafen, brokering a compromise landing plan between Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey and Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Herring.[43] When Berryman discovered that the United States Seventh Fleet did not intend to reinforce the 9th Division he immediately went to Blamey, who took the matter up with MacArthur. However, it was Berryman who brokered a compromise deal with Vice Admiral Arthur S. Carpender to reinforce Finschhafen with a battalion in APDs.[44]
On 7 November 1943, Berryman became acting commander of II Corps, a post which became permanent on 20 January 1944, superseding Vasey, whose 7th Division was diplomatically placed directly under Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead's New Guinea Force. II Corps was left with the 5th and 9th Divisions.[45] Berryman was promoted to Lieutenant General on 20 January 1944.[11] As in Syria, Berryman proved a hard driving commander. In December 1943, II Corps broke out of the position around Finschhafen and began a pursuit along the coast. Whenever the Japanese Army attempted to make a stand, Berryman attacked with 25-pounder artillery barrages and Matilda tanks.[46] Berryman was aware that seasonal changes were making the surf rougher and making it ever harder to operate the US Army LCMs and Australian Army DUKWs that he depended for the logistical support of his troops, but he realised that the Japanese Army's supply difficulties were greater than his own, and he gambled that if he pushed hard enough the Japanese would be unable to regroup and organise a successful defence.[47]
In the first phase of the Battle of Sio, the advance from Finschhafen to Sio, 3,099 Japanese dead were counted and 38 prisoners taken, at a cost of 8 Australians were killed and 48 wounded. In the 5th Division's subsequent drive from Sio to link up with the US 32nd Infantry Division at Saidor, 734 Japanese were killed and 1,775 found dead, while 48 prisoners were taken. Australian casualties came to 4 killed and 6 wounded.[47] MacArthur considered Berryman's performance "quite brilliant".[39] For his part in the campaign, Berryman was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 8 March 1945.[48]
II Corps was renumbered I Corps on 13 April 1944 and returned to Australia.[49] There, Blamey gave Berryman his next assignment. In preparation for the Philippines campaign (1944–45), General MacArthur moved the advance element of GHQ to Hollandia in Dutch West Papua, where it opened in late August 1944. To maintain contact with GHQ, General Blamey formed a new headquarters, Forward Echelon LHQ, which opened at Hollandia on 7 September under Berryman, who became his personal representative at GHQ.[50] Forward Echelon LHQ later moved with GHQ to Leyte in February 1945, and Manila in April 1945.[51] Berryman's role was to "safeguard Australian interests" at GHQ, but he also defended GHQ against criticism from the Australian Army.[18] As well as liaising with GHQ, Forward Echelon LHQ became responsible for planning operations involving Australian troops. Plans were worked up for operations on Luzon and Mindanao before it was finally decided that Borneo would be the Australian Army's objective. In all of this Berrymen kept in close contact with Blamey. Berryman was the Australian Army representative at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.[18] Berryman received a fourth and final mention in despatches on 6 March 1947.[52]
Later life
After the war, Berryman was appointed to command Eastern Command, an appointment he held from March 1946 until his retirement at age 60 in April 1954. Berryman became known for his involvement in charitable organisations such as the War Widows Association, and as head of the Remembrance Drive Project. For this and his commitment to beautifying the Army barracks, Berryman became colloquially known in the Army as Frank the Florist.[53]
In June 1949, the country was rocked by the 1949 Australian coal strike. The strike began when stocks of coal were already low, especially in New South Wales and rationing was introduced. Prime Minister Ben Chifley turned to the Army to get the troops to mine coal. This became possible when the transport unions agreed to transport coal that was mined. Responsibility for planning and organising the effort to Berryman. Soldiers began mining at Muswellbrook and Lithgow on 1 August and by 15 August, when the strike ended, some 4,000 soldiers and airmen were employed. They continued work until production was fully restored.[54]
Berryman hoped to become Chief of the General Staff in succession to Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee but he was seen as a "Blamey man" by Chifley and his Labor government colleagues, who did disliked the former Commander-in-Chief.[55] The job was instead given to Lieutenant General Sydney Rowell. The United States government awarded Berryman the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm in 1948.[25] Following the change of government in 1949, Berryman lobbied Sir Eric Harrison, the Liberal Minister for Defence Production for the job on the retirement of Rowell in 1954, but he was now considered too old for the job.[35]
Berryman became the Director General of the Royal Tour of Queen Elizabeth II in 1954,[35] for which he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO).[56] He was Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales from 1954 to 1961. He died on 28 May 1981 at Rose Bay, New South Wales and was cremated with full military honours.[57]
Notes
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 27
- ^ Dean 2007, pp. 30–31
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 38
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 44
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 46
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 55
- ^ Horner 1992, pp. 4–10
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 59
- ^ Bean 1921, p. 56
- ^ Dean 2007, pp. 62–63
- ^ a b c d e f g AMF Army List of Officers, October 1950
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 65
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 66
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 68
- ^ Dean 2007, pp. 77–79
- ^ Dean 2007, pp. 79–80
- ^ Dyer 1986, p. 55
- ^ a b c d e Dean 2002
- ^ "No. 30706". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 28 May 1918. - ^ "No. 31089". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 28 May 1918. - ^ "No. 31092". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 31 December 1918. - ^ "No. 33650". The London Gazette. 7 October 1930.
- ^ "No. 33792". The London Gazette. 22 January 1932.
- ^ Dean 2007, p. 119
- ^ a b Who's Who in Australia (1977), pp. 107–108
- ^ Long, To Benghazi, p. 45
- ^ "No. 35209". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 8 July 1941. - ^ Dean 2007, p. 33
- ^ "No. 35396". The London Gazette. 26 December 1941.
- ^ Wigmore 1957, pp. 442–443
- ^ Wigmore 1957, pp. 444–446
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 594–595
- ^ McCarthy 1959, p. 244
- ^ McCarthy 1959, p. 469
- ^ a b c Dennis 1995, pp. 96–97
- ^ Hetherington 1973, p. 312
- ^ Berryman diary, 21 August 1943, AWM93 50/2/23/331
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 281–284
- ^ a b Hetherington 1973, p. 343
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 197, 280
- ^ Dexter 1961, p. 378
- ^ Berryman diary, 8 September 1943, AWM93 50/2/23/331
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 445–448
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 480–482
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 594–595
- ^ Coates, Bravery Above Blunder, p. 243
- ^ a b "II Corps Report on Operations December 1943 – March 1944" (pdf). Retrieved 2008-01-01.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "No. 36972". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 6 March 1945. - ^ Dexter 1961, p. 780
- ^ Dexter 1961, pp. 787–788
- ^ Report on Operations by Australian Military Forces in Borneo 1 May 1945 to 15 August 1945, AWM54 617/7/43
- ^ "No. 37898". The London Gazette (invalid
|supp=
(help)). 6 March 1947. - ^ Dean 2007, p. 33
- ^ Grey 2001, pp. 174-–176
- ^ Hetherington 1973, p. 378
- ^ "No. 40159". The London Gazette. 27 April 1954.
- ^ Hill 2007, p. 95
References
- Bean, C.E.W. (1921). Volume I – From the Outbreak of War to the End of the First Phase of the Gallipoli Campaign, 4 May, 1915 (PDF). Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
- Coates, John (1999). Bravery Above Blunder: The 9th Division at Finschhafen, Sattelberg and Sio. Singapore: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-550837-8.
- Dean, Peter (October 2002). "The Forgotten Man: Lieut.-General Sir Frank Berryman". Journal of the Australian War Memorial (No.37). Retrieved 2 January 2008.
{{cite journal}}
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has extra text (help)
- Dean, Peter (2007). "The Making of a General: Lost Years Forgotten Battles: Lieutenant General Frank Berryman 1894-1941" (PDF). PhD Thesis, University of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
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- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 19 553227 9.
- Dexter, David (1961). The New Guinea Offensives (PDF). Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- Dyer, John (1986). "18th Battery AFA 1915-1919". In Brook, David (ed.). Roundshot to Rapier, Artillery in South Australia 1840-1984. Adelaide: Royal Artillery Association of South Australia. ISBN 0-85864-098-9.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: checksum (help)
- Grey, Jeffrey (2001). The Australian Army. Australian Centenary History of Defence. South Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0 19 554114 6.
- Hetherington, John (1973). Blamey, Controversial Soldier : a Biography of Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. ISBN 095920430X.
- Hill, A. J. (2007). Berryman, Sir Frank Horton (1894 – 1981). Melbourne University Press. pp. pp 93–95.
{{cite book}}
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
- Horner, David (1978). Crisis of Command: Australian Generalship and the Japanese Threat, 1941-1943. Canberra: Australian National University Press. ISBN 0708113451.
- Horner, David (1982). High Command: Australia and Allied Strategy 1939-1945. Sydney: Allen & Unwin with the assistance of the Australian War Memorial. ISBN 0868610763.
- Horner, David (1992). General Vasey's War. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0 522 84462 6.
- McCarthy, Dudley (1959). South-West Pacific Area - First Year (PDF). Australia in the War of 1939-45. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- Wigmore, Lionel (1957). The Japanese Thrust (PDF). Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- The Army List of Officers of the Australian Military Forces. Melbourne: Australian Army. 1946.
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)
- Who's Who in Australia. Melbourne: The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd. 1977.
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty|title=
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