George Napier Johnston

Major General George Napier Johnston, CB, CMG, DSO (1867 – 1947) served with New Zealand forces during World War I. He served at Gallipoli on 18 May 1915.

Early life
He was born 2 August 1867 in Quebec, Canada. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1888, cadet # 175.

Military career
Johnston accepted a commission with the Royal Garrison Artillery on July 27, 1888 and attained a captaincy ten years later. He served in Canada, the United Kingdom, and as a Captain served as an instructor in gunnery in Murree, Punjaab, India. He was loaned to New Zealand Forces from 1904 to 1907and again from 1911 to develop its specialist artillery capabilities and served as Director of Ordnance and Commander of permanent artillery in the New Zealand Military Forces. At the commencement of World War I in 1914 LtCol Johnston embarked from Wellington, New Zealand with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on the Troop Ship Arawa to Suez, Egypt, where he was responsible for organising the 1st New Zealand Field Artillery Brigade. He served at ANZAC on Gallipoli and on establishment of the New Zealand Division in 1916 was appointed Divisional Commander of Royal Artillery as a Colonel. When the New Zealand Division deployed to France New Zealand’s artillerymen perfected their tactics and accuracy while supporting trench raids at Armentières and saw action on the Somme from 15 September 1916. Suffering heavy casualties they supported the Somme battle for 56 consecutive days, providing well coordinated barrages and counter fire which allowed the Infantry to take the majority of their objectives. This feat owed much to the proficiency of Johnston who was awarded the Croix de Officier of the Légion d’honneur in May 1917, in recognition of his leadership and his unit’s outstanding performance. Affectionately referred to as ‘Blinky’ by his troops, Johnston employed them with great mastery on the Western Front at Messines, Passchendaele and during the last 100 days of the War. The Unit journeyed past Maubeuge; Mons, Belgium; Charleroi; Namur, Belgium; Liege, Belgium and so into Germany, arriving at Cologne, Germany shortly after Christmas 1918 where Major General Johnston was for a short period in temporary command of the New Zealand Division. He rejoined the British Army in 1920 and served with the 52nd (Lowland) Division until retiring in 1924. Major (temp. Brigadier-General) George Napier Johnston was Mentioned in Despatches six times. He died 3 April 1947 in Dar es Salaam, Tanganyika.

Legacy
The diaries Major General Johnston kept during service as Director of Ordnance and Artillery, Gallipoli and the Western Front 1914-18 are in the Imperial War Museum. A portrait of Brigadier General Johnston, the Commander of the Royal Artillery of the New Zealand Division in World War I, taken by Henry Armytage Sanders in 1917 is part of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association :New Zealand official negatives World War 1914-1918 As the C. R. A. of New Zealand Artillery, 1914–19, he wrote the introduction [to New Zealand Artillery in the Field] He was mentioned in The New Zealand Division 1916 - 1919: A Popular History Based on Official Records

Awards and decorations

 * Order of the Bath UK ribbon.png Companion of the Order of the Bath (Great Britain)
 * UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (Great Britain)
 * [[Image:Dso-ribbon.png|90px]] Distinguished Service Order (Great Britain))
 * 1914 Star BAR.svg 1914-15 Star (Great Britain)
 * British War Medal BAR.svg British War Medal 1914-19 (Great Britain)
 * [[Image:Victory Medal Ribbon II.jpg|90px]] Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches (6 times) (Great Britain)
 * [[Image:Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg|90px]] Officier de la Légion d'Honneur (France)

Books

 * 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
 * H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1969.
 * H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
 * H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968
 * H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. Royal Military College. [Kingston]. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984
 * Haigh, B.J. & Polaschek, A.J., New Zealand and the Distinguished Service Order, Christchurch: John. D. Wills, 1993, p. 136.
 * McDonald, W. Honours and Awards to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War 1914-1918, Napier: H. McDonald, 2001, p. 164.

Articles

 * Brewer,M 'New Zealand and the Légion d'honneur: Officiers, Commandeurs and Dignites', The Volunteers: The Journal of the New Zealand Military Historical Society, 35(3), March 2010, pp. 131–147.