John Evelyn Duigan

Major General Sir John Evelyn Duigan (30 March 1883–9 January 1950) was an officer who served with the New Zealand Military Forces during the First and Second World Wars. He was Chief of General Staff of the New Zealand Military Forces from 1937 to 1941.

Born in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1883, Duigan joined a unit of colonial volunteers during the Boer War. He was wounded and later repatriated to New Zealand. He returned to South Africa with the 10th New Zealand Contingent to serve in the Boer War. After the war, he joined the New Zealand Military Forces as a professional soldier. During the First World War, he commanded the New Zealand Tunnelling Company and was awarded a DSO for his service. From 1917 to 1918 he served in various staff and training positions. He also served in staff positions in the postwar military, eventually rising to the rank of colonel and commanding Northern Command by 1930. In 1937, he was promoted to major general and appointed the Chief of General Staff. He oversaw a reduction in the size of the New Zealand Territorial Force and did little to prevent the New Zealand government from directing its attention on the Royal New Zealand Air Force to the detriment of the army. Overlooked for command of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which was raised for service abroad during the Second World War, he retired from the military in 1941. He died nine years later at the age of 66.

Early life
John Evelyn Duigan was born in Wanganui, New Zealand on 30 March 1883. His father worked as a miller, but later became the editor of the local newspaper. Duigan was educated at Wanganui Collegiate. After leaving school, he went to South Africa where he joined Brabant's Horse, a local unit of colonial volunteers which was raised to fight in the Boer War.

Within weeks of Duigan's arrival in South Africa, he was seriously wounded during the siege of Wepener. Although he recovered, he was later injured when his horse fell on him. He was repatriated to New Zealand in December 1900 but rejoined his volunteer unit in South Africa once he had recovered. After returning to New Zealand for a second time at the end of 1901, he enlisted in the 10th Contingent, a New Zealand unit destined for service in the Boer War, as an officer. The fighting was largely over by the time the contingent arrived in mid-1902 and it saw no fighting.

Military career
Duigan joined the New Zealand Military Forces in 1903 as a cadet and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal New Zealand Engineers in 1905. After attending courses in England on engineering and signalling, he became an instructor at the Defence Department in Wellington. He was transferred to the New Zealand militia and then to the New Zealand Staff Corps in January 1911. From 1912, Duigan spent two years at the Staff College in Quetta, India.

First World War
In late 1914, Duigan was seconded to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF), which was then preparing to depart for service overseas. After the NZEF reached the Middle East, he suffered a nervous breakdown. He returned to New Zealand in June 1915, after a period of recuperation in England. In late 1915 he was promoted to major and appointed commander of the recently formed New Zealand Tunnelling Company. The company arrived in France in March 1916 and served on the Western Front in the area around Arras. In late June, Duigan was involved in a motor vehicle accident which required hospitalisation for over a month. His service with the company would later be recognised with an award of the Distinguished Service Order.

From 1917, Duigan held a series of staff officer positions. He had a short stint with the headquarters of the New Zealand Division, and then VI Corps. He was mentioned in despatches for his service while attached to VI Corps. By mid 1917, his health was declining and he was transferred to England for service with the New Zealand Infantry Reserve Group as brigade major. He then held an instructor position at an Officer Training School in England. In March 1918, he was sent to the United States to assist in the promotion of war bonds, and returned to New Zealand in October 1918.

Interwar period
Duigan remained in the military during the postwar period, he became a staff officer in the Auckland Military District. By 1930, he was in command of the district (now reorganised as Northern Command), and the following year was promoted to colonel. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. On 1 April 1937, he was promoted to major general and became the first Chief of the General Staff (CGS) and General Officer, Commanding (GOC) of the New Zealand Military Forces, the first New Zealand born soldier to achieve this position. He was also appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath.

As CGS, Duigan implemented a number of organisational changes which included the disestablishment of the GOC position and its replacement with an army board in November 1937 to control the military. When the board was established, he became the first military member of the board. Another change resulted in the downsizing of the Territorial Force which disturbed many officers and lowered morale. He offered little counter to the favouring of the fledgling Royal New Zealand Air Force by the New Zealand government, further affecting morale within the army.

Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Duigan desired command of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) which was to be raised for service in Europe. However, a lack of command experience and his performance as CGS meant that he was not a popular choice within the military or with the New Zealand government. Major General Bernard Freyberg was instead appointed commander of 2NZEF while Duigan had his term as CGS extended. Throughout 1940, he worked to ensure the continued support and reinforcement of 2NZEF while reintroducing conscription. He also attended defence conferences in Singapore and India, and made tours of the 2NZEF while it was in the Middle East.

Later life
Duigan retired from the military in May 1941, having been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire the previous year. He died in Havelock North on 9 January 1950, survived by his second wife, who he had married in 1947, and two sons from his first marriage (which ended upon the death of his wife in 1940). A third son, also from his first marriage, was killed while serving with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.