| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART03346 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | framed: 96.4 x 83.6 cm; unframed: 76 x 63.4 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas |
| Maker |
Quinn, James Peter |
| Place made | France, France: Picardie, Somme, Templeux-le-Guerard, United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 1918 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Major General Sir John Gellibrand
Description
Official war artist James Quinn was instructed to paint the portrait of Major General (later Sir) John Gellibrand, CB(M) (later KCB), DSO and Bar as part of an ongoing series of portraits that acknowledged senior military leaders in the Australian Imperial Forces.
Australian born, Gellibrand graduated from the Royal Military College Sandhurst, in England, and qualified as an interpreter in German and French in 1893. As an officer in the British Army, he served in the South African War. In 1907 he resigned his commission, and returned to Australia.
With the onset of the First World War, Gellibrand was appointed to the Administrative Staff of 1 Australian Division. Promoted to Major, he participated in the ANZAC Day landing, and in December 2015, Gellibrand was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of 12 Battalion. Gellibrand was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and was Mentioned in Despatches for his work at Gallipoli.
In March 1916, Gellibrand was promoted to Colonel, and soon after Temporary Brigadier General, and then receiving the appointment of Commander of 6 Infantry Brigade in Egypt. Moving to France, he was involved in operations at Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, the Bapaume Sector, Bullecourt (where he was awarded the bar to his DSO), and Hindenburg Line.
The leadership of Gellibrand, and his brigade's fighting quality, enabled the Australians to get a grip on the Hindenburg Line. His leadership was vital at Bullecourt, but soon afterwards he resigned his command. He later returned to command the 3rd Division.
In 1917, he was posted to the United Kingdom where he undertook the reorganisation of AIF training depots. That same year, Gellibrand returned to France to command the 12th Brigade. In 1918, he was promoted to Major General.
At the end of the war, Gellibrand returned to his farm in Risden, Tasmania. He went on to hold various government, military and political posts in Australia, and had a pivotal role in the establishment of the Legacy movement
See also:
A. W. Bazley, 'Gellibrand, Sir John (1872–1945)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/gellibrand-sir-john-6295/text10855, published first in hardcopy 1981, accessed online 15 August 2016.