Retired Brigadier, New Zealand Army. Died last month, aged 71.
Retired Brigadier John Mawson, killed in a car accident in Tauranga this month, was regarded as one of the Army's finest staff officers.
Brigadier Mawson had represented New Zealand defence interests in Canberra, Washington and London and had been the Queen's equerry on her visit in 1963.
Wellington educated, he was commissioned in the Armoured Corps in January 1951. In January 1954 he went to Korea as a staff officer to 1st Commonwealth Division, returning the following year to become the Adjutant of 1 Armoured Car Regiment.
He was a troop leader and later second in command of a squadron, the 1st King's Dragoon Guards (British Army), in Malaya from 1957 to mid 1958. In January 1961 he was promoted to major as the deputy assistant adjutant and Quartermaster General of the New Zealand Army Liaison Staff in London, and was appointed an equerry to the Queen during her visit to New Zealand in 1963. In March 1963 he was posted to an appointment in the Quartermaster General's branch at Army headquarters in Wellington.
He was seconded to the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment from 1966 for two years, serving in Borneo and West Malaysia, and subsequently with the 1st Australian Logistic Support Group in South Vietnam.
Back in New Zealand he became an equipment staff officer at Army headquarters before moving in 1969 to the Defence Liaison Staff, Washington, as senior equipment officer.
He was appointed to the Army General Staff in Wellington in 1974, was named director of supply in 1975 and the following year was made an assistant chief of defence staff. In 1979 he was made head of the defence liaison staff in Canberra.
After leaving the Army in 1984 he was general manager of Karitane Products Society, administration manager of the Employers Federation, secretary of the Nursery and Garden Industry Association and served two terms as colonel-commandant of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps.
- NZPA
<I>Obituary:</I> John Mawson
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.