Major General Kenneth William Eather, (6 July 1901 – 9 May 1993) was a senior Australian Army officer who served during the Second World War. Eather led a battalion in the Battle of Bardia, a brigade on the Kokoda Track campaign and a division in the New Britain campaign. He was the last Australian officer to be promoted to the rank of major general during the Second World War, and when he died in 1993 he was Australia's last surviving general of that war.
Education and early life
Kenneth William Eather was born in Sydney, New South Wales on 6 July 1901, the eldest and only son and the first of three children of William Eather, a property manager, and his wife Isabella Theresa née Lees. William managed a plantation in Papua for a time and as a boy Ken lived in Port Moresby. Ken was educated at Abbotsholme College, a boarding school that was later attended by future prime ministers Harold Holt and William McMahon. While at school he served in the Australian Army Cadets, in which he was commissioned in 1919. He left school at the age of 14 and became a dental mechanic, establishing a successful private practice. In 1923 he married Adeline Mabel Lewis. Their marriage produced two children: a daughter, Elsie Isobel, and a son, who was also named Ken.
Eather was commissioned as a lieutenant in the 53rd Infantry Battalion on 31 May 1923. He transferred to the 56th Infantry Battalion on 1 July 1925 and was promoted to captain on 23 February 1926, major on 27 November 1928, and lieutenant colonel on 1 July 1935. He commanded the 56th Infantry Battalion from 1 July 1933 to 31 July 1937 and then the 3rd Infantry Battalion from 1 August 1937 until 1 August 1938, when he was placed on the unattached list.
Second World War
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, Eather was chosen by Brigadier Arthur Samuel Allen to command the newly raised 2/1st Infantry Battalion, part of Allen's 16th Infantry Brigade. Eather enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and received the serial number NX3. His dental mechanic's practice was sold.
The 2/1st Infantry Battalion was formed from recruits from Militia in the Sydney area and trained at Ingleburn Army Camp. In January 1940 it marched through Sydney and embarked for Palestine on the P&O ocean liner SS Orford. Training continued in Palestine, with Eather emphasising mobile warfare rather than re-hashing the tactics of trench warfare from World War I, unlike some other battalion commanders with experience in that war. Eather attended the senior officers course at Middle East Tactical School in November and December 1940. He built a reputation as a disciplinarian, earning him the nicknames "28 days" and "February" (because it had 28 days) for his fondness for handing down sentences of 28 days' confinement to barracks – the harshest penalty that regulations allowed.
Libya
In December 1940, the 2/1st Infantry Battalion was chosen to spearhead the attack on Bardia. Eather led from the front. For his part in the battle he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. His citation read:
Eather went on to lead the 2/1st in the capture of Tobruk. Afterwards, however, he was hospitalised with pneumonia. He therefore missed the Battle of Greece, in which the 2/1st was nearly destroyed, with over 500 of its diggers taken prisoners. On resuming command, Eather was left to rebuild his battalion. From 18 June to 13 August 1941, Eather was acting commander of the 16th Infantry Brigade. On 27 December, he became commander of the 25th Infantry Brigade. This was part of the 7th Division, which was now commanded by Allen. On 8 February 1942, the 25th Infantry Brigade boarded the transport , initially bound for Java. It was diverted to Australia after Java was captured by the Japanese. In "recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East", Eather was mentioned in despatches.
Papua New Guinea – Kokoda Trail, Buna, Gona
The 25th Infantry Brigade arrived in Adelaide on 10 March 1942. It was soon moving north east, first to Casino, New South Wales and then to Caboolture, Queensland. In August, it was ordered to Milne Bay. En route in the Australian Army transport Katoomba, it was diverted to Port Moresby to help stem the Japanese advance on that important Allied base over the Kokoda Trail.
