Obituaries Australia

Lieutenant-General Sir Mervyn Brogan, 79, who was Chief of the General Staff from May, 1971, to November, 1973, died in Sydney on March 8.

Lieutenant-General Brogan was born in 1915 and graduated, with the Sword of Honour, from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, in December, 1935, before gaining a Bachelor of Engineering degree at Sydney University.

His first appointment was as Adjutant and Quartermaster, 3rd Division, the Royal Australian Engineers.

He was later Commanding Officer at the School of Military Engineering. He returned to RMC as an instructor for the first two years of World War II.

Lieutenant-General Brogan then served as General Staff Officer at Headquarters, 2nd Australian Army in 1941 and 1942.

He was Mentioned in Despatches while serving as the Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General, New Guinea Force. He continued in New Guinea as the Assistant Quartermaster General. He was made a member of the Order of the British Empire for his service in the Salamaua Campaign in 1943.

On return to Australia he served as Director of Military Training in army headquarters before serving in the headquarters of the First Australian Army during 1944-46, while attending staff college and being attached to the British Army in Europe in 1945.

A year later he became Commandant, School of Military Engineering, before studying engineering training in Britain and the United States.

He attended Joint Services Staff College and held staff appointments before becoming Director of Military Training in 1954.

From 1956 to 1958 he served as a brigadier in Far East Land Forces Headquarters before attending the Imperial Defence College in 1959.

He was Commandant of the Australian Staff College until July, 1962, when he was appointed General Officer Commanding, Northern Command.

Lieutenant-General Brogan was made a Commander of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 1963.

In 1965 he went to the Department of Defence as Director of Joint Services Plans and Chairman of the Joint Planning Committee. In 1966 he became Quartermaster General and third military member of the Military Board.

At the end of 1968 he became General Officer Commanding, Eastern Command, in Sydney. He was made a Commander of the Order of Bath in the 1970 New Year's Honours.

He was appointed Chief of the General Staff in May, 1971, and served until November, 1973. He became a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1972.

Lieutenant-General Brogan transferred to the Australian Regular Army Supplement in 1973 and retired in January, 1975.

He was Colonel Commandant, the Royal Australian Engineers from 1974 to 1978; Honorary Colonel, University of NSW Regiment from 1975 to 1980.

He was director of a number of companies for several years.