Evan Alexander Wisdom CB CMG DSO (1869 - 1945)

Ancestors

• Visit : VWMA Virtual Memorial Evan Wisdom CB CMG DSO
  

Biography

Brigadier General Evan Wisdom CB CMG DSO VD was a senior officer of the Australian Army in the First World War, commanding brigade units in both the Gallipoli and Western Front campaigns. He was a successful prospecting and businessman. He was the Mayor of the Municipality of Cottesloe from 1908 to 1911, served in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Claremont between 1911 and 1917 and was the Administrator of the Territory of New Guinea from 1921 to 1933.

Evan Alexander Wisdom was born on 29th September 1869 at Inverness, Scotland. He was a son of Francis William Wisdom, music-seller, and Mary Cameron.^[1]

He emigrated to Australia in 1891, aged 22 years, to seek his fortune, and settled in Western Australia. With the money made from his prospecting, he opened a store at Coolgardie. He later joined the gold rush at Kalgoorlie and again had success. He acquired extensive mining interests and set up the Exchange Hotel at Kalgoorlie. He became active in the Citizens Military Force upon creation, and was commissioned Lieutenant in the Western Australian Mounted Infantry.

He went back to Scotland and married his bonny lass, Agnes Bell Jackson, on 16th April 1895 at Edinburgh, Scotland. They made their home at Claremont, Western Australia.

Evan became the Mayor of Cottesloe between 1908 and 1913 and later went on to be the Liberal member for Claremont in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1911 to 1917.

At the outbreak of the First World War, he was appointed commandant of the Karrakatta training camp. In March 1915, he was commissioned into the Australian Imperial Force as brigade major of the 5th Brigade, a position in which he served for the majority of the Gallipoli campaign. He was appointed Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his services at Gallipoli. Given command of the 18th Battalion in February 1916, he led it during the Battle of Pozières Heights and the Battles of the Somme. He was promoted to Colonel and temporary Brigadier General and appointed to command the 7th Brigade and led the brigade at the Battle of Lagnicourt in March 1917 and the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May.^[2] Wisdom was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in June. He also received the Volunteer Offficer's Decoration (VD) for twenty years militia service as an officer.

From 1921 to 1933 he was stationed at Rabaul, New Guinea as Administrator of the Territory of New Guinea. The tropics did not suit Agnes, however; who took ill and passed away in 1931 in Sydney, New South Wales, while receiving medical treatment. They were unable to have children.

Wisdom passed away on 7th December 1945 in St Andrews Hospital in Melbourne, Victoria.^[3][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Scotland'sPeople Birth Index #098/ 444 of 1869
2. ↑ Australian_War_Memorial_Nominal_Roll
3. ↑ Victoria Death Index #1147/1946
4. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald Death Notice: Evan Wisdom; accessed 12 Jun 2018

See also

• McNicoll, Ronald. Wisdom, Evan Alexander (1869–1945). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1990; accessed online 12 Jun 2018.
• Wikipedia: Evan Wisdom; accessed 12 Jun 2018.
• John Longstaff - Art Tree (Portraits) and c.1916 Black & white Photograph.