The Anzacs

Most decorated · 18 medals and honours, 2 for gallantry

Major General Keith Stewart

Major General Sir Keith Stewart (1896-1972) was a Timaru-born regular soldier who left the Royal Military College at Duntroon in 1916 and served in Egypt and with the Anzac Mounted Division headquarters in the last two years of the First World War, earning an MBE at the age of 22. He went on to be Freyberg's chief staff officer on Crete (DSO), a brigade commander in Italy (CBE), the New Zealand commander in Japan and Chief of the General Staff from 1949 to 1952. By the counting rule he holds 18 items, with MBE, OBE, CBE and KBE all received at successive grades of the British Empire order.

18medals and honours
2of them for gallantry

His medals and honours

Won for gallantry

Gallantry award

Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

Crete, May 1941 · Crete · Colonel (acting Brigadier), HQ Creforce / 2nd NZ Division, as chief staff officer to Major General Freyberg

Gazetted: London Gazette 35396, supplement of 30 December 1941, p. 7334 (also NZ press 12 January 1942)

After the evacuation from Greece, Stewart went to Crete as the chief staff officer (Brigadier General Staff) to Freyberg, who commanded the whole Allied garrison. For the battle of May 1941 he ran the headquarters staff under continual bombing, with an improvised team of officers pulled together at short notice. The recommendation, as quoted on TracesOfWar, says he worked under very difficult conditions, that his energy and tactical sense were a great help to the commander, and that under fire he was 'an inspiration' to his staff. The DSO appeared in a supplement of 30 December 1941 alongside several other New Zealand officers from Greece and Crete, and he was also mentioned in despatches for the same campaign. By then poor health had sent him home to become deputy chief of the general staff.

Gazetted as Colonel; Te Ara and Wikipedia describe him as Brigadier on Crete. The Cenotaph and Te Ara both place the first MiD with the DSO. The recommendation wording is as quoted on TracesOfWar, not seen at the National Archives.

Counted in his gallantry totalSource: London Gazette 35396 p.7334; Te Ara DNZB; TracesOfWar; NZ Herald 12 January 1942 (Papers Past)
Foreign gallantry award

Greek Military Cross (Greece)

Conferred by the King of the Hellenes; permission to wear gazetted 20 March 1947 · Greece / Crete 1941 · Colonel, HQ New Zealand Division / Creforce

Gazetted: London Gazette 37909, supplement of 20 March 1947, p. 1316

Hellenic recognition of his work in the 1941 Greek and Cretan campaigns. The gazette lists him as 'Colonel Keith Lindsay Stewart, CB, CBE, DSO' under 'Military Cross' among decorations conferred by the King of the Hellenes, for distinguished services in the cause of the Allies. TracesOfWar catalogues it as the Greek War Cross 1940, first class, with the rank and unit of his Crete service. Te Ara simply says he was awarded the Greek Military Cross.

Name uncertain: the gazette says 'Military Cross' but TracesOfWar says Polemikos Stavros (War Cross 1940), 1st class. Counted as foreign gallantry because both are Greek military decorations; if a stricter view is taken (a staff officer's award for services), gallantry count would be 1.

Counted in his gallantry totalSource: London Gazette 37909 p.1316; Te Ara DNZB; TracesOfWar

Every other medal and honour (16)

MBE
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), Military DivisionHonours list of 3 June 1919 (for First World War service) · Egypt / Palestine (Egyptian Expeditionary Force)Stewart's first honour came for staff work rather than a fighting act. He had left Duntroon early in 1916, sailed from New Zealand on 7 June 1917 with the 28th Reinforcements (Mounted Rifles) and in September 1917…
GEORGIVS V BRITT OMN REX ET IND IMP
British War Medal 1914-201914-1920 medal, for service 1917-1919 · EgyptQualified through overseas service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Egypt from mid-1917 to December 1918.
Victory Medal (1914-19)for service 1917-1919 · EgyptQualified through the same First World War service in the Middle East as the British War Medal.
OBE
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), Military DivisionNew Year Honours 1 January 1935 · CeylonAfter the Staff College at Camberley and a second course in Britain, Stewart was seconded in the early 1930s as a staff officer to the Ceylon Defence Force. He found the work below his training at first, but widened…
1939-43
1939-45 Star1940-1944 · Middle East, Greece, CreteOperational service overseas with 2NZEF from the 1st Echelon in January 1940.
AFRICA
Africa Star1940-1943 · Egypt / North AfricaService in the Egypt and North African theatre with the 2nd New Zealand Division headquarters.
ITALY
Italy Star1943-1944 · ItalyCommanded brigades in the Italian campaign until captured on 1 August 1944.
FRANCE
France and Germany Star1945 · GermanyListed on the Cenotaph, presumably for his period in German hands and the liberation of his camp in March 1945.
THE DEFENCE MEDALGR
Defence Medal1939-1945 · New ZealandHome-service qualification, likely from his posting as deputy chief of the general staff in New Zealand, 1941-43.
THE WAR MEDAL 1939-1945GR
War Medal 1939-451939-1945 · Whole warFull-time service in the Second World War.
NEW ZEALAND WAR SERVICENZ
New Zealand War Service Medal1939-1945 service · New Zealand and overseasNew Zealand's own recognition of Second World War service.
CBE
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Military DivisionItaly 1943-44; announced 21 June 1945 · ItalyStewart came back to the Middle East in July 1943 after two years as deputy chief of the general staff in Wellington, during the Japanese threat. In Italy he commanded 4th Armoured Brigade temporarily from November…
CB
Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), Military DivisionNew Year Honours 1947 · WellingtonStewart resumed his regular career in Wellington on 1 September 1946 as adjutant general and second military member of the Army Board, after commanding the 9th Brigade in Japan. The CB, a senior order for senior…
Legion of Merit, Degree of Officer (United States)Service 24 February 1942 to 15 July 1943; permission to wear gazetted 23 July 1948 · New ZealandAs deputy chief of the general staff, Stewart was the New Zealand Army's point of contact for the United States forces that were based in New Zealand in 1942 and 1943. The American citation, as quoted on TracesOfWar,…
KBE
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), Military DivisionQueen's Birthday Honours 1958 (gazette 3 June 1958) · New ZealandStewart was Chief of the General Staff from 1 April 1949 to 31 March 1952 and later commanded the New Zealand Division and served as colonel of the 1st Armoured Regiment to 1959. He had a dispute with Prime Minister…
Mentioned in DespatchesFirst: Crete 1941 (with the DSO); second: Italy 1943-44 · Crete; ItalyTe Ara records one mention for Crete and a second later for his brigade commands in Italy between November 1943 and mid-1944. The Auckland newspaper notice of the June 1945 CBE describes him as 'previously mentioned…

His story

  1. Timaru to Duntroon

    Born in Timaru, schooled at Napier Boys' High and Wanganui Collegiate, and entered the Royal Military College of Australia at Duntroon on 12 March 1914. He graduated early in April 1916 to join the NZEF.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB

  2. First World War in Egypt and Palestine

    Sailed on 7 June 1917 (Westralia, 28th Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles), became adjutant of the NZ Training Units and Depots in Egypt in September 1917, served on the HQ of the Anzac Mounted Division and was made an MBE (gazetted 3 June 1919). A 1942 press profile said he served with the Wellington Mounted Rifles and HQ Anzac Mounted Division, Palestine. Discharged from the NZEF on 14 December 1919.

    Source: Online Cenotaph C92617; Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 31371; Otago Daily Times 8 Jan 1942

  3. Staff officer between the wars

    Joined the New Zealand Staff Corps, studied at Camberley, spent 1931-34 on the Ceylon Defence Force (OBE, 1 January 1935) and held staff posts in Dunedin and Christchurch.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 34119

  4. Greece and Crete

    Left with the 1st Echelon on 5 January 1940 as a senior staff officer at HQ 2nd NZ Division, and served as chief staff officer to Freyberg in the battle of Crete, earning the DSO and a mention in despatches.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 35396

  5. Wellington and the American forces

    Deputy chief of the general staff during the Japanese threat, for which he later received the US Legion of Merit.

    Source: London Gazette 38359; Te Ara DNZB

  6. Brigade command in Italy, then captivity

    Commanded 5th Infantry Brigade, then temporarily 4th Armoured Brigade (November 1943 to March 1944) and 5th Brigade again through Cassino and Florence. He was taken prisoner on 1 August 1944 on a reconnaissance and held in Germany until liberated in March 1945.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia

  7. J Force in Japan

    Commanded the 9th New Zealand Infantry Brigade from the Middle East to Japan (British Commonwealth Occupation Force).

    Source: Te Ara DNZB; Wikipedia; Online Cenotaph

  8. Adjutant General, then Chief of the General Staff

    Adjutant general from September 1946, CB in the 1947 New Year Honours, and Chief of the General Staff from 1 April 1949 to 31 March 1952, overseeing the despatch of New Zealand forces to Korea.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB

  9. Retirement and KBE

    Posted to the retired list in 1954 (Cenotaph: 1 January 1954), knighted in 1958, colonel of the 1st Armoured Regiment until 1959, and died at Kawakawa on 13 November 1972.

    Source: Te Ara DNZB; London Gazette 41406; Online Cenotaph

Rank and insignia

The ranks he held, and the badge a soldier of that rank wore. These are simplified illustrations.

New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1914 to 1918 badge
CadetMarch 1914 · Royal Military College, DuntroonRank badge not drawn for this entry
Lieutenant1916-17 · NZEF (Mounted RiflesShoulder strap: two pips
Lieutenant1919 (MBE gazette) · acting CaptainShoulder strap: three pips
Captainby 1935 · NZ Staff CorpsShoulder strap: three pips
Lieutenant Colonel1939-40Shoulder strap: crown and one pip
Colonel / temporary Brigadier1941; temporary Brigadier confirmed January 1942Shoulder strap: crown and three pips
Brigadier1943-1946Shoulder strap: crown and three pips
Major Generalfrom 1949 as Chief of the General StaffShoulder strap: crossed sword and baton, one pip

His ships

WestraliaTroopship, WW1Embarked 7 June 1917 with the 28th Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles, as a Lieutenant (Online Cenotaph).

Afterwards

Stewart retired to Northland and died at Kawakawa on 13 November 1972, aged 75. He was survived by his wife Rita Florence (nee Moss), whom he had married in Wellington in 1922, and by their son and daughter. He is buried in the servicemen's section of Karori Cemetery, Wellington.

His career is unusual in running from the cavalry-style mounted rifles of 1917 to the Korean War, always as a staff and command officer rather than a front-line fighter. A pronounced stutter did not hinder him. His knighthood was delayed by his 1950 quarrel with Prime Minister Holland, which he later apologised for.

Later awards, not counted here: Distinguished Service Order (1941); Mentioned in Despatches (two mentions); Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1945); Greek Military Cross (gazetted 1947); US Legion of Merit, Officer (gazetted 1948); 1939-1945 Star; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence Medal; War Medal 1939-1945; New Zealand War Service Medal; Post-war: CB (1947), KBE (1958).

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His sign

This is the Service Record sign as we would make it from his record: his rank, name, regiment, number and date of embarkation. The medals on the sign are worked out automatically, so the medals listed above are the ones to rely on.

The Service Record for Keith Lindsay Stewart
The Service Record

Photograph

We haven’t hosted a photograph here

Rather than copy someone else’s image onto our own site, we’d rather send you to see it where it’s properly held: his full record at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph.

Sources

What we could not confirm

SERVED WW1: YES (servedWW1 = true). Online Cenotaph: WW1 service number 50623, embarked 7 June 1917 on the Westralia as a Lieutenant with the 28th Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles; Te Ara: adjutant NZ Training Units and Depots in Egypt Sept 1917-Dec 1918, then HQ Anzac Mounted Division; London Gazette 31371 (3 June 1919) lists him as Lt (A/Capt) K. L. Stewart, Wellington Mounted Rifles, MBE; discharged from NZEF 14 Dec 1919. The Otago Daily Times of 8 Jan 1942 also describes his WW1 service in Wellington Mounted Rifles and Palestine.

NZ-ness: born in Timaru, schooled at Napier and Wanganui. He did his officer training at the Australian RMC Duntroon but served in the NZEF, not the AIF. No argument against listing him as a New Zealander of the war, though he did not reach the front line (staff and depot service in Egypt, no combat role found); the Cenotaph's medical entry shows only conjunctivitis in Nov 1917.

Online Cenotaph award list reconciled: its 22 entries include 'MiD Twice' AND 'MiD' (merged into one emblem, two mentions); a 'KBE ... Jul 1945' line (the date belongs to the CBE); it omits the CBE altogether; it lists the 'Military Cross (Greece)' (gazetted as Military Cross; TracesOfWar says War Cross 1940, 1st class).

Counted items (18): MBE, OBE, DSO, CBE, CB, Greek Military Cross, Legion of Merit, KBE, MiD (one), British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45, NZ War Service Medal. MBE, OBE, CBE and KBE are counted separately because he received each grade in turn (gazettes seen for all four); a stricter 'highest grade only' view would reduce the total by 3 to 15.

Excluded from the total (4): Korea Medal, UN Medal for Korea, NZ Operational Service Medal, NZ Long and Efficient Service Medal (see excludedUnverified). If a reader accepts the Cenotaph list in full, the total would be 22 plus the CBE less the merged MiD duplicate, i.e. 22.

Gallantry count 2 (DSO, Greek Military Cross) is generous: both were largely staff-officer honours, and the Greek award was for 'distinguished services in the cause of the Allies'. The strict figure is 1 (DSO).

Campaign medal entitlements (BWM, Victory, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, F&G Star, Defence, War Medal, NZ War Service Medal) come from the Online Cenotaph and from his service record; I saw no medal roll. The France and Germany Star is the weakest (service as a prisoner of war in Germany).

Date conflicts: CB is 1 January 1947 (gazette 37836; Te Ara) not 1948 (Wikipedia cites it so) or 1946 (TracesOfWar). CBE gazette supplement is dated 21 June 1945 (Wikipedia says 19 June). DSO supplement is dated 30 December 1941 (Wikipedia says 26 December). Legion of Merit gazette is 23 July 1948 (Wikipedia says 20 July).

Two mentions in despatches (Crete 1941; Italy 1943-44) are from Te Ara and Wikipedia; I did not locate the gazette issues, and a possible WW1 mention was not found.

Kept distinct from other Stewarts on the site (Hugh Stewart, Canterbury Regiment, etc.): this is Major General Sir Keith Lindsay Stewart, KBE CB DSO, Chief of the General Staff 1949-52.

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