TOVELL, Raymond Walter
| Service Number: | VX46983 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 April 1915, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Brigadier |
| Last Unit: | Headquarters (AMF) |
| Born: | Brighton, Victoria , 9 March 1890 |
| Home Town: | Brighton, Bayside, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Brighton Grammar School and Incorporated Institute of Accountants |
| Occupation: | Auditor (later Politician) |
| Died: | Natural causes, Brighton, Victoria , 18 June 1966, aged 76 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Apr 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion | |
| 29 Oct 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Demosthenes embarkation_ship_number: A64 public_note: '' | |
| 29 Oct 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 29th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Demosthenes, Melbourne | |
| 16 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 4th Pioneer Battalion, Tel-el-Kebir. | |
| 27 May 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Captain, 4th Pioneer Battalion, France. | |
| 28 Jan 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Captain, 4th Pioneer Battalion, to Anzac Light Railways. | |
| 22 Oct 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Major, 4th Division Headquarters | |
| 19 Feb 1918: | Promoted AIF WW1, Brigade Major, 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters | |
| 24 Oct 1918: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 23 May 1919: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order | |
| 23 May 1919: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 30 Oct 1919: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches | |
| 12 Dec 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Major, 4th Infantry Brigade Headquarters, To Reserve Officers List 01-01-1920. |
World War 2 Service
| 16 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Colonel, VX46983 | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 1940: | Enlisted Colonel, VX46983, Caulfield, Victoria | |
| 30 Dec 1941: | Honoured Companion of the Distinguished Service Order and bar, For operations in Tobruk. | |
| 26 Jun 1942: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, Two occasions: 26-06-1942 and 15-12-1942. | |
| 18 Feb 1943: | Honoured Commander of the Order of the British Empire | |
| 19 Dec 1945: | Discharged Brigadier, VX46983, Headquarters (AMF), 20-12-1945 to Reserve Officers List, rank Colonel and Hon. Brigadier |
Help us honour Raymond Walter Tovell's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Karen Standen
A book could be written about Raymond Walter Tovell. The Australian War Memorial (AWM) has however managed to succinctly capture the key moments of Raymond's military service in a photograph caption;
"...An auditor from Brighton, Vic prior to enlistment, 2nd Lt Tovell embarked with the 2nd Reinforcements from Melbourne on HMAT Demosthenes on 20 October 1915. Later promoted to Lieutenant he was transferred to the 46th Battalion and then to the 4th Pioneer Battalion where he was promoted to Captain. After promotion to Major he was appointed as Brigade Major of the 4th Australian Infantry Brigade. During this period he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and Mentioned in Despatches on two occasions. On 3 September he returned to Australia and after being Mention in Despatches for the third time, was placed on the reserve officer's list."
During the wars, Raymond was: "Seconded back to the 4th Infantry Brigade as Brigade Major he was subsequently appointed commander of the 14th Infantry Battalion and promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. Later commanding the 46th Battalion, he was promoted to Temporary Colonel and then to Temporary Brigadier (Brig) and appointed to command the 10th Infantry Brigade.
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Brig Tovell was appointed commander of the 26th Infantry Brigade and served with that unit at Tobruk where he was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order and Mentioned in Despatches on two more occasions. He returned to Australia on 9 November 1942 and was awarded Commander of the British Empire. He was then appointed as Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General of 2nd Australian Corps. He was discharged on 19 December 1945." from AWM photograph collection (www.awm.gov.au).
A more detailed biography is available on the Australian Dictionary of Biography (adb.anu.edu.au) (ANU) website "Tovell, Raymond Walter (1890–1966)"
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