Leonard Thornton

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Sir

Leonard Thornton
Second World War
Awards
Mentioned in Despatches (2)
Spouse(s)Gladys Janet Sloman
Other workAmbassador of New Zealand to Vietnam (1972–74)

CBE (15 October 1916 – 10 June 1999) was a senior officer in the New Zealand Army
.

Born in

Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1937 after having been encouraged by his uncle, Leonard Isitt, to pursue a military career. He served throughout the Second World War in a number of artillery and staff posts. Shortly after the war, he was appointed the commander of the artillery of the 2nd New Zealand Division. After holding a series of senior posts in the New Zealand Army, including a period as its commander, he was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff
in 1965 for a six-year term. Knighted in 1967, he was later the New Zealand ambassador to the Republic of Vietnam. He died in 1999 at the age of 82.

Early life

Thornton was born in Christchurch on 15 October 1916. His parents were Cuthbert John Thornton and Frances Caverhill Thornton (née Isitt). He received his education at Christchurch Boys' High School, where he was a pupil from 1930 to 1933. His uncle, Leonard Isitt, was at the time the commander of the RNZAF air base in Hobsonville and he encouraged Thornton to also join the military.[2][3] At the age of 17, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australia.[4] He was one of four cadets from New Zealand, the first intake from this country to enter Duntroon since 1921.[5] A good student, he was also an accomplished athlete, participating in several sports. When he graduated from Duntroon, he was awarded the King's Medal for academic excellence for finishing first in his class.[6]

Military career

Second World War

Thornton was commissioned in the

Royal New Zealand Artillery in December 1937 as a lieutenant.[6] After a period of further training in Australia on coastal artillery, he was posted to Wellington as an instructor. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he was posted to 5th Field Regiment,[7] the second of the artillery regiments to be raised for service abroad with the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF),[8] as its adjutant.[6] The regiment was attached to the 4th Infantry Brigade of the 2nd New Zealand Division.[9] However, he was later transferred to 25 Battery, 4th Field Regiment, as a battery captain.[7]

The 2nd New Zealand Division was to be formed in three echelons, which would assemble in Egypt. Thornton embarked with the first echelon on 6 January 1940

Battle of Greece, which helped cover the Allied retreats at Platamon and Tempe before it was evacuated to the island of Crete. His battery, having lost its guns, fought as infantry during the subsequent Battle of Crete after which it was transported to Egypt.[12] Here he took command of 43 Anti-Aircraft Battery. In February 1942,[7] as the division was re-organised in Egypt and Syria following its losses in Operation Crusader, Thornton was made brigade major of the 6th Infantry Brigade[12] and in May married Wellington VAD Janet Sloman in Haifa.[13]

Thornton returned to the artillery in September 1942 as second-in-command of 4th Field Regiment,

Bernard Freyberg, for the quality of his operational work.[12]In June 1943, Thornton, promoted to lieutenant colonel, was given command of 5th Field Regiment.[15] By now, the conflict in North Africa was over with the surrender of the Afrika Korps, and the New Zealanders were transferred to Italy to participate in the campaign there.[16]

When the

mentioned in despatches.[5]

Postwar career

After the war, Thornton performed occupation duties with Jayforce, in Japan, where he was the Senior British Liaison Officer in the Tokyo sub-area. He returned to New Zealand in July 1946 to serve as a staff officer at Army Headquarters.

Imperial Defence College after which he led the New Zealand Joint Services Liaison Staff in London. During this time, in which New Zealand's military affairs were dominated by the country's involvement in the Korean War, Thornton began to demonstrate the diplomatic skills that would prove useful during his later career.[18] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[19]

In 1955, Thornton returned to New Zealand to serve as the

Commander of the Order of the British Empire.[7][20]

Thornton as Chief of the Defence Staff, speaks with 1st Australian Task Force commander Brigadier O. D. Jackson at Nui Dat in June 1966

New Zealand had become a member of the

Companion of the Order of the Bath.[7]

In 1965, the independence of the New Zealand Army from the other armed services was ended, and the New Zealand Defence Force, combining the army, navy and airforce, was established. Thornton was the second Chief of Defence Staff, succeeding Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps, and went on to complete a six-year term in this capacity, after which he retired from the army in the rank of lieutenant general in October 1971.[2][24] He had been made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1967 Queen's Birthday Honours.[25]

Family and later life

In May 1942, Thornton married Gladys Sloman in Haifa, Palestine. His wife was a sergeant with the New Zealand Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). They were to have three sons, two of whom would also choose a military career. His wife died in 1969.[2] In November 1971, Thornton married Ruth Leicester; this was a month after his retirement from the military. His wife held a senior role with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2]

Thornton was appointed as New Zealand's ambassador to the Republic of Vietnam in 1972 and during this time, he also represented the country's affairs in Cambodia.[5] Despite his retirement as a diplomat in 1974, Thornton maintained a relatively high profile in the public sector. Until 1983, he served as the chair of the Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council[26] and often commented on defence issues, particularly on New Zealand's anti-nuclear stance as well as the Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty.[5] At one stage, he was criticised by the then Prime Minister of New Zealand, David Lange, for his views.[27] He also presented several documentaries on various aspects of New Zealand's military history.[5] He died on 10 June 1999 at the age of 82[5] and was survived by his second wife by nearly two decades.[2]

Notes

  1. ^ "No. 36668". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 August 1944. p. 3918.
  2. ^ a b c d e Pugsley, Chris. "Thornton, Leonard Whitmore". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. ^ Crooks, David M. "Isitt, Leonard Monk". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. ^ Reid 2003, p. 209.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g McGibbon 2000, p. 531.
  6. ^ a b c Reid 2003, p. 210.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Henderson, Green & Cooke 2008, p. 310.
  8. ^ Pugsley 2014, pp. 36–37.
  9. ^ Murphy 1966, p. 4.
  10. ^ Murphy 1966, p. 7.
  11. ^ Murphy 1966, p. 16.
  12. ^ a b c Reid 2003, p. 212.
  13. ^ "VAD Married". Evening Post. No. 110. 12 May 1942. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  14. ^ Murphy 1966, p. 57.
  15. ^ Murphy 1966, p. 514.
  16. ^ Reid 2003, p. 213.
  17. ^ Reid 2003, p. 215.
  18. ^ a b Reid 2003, pp. 216–217.
  19. ^ "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  20. ^ "No. 41091". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 13 June 1957. p. 3411.
  21. ^ Cooke & Crawford 2011, p. 317.
  22. ^ Cooke & Crawford 2011, p. 474.
  23. ^ Reid 2003, p. 218.
  24. ^ Reid 2003, p. 219.
  25. ^ "No. 44328". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 10 June 1967. p. 6311.
  26. ^ Henderson, Green & Cooke 2008, p. 311.
  27. ^ Reid 2003, p. 221.

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Vice Admiral Sir Peter Phipps
 Chief of the Defence Staff
1965–1971 		Succeeded by
Lieutenant General Sir Richard Webb
Preceded by
Major General Sir Stephen Weir
 Chief of the General Staff
1960–1965 		Succeeded by
Major General Walter McKinnon
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