Brigadier George A Vasey
Brigadier George A Vasey commanded the 19th Australian Brigade on Crete, responsible for Georgioupolis and Rethymnon. Born in a suburb of Melbourne on 29 March 1895, he studied at Canterbury Grammer School and Wesley College, and went to the newly opened Royal Military College at Duntroon. He joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in April 1915 and saw action on the Somme, at Messines Ridge, Passchendaele and Amiens. Between the wars he served in India and attended the Quetta Staff College between 1928 and 1929. At the outbreak of World War Two, he volunteered and became GSO1 (General Staff Officer, Grade 1) for the 6th Australian Division and commanded the 19th Brigade during the Balkans and Crete campaigns. He became the commanding officer of the 7th Division in Papua-New Guinea that saw the division advance from Kokoda to Buna to Sanananda during 1942 and in 1943 was airlanded into Markham Valley, capturing Lae and advancing into the Ramu Valley before stubborn Japanese resistance. He was killed in an air crash in March 1945 whilst on his way to take command of the 6th Division at Aitipe.
How to cite this article: Antill, P. (13 August 2006), Brigadier George A Vasey, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_vasey.html