Militaria

Lot 1711    SESSION 7 (11.30AM TUESDAY 31ST AUGUST)    Militaria

Estimate $1,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $850

AUSTRALIA, Army officer's sword, 1897 pattern by W.Chorley of Sydney, double edged blade (length 80cm), the top half patterned and with a panel named, 'Capt Geo. Steward', and in the ricasso is the maker's name, 'W.Chorley/& Co/Sydney/N.S.W.', the handle, pommel and guard are in patterned brass, the leather scabbard with brass throat fitting and brass at the end, both of these patterned and the throat fitting with lug for wearing. The scabbard damaged and broken, the sword very fine.

Sir George Charles Thomas Steward KBE, CMG was born on 18 March 1865 at St George in East London, England. He married Edith Jermyn on 27 December 1885 and they migrated to Tasmania in 1892. The marriage failed and in 1894 his wife and two young children returned to England. Steward worked with the colony's civil service as a clerk in the Railway Department in 1892, chief clerk and accountant in the Education Department in 1893, secretary to the premier and clerk of the Executive Council in 1894 and in 1896 was under secretary for Tasmania. He was also chief inspector of explosives, supervisor of totalizers and Hobart town clerk for a short time.

Upon Federation in January 1901 he transferred to the Commonwealth Department of External Affairs becoming chief clerk. In December 1902 he became official secretary to the governor-general, Lord Tennyson, and secretary to the Executive Council. For the next seventeen years, except for a brief period when he was Victorian land tax commissioner, he was the official secretary to five governor-generals. He was appointed CMG in 1909 and KBE in 1918.

George Steward was also a citizen soldier, claiming to have joined the Royal Engineers in 1882 and served as a special duty officer. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the Tasmanian Auxiliary Forces in March 1898 and he raised and commanded the Tasmanian Mounted Infantry and was appointed captain in March 1900. He joined the 10th Light Horse in 1905 and as a Major from 1908-12 he served in the Australian Intelligence Corps. In 1915-19 he was in command of 50th Infantry (St Kilda) Regiment and promoted to honorary lieutenant-colonel in 1917.

In 1916 he also founded and was head of the Counter Espionage Bureau, Australia's first secret service. Then in 1919 he was appointed chief commissioner of Victoria Police, the first non-police officer appointed since 1858. Unfortunately, while driving his car on 11 May 1920, he had a heart attack and died. He was buried at St Kilda Cemetery, Victoria.

With research.

Note: Licence to own required in State of Victoria, Australia.

No mail out for this lot, collection only from the Sydney Office, or buyer to make own arrangements.