John Rowlstone Stevenson

Australian army and parliamentary officer

Second World War
- Syria–Lebanon Campaign
  - Battle of Damour
- New Guinea campaign
- Kokoda Track campaign
- Bougainville Campaign

AwardsCommander of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Service Order
Mentioned in Despatches (2)
Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)

Major General John Rowlstone Stevenson, CBE, DSO^[1] (7 October 1908 – 4 July 1971) was an Australian Army officer and a parliamentary officer.

Stevenson was born in Bondi, Sydney, on 7 October 1908.^[2] He was the son of John James Stevenson, who was born in the United States, and Caroline Maude née Rowlstone, from Sydney. He went to Canterbury Boys' Intermediate School, then took an office job. He also played hockey and drove racing cars at the Maroubra speedway.^{[citation needed]}

He rose to the rank of major general in the Australian Army, serving in both the 11th Australian Infantry Brigade and the 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion in the Second World War. He died on 4 July 1971, in Fiji. He is known for accepting Nauru as Australian territory.^[3]

References

^ "Issue 37898" (PDF). The London Gazette. 6 March 1947. p. 1085. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
^ Hopley, J. B. "Stevenson, John Rowlstone (1908–1971)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University – via Australian Dictionary of Biography.
^ "Temporary Brigadier John Rowlstone Stevenson – Australian War Memorial".