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Lieutenant General Anthony Leonard Birks, CB, OBE (30 December 1941 – 21 January 2002) was a senior officer in the New Zealand Army. He served as Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the New Zealand Army, from 1992 to 1995, and in New Zealand's most senior military post as Chief of Defence Force from 1995 until his retirement in 1999.

Biography

Born in Wellington, New Zealand, on 30 December 1941, Anthony Birks, known as Tony, attended St. Andrew's College, in Christchurch, and then went onto Nelson College. In 1959 Birks entered the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, and on completion of his studies two years later was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the New Zealand Army. He served as a platoon commander with the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (RNZIR) in Malaysia, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. In 1968, he served in South Vietnam as a liaison officer to the 1st Australian Task Force. In 1970, he served with the United States forces on attachment, posted to a field force headquarters. He received further military education at the Australian Army Staff College, and then went on to command an infantry battalion of the RNZIR at Burnham Military Camp.

In the 1978 New Year Honours, Birks was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division). From 1985 to 1990, he was commander of the 3rd Task Force, and during this time he was promoted to Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1987 Queen's Birthday Honours.

He spent a period of time in the United Kingdom studying at the Royal College of Defence Studies before becoming Chief of the General Staff, with the rank of major general, in 1992. During his time in this role, he strengthened the combat capacity of the New Zealand Army. In the 1994 New Year Honours, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath. In 1995, he was promoted to lieutenant general and became Chief of the Defence Force, and worked towards updating the equipment of all three branches of the military. During his time in the role, which ended in 1999, he also dealt with gender discrimination.

On his retirement in February 1999, he moved to the Bay of Plenty. He died of a heart attack on 21 January 2002 in Whakatāne and was given a full military burial with 400 attendees and an honour guard at Waiouru. A private ceremony followed in Taupō, and his remains were cremated. He was survived by his wife Georgina, who he met during his time in Malaysia, and the couple's children.

Notes

1. ^ McGibbon 2000, p. 57.
2. ^ Pickmere, Arnold (26 January 2002). "Obituary: Tony Birks". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
3. ^ "Sympathy Extended to Family of Top Soldier". Scoop. 23 January 2002. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
4. "No. 47420". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 31 December 1977. p. 44.
5. "No. 50950". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 13 June 1987. p. 34.
6. "No. 53528". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1993. p. 36.
7. Aronson, Cathy (25 January 2002). "400 gather at Waiouru to mourn death of general". No. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2021.

References

• McGibbon, Ian, ed. (2000). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Military History. Auckland, New Zealand: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-558376-0.

• 1941 births
• 2002 deaths
• Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
• Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
• New Zealand Companions of the Order of the Bath
• New Zealand generals
• New Zealand military personnel of the Vietnam War
• New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire
• People educated at Nelson College
• Military personnel from Wellington City