Australian Dictionary of Biography

Lawrence George Canet

Australian War Memorial

Lawrence George Canet (1910–1996), army officer, was born on 1 December 1910 at Tallygaroopna, Victoria, one of seven children of Victorian-born parents Albert Canet, grocer’s assistant, and his wife Linda Caroline, née Meichel. George began his education at Tallygaroopna and later attended Shepparton High School on a State government scholarship. He was accepted for officer training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Federal Capital Territory (1928–31), and despite his conspicuously small stature—he stood five feet four inches (163 cm) tall—and a lack of confidence, his athleticism and dedication to study saw him through the challenging course. He graduated third in his class on 8 December 1931, and was commissioned in the Australian Staff Corps.

Attached nominally to the Royal Australian Engineers, Canet studied at the University of Sydney (BE, 1934). To gain experience in regimental soldiering and an understanding of military developments across the British Commonwealth, in December 1935 he was attached to a searchlight battalion of the Royal Engineers in Britain. On his return to Australia in March 1937, he was appointed officer commanding the 3rd Fortress Company, RAE, at Queenscliff, Victoria, where he trained military personnel in anti-aircraft searchlight duties. On 16 March 1940 he married English-born Mary Elizabeth Clift (Betty) Jones at St John’s Church of England, Melbourne.

Canet was promoted to captain on 9 December 1939, and in May 1940 was seconded for service with the Australian Imperial Force. Initially appointed adjutant to 7th Divisional engineers, he served first in the Middle East (1940–42) where he was on the staff of 7th Division headquarters during the invasion of Syria in 1941, and was promoted to temporary major in March 1941 (substantive May). When the division transferred to the Pacific theatre, he became its chief supply officer (assistant adjutant and quartermaster-general) in Papua and New Guinea (1942–43). His commanding officer, Major General George Vasey, considered that Canet’s contribution was critical to the division’s advance across the Owen Stanley Range, and its decisive victories at Gona, Buna, and Sanananda. Without Canet’s energy, skill and determination, the division ‘could not have carried through the operations … with the speed and success it did’ (NAA B2458). He was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel on 6 April 1942 (substantive 1942), and to the temporary rank of colonel in November 1943 (substantive 1950), on his appointment as colonel ‘Q,’ New Guinea Force. Mentioned in despatches twice (1941 and 1944), he was appointed OBE in 1943.

Back in Australia from April 1944, Canet was an instructor at the Staff School (Australia) (1944–45); director of organisation (1945–47) and of personnel administration (1947–48) in Army Headquarters (AHQ), Melbourne; chief instructor, transport support, and assistant commandant of the School of Land/Air Warfare (Army Component), Williamstown, New South Wales (1948–51); and director of quartering, at AHQ (1951–53). He completed the 1954 course at the Imperial Defence College, London, having been promoted to temporary brigadier in November 1953 (substantive 1954). Returning to AHQ in 1955, he was deputy master-general of the ordnance (1956–57). From 1954 to 1957 he was an aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. He was appointed CBE in 1956.

Promoted to major general on 25 April 1957, Canet was appointed master-general of the ordnance and fourth military member of the Military Board, a position he would hold twice (1957–60 and 1964–66), and in which he would oversee the Australian Army’s materiel needs during the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesian Confrontation, and the initial deployment of Australian troops to the Vietnam War. Between 1960 and 1964 he was general officer commanding, Southern Command.