James Whiteside McCay

rdf:langString James Whiteside McCay

rdf:langString Sir James Whiteside McCay

rdf:langString Sir James Whiteside McCay

rdf:langString Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

rdf:langString Ballynure, County Antrim, Ireland

rdf:langString Australia

rdf:langString Head and shoulders portrait of a man with a moustache in a suit and tie with a high collar.

rdf:langString First World War: * Gallipoli Campaign ** Landing at Anzac Cove ** Second Battle of Krithia * Western Front ** Battle of Fromelles ** Battle of the Somme

rdf:langString Beatrix Waring McCay

rdf:langString Margaret Mary McCay

rdf:langString Australian

rdf:langString Solicitor, politician, army officer

rdf:langString Australian

rdf:langString New seat

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Julia Mary O'Meara

rdf:langString Division abolished

rdf:langString Member for Corinella

rdf:langString Member for Castlemaine

rdf:langString Lieutenant General Sir James Whiteside McCay, KCMG, KBE, CB, VD (21 December 1864 – 1 October 1930), who often spelt his surname M'Cay, was an Australian general and politician. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he earned Master of Arts and Master of Laws degrees, McCay established a successful legal practice, McCay & Thwaites. He was a member of the Victorian Parliament for Castlemaine from 1895 to 1899, where he was a champion of women's suffrage and federation. He lost his seat in 1899 but became a member of the first Australian Federal Parliament in 1901. He was Minister for Defence from 1904 to 1905, during which he implemented long-lasting reforms, including the creation of the Military Board. As a soldier, McCay commanded the 2nd Infantry Brigade in the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, during the Gallipoli Campaign of the Great War. He was later wounded in the Second Battle of Krithia and invalided to Australia, but returned to command the 5th Division, which he led in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, dubbed "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." His failures in difficult military operations made him a controversial figure who earned the disfavour of his superiors, while his efforts to succeed in the face of insurmountable obstacles earned him the odium of troops under his command, who blamed him for high casualties. In the latter part of the war he commanded the AIF Depots in the United Kingdom. After the war, McCay resumed his old job as Deputy Chairman of the State Bank of Victoria and also served on a panel that deliberated on the future structure of the Army. He was chairman of the Fair Profits Commission, the War Service Homes Scheme of the Repatriation Commission, and the Repatriation Commission's Disposals Board. He commanded the Special Constabulary Force during the 1923 Victorian Police strike.

rdf:langString AIF Depots in the United Kingdom