the General Staff. Promoted to brigadier in 1928, Burgess became Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces, a position now known as the Chief of Army, in 1931 for a four-year term. The country's economic difficulties made his appointment a difficult one. The depression had resulted in New Zealand's compulsory military training scheme being abolished and the Territorial Force needed to be reorganised accordingly. Burgess, now a major general, also implemented a rearmament program in response to increased aggression by the Japanese Empire in China and made a number of recommendations to the New Zealand government. Some recommendations, such as the purchase of aircraft (which led to the establishment of the Royal New Zealand Air Force) and artillery for harbour defences, were enacted. Others, such as the proposal for an infantry battalion and artillery battery be formed for service in British India, were not. He was also an advocate for the mechanisation of the New Zealand Military Forces. He was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1934 New Year Honours, and a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1935 King's Birthday Honours, the same year his term as Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces was extended for two years. In 1935, he was also awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. Later life Sinclair-Burgess retired from the military in 1937, having served six years as Commandant of the New Zealand Military Forces. On his retirement, the position was abolished. Following the outbreak of the Second World War he offered his services to the New Zealand government but this was turned down despite the enthusiasm of Edward Puttick, the Chief of Staff at the time. A carpenter in his youth, he built a house for himself at Mahina Bay, near Wellington. It was destroyed in a fire in 1959, along with all his belongings. Army officers raised the money to replace his medals and insignia. He died at Eastborne, Wellington, on 3 April 1964. His marriage had ended in divorce several years earlier, and he had no children. He is buried in the servicemen's section of Wellington's Karori Cemetery. Notes References 1880 births 1964 deaths New Zealand generals Australian generals New Zealand people of World War I New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand military personnel Australian military personnel of World War I Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the