Papers of John Coates
MSS 366
Collection Title
Papers of John CoatesCollection Identifier
MSS 366Inclusive date(s)
1899 to 2006Extent and Medium
Creator(s)
Category
Subject: Terms(s)
Subject: Person(s)
Collection Description
This collection comprises manuscript papers and related material produced and accumulated by John Coates
Administrative / Biographical history
Lieutenant-General (Henry) John Coates was born in Adelaide in 1932, educated at Ipswich Grammar School, Queensland, and graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1955 into the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. He holds a BA in History and Economics from the University of Western Australia, 1962, BA (Hons) in Oriental and Russian History, Australian National University, 1965, and an MA in Military History from the Australian National University, 1975. He attended the Australian Staff College, Queenscliff in 1968, the Australian Joint Services Staff College in 1975, and the Royal College of Defence Studies, London in 1981.
During his long and distinguished military career he held various staff and command appointments both in Australia and overseas, including the appointment of Commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, 1983, Head of the Australian Defence Staff, Washington, 1984-1987, Assistant Chief Defence Force (Policy), 1987-1989 and Chief of the General Staff, Australian Army, 1990-1992. After retirement, he was invited to become a Visiting Fellow at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University College, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.
After retiring from the Army in 1992, he has been a Visiting Fellow in the History discipline, The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at UNSW Canberra, Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.
He is a highly respected military historian, and since his retirement has authored a number of military history books and publications, including Suppressing insurgency : an analysis of the Malayan Emergency, 1948-1954 (1992)
Review of the Ready Reserve scheme (co-authored with Hugh Smith, 1995)
Bravery above blunder : the 9th Division at Finschhafen, Sattelberg and Sio (1999)
The Australian centenary history of defence, co-editor (2001)
An atlas of Australia's wars volume 7 of The Australian centenary history of defence (2001)
An atlas of Australia's wars, 2nd edition 2006.
He was awarded an MBE in 1971, an AO in 1987, an AC (Mil) in 1992, and the Centenary Medal in 2003.
References:
Lieutenant-General John Coates, April 2004
Defence Force Journal, No. 45, March/April 1984, p. 16
Who's who in Australia 2007, p. 469-470.
Acquisition Details
Scope and Content
This collection comprises research material used for the publication of the book Bravery above blunder : the 9th Division at Finschhafen, Sattelberg and Sio (1999). It includes photocopies of military archival material held in Australia, the United States and Britain, detailing the Huon Peninsula Campaign in New Guinea in 1943-44; interviews with Japanese prisoners of war and, post-war Japanese commanders; audio cassette interviews with Australian commanders; and maps of the Huon Peninsula area, and selected maps used for An atlas of Australia's wars.
System of arrangement
This collection has been arranged into box then folder order.
Access Restrictions
Other
The collection is available for research.Reproduction Restrictions
Existence and Location of Orginals
Disclaimer
This collection contains a variety of copyright material. Copyright is held by the creator of each item. Specific conditions for this collection are listed above. If no conditions are stipulated then the standard terms of the Copyright Act apply for published and unpublished items. Digitised material from manuscript collections is provided to clients by UNSW Canberra in good faith for private study and research only, and may not be published or re-purposed without the express and written permission of the individual legal holder of that copyright. Refer also to the UNSW copyright, disclaimer and takedown policy.