First World War Cawthorn
enlisted in the
Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 3 February 1915, joining B Company of the
22nd Battalion as a
sergeant. His unit departed Melbourne aboard HMAT A38
Ulysses on 10 May 1915. After arriving at Gallipoli in September, he was promoted to
regimental sergeant major. He was
commissioned into the army as a second lieutenant on 9 November. During his time on the peninsula, he kept a diary documenting his experiences. In January 1916, the battalion moved to Egypt and then to France in March, where he was promoted to
second lieutenant. Cawthorn sustained a severe shrapnel wound to the abdomen on 27 June near
Armentières, and was evacuated to England. He was promoted to lieutenant on 15 July 1916 and returned to the Western Front in November. He served with the 46th Punjabis in Palestine from September to October 1918 and was
Mentioned in Despatches in the
London Gazette 12 January 1920. He remained with them when, in 1922, the regiment became the 10th (Training battalion) Battalion,
16th Punjab Regiment. He transferred to the 4th Battalion of the
16th Punjab Regiment in India on 25 September 1925. Shortly after, it was announced on 7 October that Captain H.W.D. Palmer had assumed the role of adjutant in the 10th Battalion of the 16th Punjab Regiment, replacing Cawthorn as the outgoing adjutant. Captain Cawthorn arrived in
Bombay aboard the
SS Razmak on 15 April 1927. From 1929 to 1930, Cawthorn attended the
Staff College, Camberley, after which, on 1 May 1930, he became a company commander in the 4th Battalion, 16th Punjab Regiment, serving on the North-West Frontier. From 15 December 1930 to 29 February 1932, he served as General Staff Officer Grade 3 in
Baluchistan. From 1 March 1932 to 20 January 1935, he was Deputy Assistant
Quartermaster General (Western Command) in
Quetta. Subsequently, he was stationed on the
North-West Frontier, where he participated in the
Mohmand campaign of 1935. In January 1937, Cawthorn was posted as General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the
War Office in
London, where he noted the united Arab opposition to the
partition of Palestine, which he regarded as 'the first real example, since the
Islamic Golden Age, of a movement that had stirred the entire Arab world at once.' By August 1939, Cawthorn was promoted to the local rank of colonel and appointed General Staff Officer Grade 1. He served as Director of the Middle East Intelligence Centre in Cairo. In this role, he sent
Freya Stark on a mission to
Imam Yahya's court in
Yemen, where she established the
Ikhwan al Hurriya (Brotherhood of Freedom), a propaganda network for the
British Government which sought to secure Arab support for the Allies. He was succeeded by his deputy, Colonel
Iltyd Nicholl Clayton in 1941. During the peak of
Peter Fleming's career in
military deception (1943–1945), Cawthorn, along with
Field Marshal Wavell and
Louis Mountbatten, was a key supporter. Cawthorn, noted as 'an Australian who fully appreciated what Fleming was trying to achieve,' was accompanied by Peter Fleming to the
Quebec Conference, 1943. Promoted to acting Major General from 21 November 1942 to 20 September 1943, Cawthorn also became Deputy Director of Intelligence for the South East Asia Command from October onward. In early 1943, General Cawthorn, Director of Intelligence for the
Government of British India, visited the United States to discuss psychological warfare strategies with General
George V. Strong, Chief of the US Office of Military Intelligence, and
John P. Davies from the
State Department. Cawthorn proposed the creation of a "Joint Intelligence Board" in New Delhi, which would include representatives from the US Army, Navy, and various intelligence agencies, along with British and Indian officials, to coordinate intelligence sharing and prevent duplication of efforts. While his proposal was seen as beneficial for military intelligence, its focus on psychological and political warfare raised concerns, leading Davies to advise against the plan. From 1 May 1944 to 2 March 1945, temporary Major General Cawthorn served as the Director of Intelligence in
British India.
Pakistan Army After the
Independence of Pakistan in 1947, Cawthorn was deputed to the
Pakistan Army and appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff in February 1948 representing the Ministry of Defence of Pakistan, and as Secretary of the Joint Services Commanders Committee. His tenure ended in February 1951 when he was succeeded by Major General M. A. Latif Khan. ==Civilian career==