Leonard Thornton

Who is Leonard Thornton?

Lieutenant General Sir Leonard W. "Bill" Thornton, KCB, CBE was a New Zealand Army officer. He was the second and longest serving Chief of the Defence Staff.

Thornton was born in Christchurch, and in 1934, he was one of the first New Zealand cadets to enter Duntroon Military College since World War I. He was commissioned in the Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1937.

During World War II, he served as a staff officer and artillery commander in the 2nd New Zealand Division. After the war, he served as Deputy Chief and Chief of the Army General Staff. He was also Commandant of Linton Army Camp from 1949 to 1951.