Major General Sir John Evelyn Duigan, KBE, CB, DSO (30 March 1883 – 9 January 1950) was an officer who served with the New Zealand Military Forces during the First and Second World Wars.

His father, James Duigan, worked as a miller at the time of his son's birth but later became the editor of the local newspaper.

After leaving school, he went to South Africa, where he joined Brabant's Horse, a local unit of colonial volunteers raised to fight in the Boer War.

[1] In late 1914, Duigan was seconded to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF), which was then preparing to depart for service overseas.

[5] By mid-1917, Duigan's health was declining[2] and he was transferred to England for service with the New Zealand Infantry Reserve Group as brigade major.

When the board was established in November 1937, it included Fred Jones, the Minister of Defence, and Duigan as first military member.

Current recruitment was insufficient to support the theoretical infantry division and three mounted rifle brigades that the TF mobilisation plans called for.

Duigan downsized the division to a brigade group and three lots of fortress troops centred around Auckland, Wellington, and Lyttelton.

Instead of a court-martial, which he feared would generate public sympathy for the colonels, Duigan placed all four officers on the retired list as punishment.

The revolt did result in greater public awareness of the poor state of New Zealand's military but little was done to rectify the situation.

Lack of command experience and his performance as CGS meant that he was not a popular choice within the military or the New Zealand Government.

[2] Duigan retired from the military in May 1941, having been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1940 King's Birthday Honours.

A third son, also from his first marriage, was killed while serving with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.