Sir Talbot Hobbs | |
|---|---|
 Lieutenant General Talbot Hobbs in 1928 | |
| Born | (1864-08-24)24 August 1864 London, England |
| Died | 21 April 1938(1938-04-21) (aged 73) At sea |
| Buried | Karrakatta Cemetery, Australia (cenotaph) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom Australia |
| Branch | British Army (1883–87) Australian Army (1887–1927) |
| Years of service | 1883–1927 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Australian Corps (1918–19) 5th Division (1916–18, 1921–27) 1st Division Artillery (1914–16) 22nd Infantry Brigade (1913–14) Western Australian Mixed Brigade (1908–13) 1st (Western Australian) Field Battery (1903–08) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers' Decoration Mentioned in Despatches (8) Commander of the Order of the White Eagle (Serbia) Croix de Guerre (France) |
| Other work | Architect |
Lieutenant GeneralSir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs,KCB, KCMG, VD (24 August 1864 – 21 April 1938)[1] was an Australian architect and First World War general.
Hobbs was born inLondon, the son of Joseph and his wife Frances Ann Hobbs (née Wilson).[1] Educated at St Mary's church school,Merton,Surrey, Hobbs joined the volunteer artillery in 1883. He also worked asdraughtsman for a builder, John Hurst. In 1886, he emigrated with Hurst toWestern Australia and established an architectural practice inPerth in 1887.
Hobbs designed many of the well known public buildings in Perth andFremantle, including theWeld Club, theSavoy Hotel and the Perth Masonic Lodge. Hobbs was treasurer of the Western Australian Institute of Architects in 1896, and later became the institute's president from 1909 to 1911.[1] From 1905, he was senior partner in the firm of architects, Hobbs, Smith & Forbes.
Hobbs also designed a number of private residences. The first of these is believed to be Samson House in Fremantle, an example of late 19th century colonial style, which was built in two stages between 1888 and 1890. The house is registered with theNational Trust, and is in theRegister of the National Estate.[2]
In 1887, Hobbs joined the volunteer artillery in Perth as a gunner, was commissioned in 1889, and rose to the command of the 1st (Western Australian) Field Battery in 1903. In 1906 he was a lieutenant colonel commanding a Western Australian mixed brigade, and in 1913 a colonel commanding the 22nd Infantry Brigade. On four occasions he went to England and did intensive courses in artillery training with the British Army. He was thus thoroughly equipped when war broke out and, on 8 August 1914 was selected by Major GeneralWilliam Bridges to command the 1st Australian Divisional Artillery.[3]
After training in Egypt, he was at thelanding at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and was soon ashore searching for positions for his guns. Hobbs clashed with Bridges over the placement of the guns. Hobbs was in command of the artillery until 9 November 1915 when he was struck down with dysentery and invalided toCairo despite his protests.[1]
Hobbs was then promoted brigadier general and made aCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB).[4] In March 1916 he went with the 1st Australian Division to France, and was in command of the Australian artillery whenPozières was captured. In December 1916 he assumed command of the5th Australian Division and was made amajor general in January.[5] This division was in the thick of the fighting in the spring of 1917, and in September distinguished itself at Polygon Wood. The staff worked well together, and achieved a great victory. Hobbs was created both aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) andKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) on 1 January 1918.[6] At the end of April his division fought at theSecond Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, which probably contributed to the abandonment of the German operations towards Amiens.
Towards the end of May, Lieutenant GeneralSir John Monash was placed in command of theAustralian Corps, and Hobbs became the senior divisional commander in the corps. His division was then given a well-earned rest but took a share in the great counterattack which began on 8 August. It did not take a leading part in the capture of Mont St Quentin, but Monash, in hisThe Australian Victories in France, stated that he was "concerned ... that the fine performance of the Fifth Division should not be underrated. The circumstances under which general Hobbs was called upon to intervene in the battle, at very short notice, imposed upon him, personally, difficulties of no mean order". One of his tasks it may be mentioned was the crossing of the Somme in the face of strong opposition, and when Hobbs sent a message to the men of his war-worn division on its beginning a rest period on 8 September, he was able to say that they had "earned imperishable fame for their gallantry and valour".[citation needed] It was but a short rest, for they were in the line again later on in the same month, and Hobbs was making careful plans for the attack on theHindenburg Line which was successfully breached by the 3rd and 5th divisions on 30 September and 1 October. The war ended just a few weeks later due to thearmistice of 11 November 1918.
Monash was put in charge of the repatriation and demobilisation of the Australian troops, and Hobbs succeeded him in the command of the Australian Corps until May 1919.
After theArmistice, Hobbs decided to return to his former profession; architecture. With a keen interest in the construction of war memorials, Hobbs was responsible for designing the Western Australian War Memorial inKings Park, Perth, St George's College, Crawley and the Temperance and General and Royal Insurance buildings.
Hobbs died at sea of aheart attack while en route to the unveiling of theVillers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial. His body was returned fromColombo to Perth where he was given a military and state burial.
Hobbs was a short and slight man, whose civilian life was that of a successful citizen who had a full realisation of his responsibilities to the society of which he was a member. Hobbs was capable, self-sacrificing and measured his life by high standards. Monash said of Hobbs that he "succeeded fully as the Commander of a Division by his sound common sense and his sane attitude towards every problem that confronted him". The eulogy of Lieutenant GeneralSir Brudenell White was "he was not only a soldier, he was also a great citizen, and a great Christian gentleman ... who knew none other than the straight path".[citation needed]
TheLieut. General Sir J. J. Talbot Hobbs Memorial, better known as theTalbot Hobbs memorial, was proposed and constructed just prior to the Second World War.[7][8][9] The memorial is made ofDonnybrook stone with a bronze bust of Hobbs on top, and placed against a background ofCanary Island Palms[10] on thePerth Esplanade. Since it was built the memorial has been the receiving point for the salute duringAnzac Day parade, it was also the location from whereQueen Elizabeth II took the salute during the 1954 Royal visit. The memorial was placed on the Western Australian Heritage register on 18 March 2005.[10]
The memorial was moved in 2014 from the Perth Esplanade to the Supreme Court Gardens as part of works to createElizabeth Quay.[11][12][13]
