Sir John Monash | |
|---|---|
 Monashc. 1920s | |
| Born | (1865-06-27)27 June 1865 |
| Died | 8 October 1931(1931-10-08) (aged 66) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Buried | Brighton General Cemetery, Victoria, Australia |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Service years | 1884–1920 |
| Rank | General |
| Service number | 52 |
| Commands | Australian Corps (1918) 3rd Division (1916–1918) 4th Infantry Brigade (1914–1916) 13th Infantry Brigade (1913–1914) |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Volunteer Decoration[1] Mentioned in Despatches (6) Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France) Croix de Guerre (France) Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Croix de Guerre (Belgium) Army Distinguished Service Medal (United States) |
| Other work | ManagerState Electricity Commission of Victoria (1920–1931) Vice-ChancellorUniversity of Melbourne (1923–1931) |
GeneralSir John Monash,GCMG, KCB, VD (/ˈmɒnæʃ/; 27 June 1865 – 8 October 1931) was an Australiancivil engineer and military commander of theFirst World War. He commanded the13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became commander of the4th Brigade in Egypt, with which he took part in theGallipoli campaign.
In July 1916, he took charge of the newly raised3rd Division in north-western France and, in May 1918, became commander of theAustralian Corps, at that time the largest corps on theWestern Front. According to historianA. J. P. Taylor, he was "the only general of creative originality produced by the First World War".
_-_Davies_%2526_Co.%2c_Photographers%2c_Melbourne_(12199143986).jpg)
Monash was born in 58 Dudley Street,[2]West Melbourne, Victoria,[3] toJewish parents, both fromKrotoschin in thePrussian province ofPosen (nowKrotoszyn, Poland). His birth certificate records his date of birth as 23 June 1865, but that is probably a mistake, because he was almost certainly born on 27 June.[4] He was the first child of Louis Monash and his wife Bertha, née Manasse, who had arrived in Melbourne on theEmpire of Peace on 5 June 1864.[5] The family name was originally speltMonasch and was pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.[6]
The young family soon relocated from Dudley Street to larger premises on nearby Victoria Parade, before moving to a third rental property in Church Street,Richmond. In 1873, Bertha received a large inheritance from her mother, with which she purchased two houses, a large one in Yarra Street,Hawthorn, and a smaller one in Clifton Street, Richmond. The family resided in the smaller one and rented-out the larger one.[7] The young John was sent to St Stephen's School on Docker's Hill in Richmond, and was remembered as a bright and alert schoolboy, with a special interest in English, some skill in drawing, a keen sense of fun, and no interest whatsoever in organised sport. At home his mother taught him piano, and encouraged him to read to her in English, French and German.[8] The family spoke German as theirnative language.[9] As might be expected from a man brought up by cultivated German parents who had arrived in Australia barely two years before John's birth, Monash spoke, read, and wrote German fluently. However, from 1914 until his death, he had good reason not to attract attention to his German background.[10]
In 1874, the family moved to the small town ofJerilderie, in theRiverina region ofNew South Wales, where his father ran a store. Monash later claimed to have met thebushrangerNed Kelly during the Kelly gang's raid there in 1879.[11] Monash attended the state school where his intelligence was recognised. The family was advised to move back to Melbourne to let John reach his full potential, which they did in 1877. Although his parents had largely abandoned religious practice, Monash celebrated hisbar mitzvah at theEast Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and sang in its choir. He was educated underAlexander Morrison atScotch College, Melbourne, where he passed the matriculation examination when only 14 years of age.[5] At age 16, he wasdux of the school.[2] He graduated from theUniversity of Melbourne: a Master of Engineering in 1893; aBachelor of Arts andBachelor of Laws in 1895,[2] and aDoctor of Engineering in 1921.[12]
On 8 April 1891, Monash married Hannah Victoria Moss (1871–1920), and their only child, Bertha, was born in 1893. Monash had previously engaged in an affair with Annie Gabriel, the wife of one of his colleagues, which ended as an active matter after his conscious choice of 'Vic' for marriage (though communication continued many years afterwards).[13] He worked as acivil engineer, and played a major role in introducingreinforced concrete to Australian engineering practice. He initially worked for private contractors on bridge and railway construction, and as their advocate in contract arbitrations. Following a period with theMelbourne Harbor Trust, in 1894 he entered into partnership withJ. T. N. Anderson as consultants and contractors. When the partnership was dissolved in 1905 he joined with the builderDavid Mitchell and industrial chemist John Gibson to form the Reinforced Concrete & Monier Pipe Construction Co, and in 1906 with them and businessmen fromSouth Australia, to form the S. A. Reinforced Concrete Co.[14] He took a leading part in his profession and became president of theVictorian Institute of Engineers and a member of theInstitution of Civil Engineers, London.[2]
Monash joined the university company of themilitia in 1884, and he became a lieutenant in the North Melbourne battery on 5 April 1887.[15] He was promoted to captain in 1895 and in April 1897 was promoted to major and given command of the battery.[16] On 7 March 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the intelligence corps.[17] He was given command of the13th Infantry Brigade in 1912,[2] and was promoted colonel on 1 July 1913.[18]
When the First World War broke out in August 1914, Monash became a full-time army officer, accepting an appointment as the chief censor in Australia.[19] Monash did not enjoy the job, and was keen for a field command.[20] In September, after theAustralian Imperial Force was formed, he was appointed as the commander of the4th Infantry Brigade, which consisted of fourbattalions: the13th,14th,15th and16th.[21] His appointment was met with some protest within the military, in part due to his German and Jewish ancestry, but Monash was supported by numerous high-ranking officers, includingJames Legge,James McCay andIan Hamilton, and his appointment stood.[22]
When the first contingent of Australian troops, the1st Division, sailed in October, the 4th Brigade remained behind. Training was undertaken atBroadmeadows, Victoria, before embarking in December 1914. After arriving inEgypt in January 1915, Monash's brigade established itself atHeliopolis, where it was assigned to theNew Zealand and Australian Division underMajor GeneralAlexander Godley.[23] After a period of training, in April, the brigade took part in theGallipoli campaign against theTurks. Assigned the role of divisional reserve, Monash came ashore early on 26 April.[5] The brigade initially defended the line between Pope's Hill andCourtney's Post, and the valley behind this line became known as "Monash Valley".[24] There he made a name for himself with his independent decision-making and his organisational ability.[25] He was promoted tobrigadier general in July, although the news was marred by spiteful rumours that were passed in Cairo, Melbourne and London about him being a "German spy".[5] His promotion was gazetted in September, with effect from 15 September 1914.[26][27]
During theAugust offensive, launched by the Allies to break the deadlock on the peninsula, Monash's brigade was to conduct a "left hook" to capture of Hill 971, the highest point on the Sari Bair range.[28] On the evening of 6/7 August, the brigade launched its attack, but poor maps, heavy resistance and the mountainous terrain defeated them. Monash's performance was criticised for excessive delegation, and for failing to properly command his brigade, which broke and ran.[29] Elsewhere, the offensive also stalled,[30] resulting in disaster for the last co-ordinated effort to defeat the Turkish forces on the Gallipoli Peninsula. By mid-August, Monash's brigade was down to just 1,400 men out of the 3,350 at the beginning of the campaign.[31] On 21 August, Monash led them in an attack onHill 60, before it was withdrawn from the peninsula for rest. While the brigade recuperated onLemnos, Monash took leave in Egypt, where he learned of his appointment as aCompanion of the Order of the Bath.[5] In November, the 4th Brigade returned to Gallipoli, occupying a "quiet sector" around Bauchop's Hill. Monash used his engineering knowledge to improve his brigade's position to withstand the winter, and he worked to improve the conditions that his troops would have to endure but, in mid-December, the order to evacuate the peninsula came.[32]
Monash's time on Gallipoli and his departure from it were not, however, without controversy for reasons unrelated to the fighting. While on Gallipoli he "wrote very freely to his wife revealing much current information" and "opened himself to the criticism that he would not keep the rules by which his juniors had strictly to adhere."[33] Later, in a long diary-letter sent home by Monash and known by him to be illegal in Army terms, Monash implied that he was "one of the very last off Gallipoli". However, "he had left for the beach nearly five hours before the last. It was a clumsy deception as so many people knew the facts."[34]
Following the withdrawal from Gallipoli, Monash returned to Egypt, where the AIF underwent a period of reorganisation and expansion. That process resulted in the 4th Brigade being split, providing acadre of experienced personnel to form the12th Brigade. It was also reassigned to the4th Division.[35] After a period of training, Monash's brigade undertook defensive duties along theSuez Canal. On 25 April 1916, the first anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, while at Tel-el-Kebir, Monash and his men solemnly observedAnzac Day. Monash distributed red ribbons to soldiers present at the first landing and blue ribbons to those who came later.[36]
In June 1916, Monash and his command were transferred to theWestern Front, being sent to the front aroundArmentières. On 10 July, Monash was promoted to temporarymajor general[37] and placed in command of theAustralian 3rd Division.[5][38] He trained the division in England with attention to detail.[39]
After the division was sent to the Western Front in November 1916, it fought atMessines,Broodseinde, and in theFirst Battle of Passchendaele,[5] with some successes, but incurring heavy casualties.[40] The British High Command was impressed by Monash and, according to biographer Geoffery Serle, while dining withField MarshalSir Douglas Haig, commanding theBritish Expeditionary Force, Monash was informed that Haig "wanted him as a corps commander".[5]
.jpg)
Monash's division spent the winter of 1917–1918 aroundPloegsteert. Early the following year, after the Germans launched theirSpring Offensive, the 3rd Division was deployed to undertake defensive operations aroundAmiens. Throughout April and May, the division undertook severalpeaceful penetration operations.[5] Monash later described the recapture of the town ofVillers-Bretonneux on 25 April 1918, after the Germans had overrun the 8th British Division under GeneralWilliam Heneker, as the turning-point of the war. SirThomas William Glasgow's 13th Brigade, and Harold Elliott's 15th Brigade, were both heavily involved in the operation.[41]
On 1 June 1918, the promotion of Monash tolieutenant general and commander of theAustralian Corps, at the time the largest individual corps on the Western Front,[42] was confirmed.[43]
Monash's promotion was not without contention. Among those who considered and advocated for Major GeneralBrudenell White to have command of the Australian Corps were Australia's Official War Correspondent and later Official Historian, Charles Bean, and journalist Keith Murdoch, although historian Justin Chadwick has written that Bean was one of many of that view.[44][45]
Bean had reservations about Monash's "ideals".[46][47] and was said to have a general prejudice against Monash's Prussian Jewish background.[48] According to Kelly, Bean's core motivation at that time was that Brudenell White's appointment was in the best interest of the AIF,[49] and that it would be a big mistake for White to leave the Australian Corps and go withBirdwood to the British Fifth Army.[50][47] Historian Burness noted that Bean did recognise Monash's ability and was not concerned that he should be promoted, but he considered Brudenell White was better fitted to command the fighting corps.[51]In that climate, Australian prime ministerBilly Hughes arrived at the front, before theBattle of Hamel. He was prepared to replace Monash but, after consulting with senior officers and having seen the superb power of planning and execution displayed by Monash, changed his mind.
In his Official History,Charles Bean noted that Monash was more effective the higher he rose within the Army.[52] His depth of knowledge not only of military matters, but also of engineering and business, ensured that his operational plans were the product of meticulous preparation and thorough and rigorous scrutiny.[53]
_2350.jpg)
Bean later wrote of his own "high intentioned but ill-judged intervention" and that "those who took action (relating to Monash's appointment) did so as I afterwards realised, without adequate appreciation of Monash, who, though his reputation as a front line soldier had been poor, was never the less a much greater man than most of us then thought."[54][55]
At the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918, Monash, with the support of the British 4th Army commanderSir Henry Rawlinson, commanded the 4th Australian Division, supported by the British 5th Tank Brigade, along with a detachment of American troops, to win a small but operationally significant victory for theAllies.[56]
On 8 August 1918, theBattle of Amiens was launched. Allied troops under the command of Haig, predominantly Rawlinson's British 4th Army (consisting of the Australian Corps under Monash, Canadian Corps underSir Arthur Currie, British III Corps under Butler and British Cavalry Corps under Kavanagh), attacked the Germans. The Australian Corps spearheaded the allied attack. Monash gave them, as a key objective in the first phase, the capture of enemy artillery, in order to minimise the potential harm to the attacking forces.[57]The battle was a strong, significant victory for the Allies, the first decisive win for the British Army of the war,[58] causing the Germans to recognise that for them the War was lost. The defeated German leader, GeneralErich Ludendorff, described it in the following words: "August 8th was the black day of the German Army in the history of the war".[59] Those operations were just a start of a broad Allied offensive across the Western Front. On 12 August 1918, atChâteau de Bertangles, Monash was knighted byKing George V as a Knight Commander of theOrder of the Bath.[5][60]
After that, the Australians achieved under Monash a series of victories against the Germans atChuignes,Mont St Quentin,Peronne andHargicourt. Of the battle of Mt St Quentin and the subsequent taking of the town of Peronne, Charles Bean wrote in the Official History: "the dash, intelligence, and persistence of the troops dealt a stunning blow to five German divisions, drove the enemy from one of its key positions in France, and took 2,600 prisoners at a cost of slightly over 3,000 casualties."[61]
Monash had 208,000 men under his command, including 50,000 inexperienced Americans. He planned the attack on the German defences at theBattle of the Hindenburg Line between 16 September and 5 October 1918. The Allies had eventually breached theHindenburg Line by 5 October, and the war was essentially over. On 5 October,Prinz Max von Baden, on behalf of the German Government, asked for an immediatearmistice.[62]
By the end of the war, Monash had acquired an outstanding reputation for intellect, personal magnetism, management and ingenuity. He also won the respect and loyalty of his troops. His motto was "Feed your troops on victory".[63] Monash was regarded with great respect by the British. A British captain on the staff ofWilliam Heneker's 8th Division described Monash as "a great bullock of a man ... though his manners were pleasant and his behaviour far from rough, I have seen few men who gave me such a sensation of force ... a fit leader for the wild men he commanded".[64] Field MarshalBernard Montgomery later wrote: "I would name Sir John Monash as the best general on the western front in Europe".[65]
For his services during the War, and in addition to his creation as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, Monash was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St Michael and St George on 1 January 1919.[66] He also received numerous foreign honours – the French appointed him a Grand Officer of theLégion d'honneur[67] and awarded him theCroix de Guerre,[1][68] the Belgians appointed him a Grand Officer of theOrder of the Crown (Grand-Officier Ordre de la Couronne) and awarded him theCroix de Guerre,[69] and the United States awarded him theDistinguished Service Medal.[70] The Australian Government honoured Monash with promotion to the full rank of general explicitly "in recognition of his long and distinguished service with the Australian military forces" on 11 November 1929.[71]
In October 1918, towards the end of the war, Australian War Historian, Charles Bean, had urged Prime Minister William Hughes to have a plan of repatriation drawn up by the AIF and to put Monash in charge of it.[72] Soon after the cessation of hostilities in November 1918, Hughes requested that Monash return to London to take up the appointment as Director-General of Repatriation and Demobilisation, heading a newly created department to carry out the repatriation of Australian troops from Europe.[73]
In August 1919, while in London, Monash wroteThe Australian Victories in France in 1918 which was published in 1920. According to Geoffrey Searle: "It was propaganda, but not far off the truth,"[5] and "(it) laid the groundwork for the popular narrative of 'Monash- the-war-winner.'"[74][75] Monash was, nevertheless, a noted advocate ofthe co-ordinated use ofinfantry,aircraft,artillery andtanks. As he wrote in the book:[76]
... the true role of infantry was not to expend itself upon heroic physical effort, not to wither away under mercilessmachine-gun fire, not to impale itself on hostilebayonets, nor to tear itself to pieces in hostile entanglements—(I am thinking ofPozières and Stormy Trench andBullecourt, and other bloody fields)—but on the contrary, to advance under the maximum possible protection of the maximum possible array of mechanical resources, in the form of guns, machine-guns, tanks,mortars and aeroplanes; to advance with as little impediment as possible; to be relieved as far as possible of the obligation to fight their way forward; to march, resolutely, regardless of the din and tumult of battle, to the appointed goal; and there to hold and defend the territory gained; and to gather in the form of prisoners, guns and stores, the fruits of victory.
He returned to Australia on 26 December 1919 to an enthusiastic welcome.[5] On 1 January 1920, he was promoted to the substantive rank of lieutenant-general and returned to the reserves.[77]
_and_John_Monash_(1865%25E2%2580%25931931)_at_Brighton_General_Cemetery.jpg)
Shortly after his return, on 27 February 1920, Monash's wife, Vic, died of cervical cancer.[78] Monash had a prolonged affair with Elizabeth "Lizette" Bentwitch, a first cousin of the prominent ZionistHerbert Bentwich.[79] The two planned to marry after Vic's death but Monash's daughter put her foot down to stop the union.[80] Later, Monash worked in prominent civilian positions, the most notable being as head of theState Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) after October 1920. From 1923 until his death eight years later, he was vice-chancellor of theUniversity of Melbourne .[5] Monash was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Australia's firstRotary Club, and served as its second president (1922–1923). In 1927, he became president of the newly foundedZionist Federation of Australia and New Zealand.[81]
In 1923, he was called upon by the Victorian Government ofHarry Lawson to organise "special constables" to restore order during the1923 Victorian Police strike.[82] He was one of the principal organisers of the annual observance of ANZAC Day and oversaw the planning for Melbourne's monumental war memorial, theShrine of Remembrance. Monash was honoured with numerous awards and decorations from universities and foreign governments.[5] According to his biographer Geoffrey Serle: "[i]n the 1920s Monash was broadly accepted, not just in Victoria, as the greatest living Australian".[5]
Monash died in Melbourne on 8 October 1931 from a heart attack, and he was given a state funeral. An estimated 300,000 mourners came to pay their respects, the nation's largest funeral crowd to that time. After a Jewish service, and a 17-gun salute, he was buried inBrighton General Cemetery.[83] In a final sign of humility, despite his achievements, honours and titles, he instructed that his tombstone simply bear the words "John Monash".[84] He was survived by his daughter, Bertha (1893–1979).[85]
According to British historianA. J. P. Taylor, Monash was "the only general of creative originality produced by the First World War."[5] Monash's impact on Australian military thinking was significant in three areas. First, he was the first Australian to fully command Australian forces and he took, as following Australian commanders did, a relatively independent line with his British superiors. Second, he promoted the concept of the commander's duty to ensure the safety and well-being of his troops to a pre-eminent position in a philosophy of "collective individualism". And finally, he, along with staff officerThomas Blamey, forcefully demonstrated the benefit of thorough planning and integration of all arms of the forces available, and of all of the components supporting the front line forces, including logistical, medical and recreational services. Troops later recounted that one of the most extraordinary things about the Battle of Hamel was not the use of armoured tanks, nor the tremendous success of the operation, but the fact that in the midst of battle Monash had arranged delivery of hot meals up to the front line.[86]
In recognition of his enduring influence, Monash's face is on the$100 note, Australia's highest-value currency note.[86] Monash's success in part reflected the tolerance of Australian society but, to a larger degree, his success – in the harshest experience the young nation had suffered – shaped that tolerance and demonstrated to Australians that the Australian character allowed for mutually tolerant creeds, and a blend of the traditions of the "bush" and the "city"[citation needed]. According to authorColin MacInnes, as recounted by Monash's biographer, Geoffrey Serle, Monash's "presence and prestige ... made anti-Semitism ... impossible in Australia".[5] He is also honoured in a Cantata for chorus, soloists and orchestra calledPeace – A Cantata for John Monash, by composer/conductor David Kram.[87]
Since 2013, there has been a movement to posthumously promote Monash to the rank offield marshal.[91] Monash would be the fourth person, and only second Australian-born person, to hold this rank. The movement was led byTim Fischer, formerAustralian Deputy Prime Minister and author of the book,Maestro John Monash: Australia's Greatest Citizen General, and supported by other Australian Members of Parliament includingJosh Frydenberg[92] andCathy McGowan.[93] According to Fischer, Monash was denied promotion during his life due to discrimination, including as a result of his German-Jewish ancestry and his status as a reservist rather than professional soldier.[94]
In October 2015, theJerilderie Shire Council unanimously adopted the "Jerilderie Proposition", calling on the Australian Government to promote Monash:[95]
Following on the outstanding contribution of Sir John Monash to state and nation before, during and after World War I and reflecting the fact that Sir John Monash received no Australian awards or honours post 11 November 1918, the Prime Minister approve by government gazette publication the posthumous promotion of one step in rank of General Sir John Monash to the rank of Australian field marshal, with effect 11 November 1930, one year after Sir John Monash was eventually promoted to the rank of general.
In fact, Monash was recognised after November 1918 by the Australian Government, and was promoted to the full rank of general by the Prime MinisterJames Scullin in recognition of his long and distinguished service with the Australian military forces on Armistice Day 11 November 1929.[71][96] On 14 April 2018, Neil James, executive director of the Australian Defence Association, suggested that posthumously promoting Monash was unnecessary and "would demean his record." James also wrote that the campaign to do so highlighted the problem of "emotive mythology about our military history." He pointed out thatHarry Chauvel was the first Australian to command a division and become a corps commander, being promoted to lieutenant general a year before Monash. James added: "I have yet to meet or even hear of [a military historian] who supports the Monash promotion proposal".[97] Three days after James's comments the Australian Prime Minister,Malcolm Turnbull, announced that Monash would not be promoted posthumously to field marshal.[98]
|
Media related toJohn Monash at Wikimedia Commons
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New command | Director General of Repatriation 1918–1919 | Succeeded by Brigadier GeneralCarl Jess |
| Preceded by GeneralSir William Birdwood | General Officer CommandingAustralian Corps 1918 | Succeeded by Lieutenant GeneralSir Talbot Hobbs |
| New command | General Officer Commanding3rd Division 1916–1918 | Succeeded by Major GeneralSir John Gellibrand |
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Melbourne 1923–1931 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
