1. General Sir John Monash was an Australian civil engineer and military commander of the First World War.
41 Facts About John Monash
1. 2.
John Monash commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the war and then, shortly after its outbreak, became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt, with which he took part in the Gallipoli campaign.
3.
John Monash's 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.
John Monash was the first child of Louis Monash and his wife Bertha, nee Manasse, who had arrived in Melbourne on the Empire of Peace on 5 June 1864.
5.
The young John Monash 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.
6.
John Monash later claimed to have met the bushranger Ned Kelly during the Kelly gang's raid there in 1879.
7.
John Monash attended the state school where his intelligence was recognised.
8.
The family was advised to move back to Melbourne to let John Monash reach his full potential, which they did in 1877.
9.
John Monash was educated under Alexander Morrison at Scotch College, Melbourne, where he passed the matriculation examination when only 14 years of age.
10.
John Monash graduated from the University of Melbourne: a Master of Engineering in 1893; a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws in 1895, and a Doctor of Engineering in 1921.
11.
On 8 April 1891, John Monash married Hannah Victoria Moss, and their only child, Bertha, was born in 1893.
12.
John 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.
13.
John Monash worked as a civil engineer, and played a major role in introducing reinforced concrete to Australian engineering practice.
14.
John Monash initially worked for private contractors on bridge and railway construction, and as their advocate in contract arbitrations.
15.
John Monash took a leading part in his profession and became president of the Victorian Institute of Engineers and a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London.
16.
John Monash joined the university company of the militia in 1884, and he became a lieutenant in the North Melbourne battery on 5 April 1887.
17.
John Monash was promoted to captain in 1895 and in April 1897 was promoted to major and given command of the battery.
18.
John Monash was given command of the 13th Infantry Brigade in 1912, and was promoted colonel on 1 July 1913.
19.
John Monash did not enjoy the job, and was keen for a field command.
20.
John Monash's 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, including James Legge, James McCay and Ian Hamilton, and his appointment stood.
21.
John Monash's promotion was gazetted in September, with effect from 15 September 1914.
22.
John Monash distributed red ribbons to soldiers present at the first landing and blue ribbons to those who came later.
23.
John Monash trained the division in England with attention to detail, and after the division was sent to the Western Front in November 1916, including Messines, Broodseinde, and the First Battle of Passchendaele, with some successes, but incurring the usual heavy casualties.
24.
The British High Command was impressed by John Monash and, according to biographer Geoffery Serle, while dining with Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, John Monash was informed that Haig "wanted him as a corps commander".
25.
John Monash later described the recapture of the town of Villers-Bretonneux on 25 April 1918, after the Germans had overrun the 8th British Division under General William Heneker, as the turning-point of the war.
26.
John 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.
27.
On 12 August 1918, at Chateau de Bertangles, John Monash was knighted by King George V as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.
28.
John Monash had 208,000 men under his command, including 50,000 inexperienced Americans.
29.
John Monash planned the attack on the German defences at the Battle of the Hindenburg Line between 16 September and 5 October 1918.
30.
John Monash won the respect and loyalty of his troops.
31.
John Monash returned to Australia on 26 December 1919 to an enthusiastic welcome.
32.
John Monash had a prolonged affair with Elizabeth "Lizette" Bentwitch, a first cousin of the prominent Zionist Herbert Bentwich.
33.
Later, John Monash worked in prominent civilian positions, the most notable being as head of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria after October 1920.
34.
John Monash was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Australia's first Rotary Club, and served as its second president.
35.
John Monash was one of the principal organisers of the annual observance of ANZAC Day and oversaw the planning for Melbourne's monumental war memorial, the Shrine of Remembrance.
36.
John Monash was honoured with numerous awards and decorations from universities and foreign governments.
37.
John Monash died in Melbourne on 8 October 1931 from a heart attack, and he was given a state funeral.
38.
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 John Monash had arranged delivery of hot meals up to the front line.
39.
In recognition of his enduring influence, John Monash's face is on the $100 note, Australia's highest-value currency note.
40.
John Monash would be the fourth person, and only second Australian-born person, to hold this rank.
41.
John Monash was recognised after November 1918 by the Australian Government, and was promoted to the full rank of general by the Prime Minister James Scullin in recognition of his long and distinguished service with the Australian military forces on Armistice Day 11 November 1929.