Sir John Monash Essay

Notes/Interpretation:
• Sir John Monash was born on the 27th of June 1865 in West Melbourne. He died on the 8th of October 1931, aged 66. Several generations of John's paternal ancestors used to live in Krotoschin (Krotoszyn), Posen province (Poznan, Poland), Prussia. John's grandfather Baer-Loebel Monasch was a learned publisher and printer. John Monash grew up bilingually. He spoke English and German.
• He commanded the Australian Corps in 1918, The 3rd division from 1916 to 1918, the 4th Infantry Brigade from 1914 to 1916 and the 13th Infantry Brigade from 1913 to 1914.
• After the war, he worked in many prominent civilian positions. He was most notably head of the Victorian State Electricity Commission. He was a leading and loved public

figure after the war, becoming involved in many public and private organisations, such as the Boy Scouts, and in the commemorations of Anzac Day.
• Monash was honoured with numerous awards and decorations from universities and foreign governments.

Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria, is named after him. The suburb of Monash in Canberra is also named after him.

Fill in the table to demonstrate everything you know about your chosen individual.

Family History
• General John Monash is of Prussian Jewish ethnicity who was born in Melbourne. He could speak German.
Location
• In the years leading to 1918, he and his troops were involved in many confrontations, including the Battles of Messines, the third battle of Ypres, and Polygon Wood.
Experience before War
• He was educated at Scotch College. After school he studied law, arts and engineering at Melbourne University.
Reason for Enlistment
• He wanted to join the military after university.
• He began his enlistment in 1887.
Role in the War
• He was a leading Australian military commander in

1918.

Now research the campaign/s or event that your chosen individual was involved in.

Question 2:

SOURCE # https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/1918/people/genmonash
SOURCE # http://dl.nfsa.gov.au/module/1571/

Notes/Interpretation:
• John Monash was involved in the Gallipoli campaign, the battle of Messines, Battle of Broodseinde, the First Battle of Passchendaele, Battle of Hamel, Battle of Amiens and the Battle of St.

Quentin Canal.
• John Monash was known as unlikely war hero. He was of Prussian-Jewish heritage, heavily cultured and fussy. He was a middle-aged, overweight citizen-soldier with no active war experience when trouble broke out in 1914. Yet he was the leader Australian soldiers needed both during and after the war.
• Because of his overweight figure, he learnt the hard way. During battle at Gallipoli, he learnt that this wasn’t a war in which to be overweight. He was so overweight he could not fit through some of the trench tunnels.
• His strategic military planning and discipline ensured strong leadership and guidance for the Australians in Gallipoli. He proved himself as the right man for the war.
• After the war, when Monash returned home to relative neglect, Monash strived to ensure soldiers received due honour, recognition and assistance for their hard work and sacrifice. As part of his campaign he played a pivotal role in creating Anzac Day commemorations. Without Monash, this annual commemoration most likely would not

exist.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS – BACKGROUNDS:
Now research why the campaign/s or event took place.
Question 3:

SOURCE # http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-42_t-46_c-134/the-gallipoli-campaign/nsw/the-gallipoli-campaign/australia-and-world-war-i/gallipoli-and-the-anzacs
SOURCE # http://www.anzac.com/australian_general_john_monash.html
Notes/Interpretation:
• Gallipoli Campaign: Winston Churchill decided to launch an attack on Turkey, in the hope of bringing down Germany through the downfall of Germany’s allies. He planned to gain control of the Gallipoli Peninsula. By seizing the Gallipoli Peninsula, the allies would be able to control the 67 kilometres stretch of the Dardanelles straits. This would then enable them to invade and occupy Constantinople in the hope that with the downfall of the capital, Turkey would soon follow.
• In February to March 1915, the campaign started with a failed naval attack by British and French ships on the Dardanelles Straits. In April 25, the battle continued with a major land invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula. It involved British and French troops and divisions of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
• During the Gallipoli Campaign, his only successful assault during the Gallipoli battle was the attack on Hill 60.

Now research what the campaign/s or event hoped to achieve.
Question 4:

SOURCE # http://www.skwirk.com/p-c_s-14_u-42_t-46_c-134/the-gallipoli-campaign/nsw/the-gallipoli-campaign/australia-and-world-war-i/gallipoli-and-the-anzacs
SOURCE # https://www.britannica.com/event/Gallipoli-Campaign

Notes/Interpretation:
• The Gallipoli Campaign was hoped to bring down Dardanelles from the Turkish Ottoman Empire, who were allies of Germany and Austria, so they could be forced out of war.

• There were 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders. They were all part of a larger British force. 26,000 Australians and 7,571 New Zealanders were wounded. 7,594 Australians and 2,431 New Zealanders were killed.

• The forcing of the Dardanelles and the capture of Constantinople would enable bullets and weapons to go to Russia. It would shut out Germany from the east. It would put Turkey out of the war and therefore would prevent Bulgaria from joining the enemy. Then it would possibly force Bulgaria, Romania, and Greece to join the allies.

• Originally, the military and the navy’s opinion was against the campaign. Plans for such a venture were considered by the British authorities between 1904 and 1911. When war between the Allies and Turkey began early in November 1914, the matter was reconsidered and was seen as a possible operation, but very costly and risky.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS – EFFECTS:
Now research the outcomes or impact of the campaign/s or event on the war or the home front.
Question 5:

SOURCE # http://splash.abc.net.au/home#!/digibook/1502379/the-home-front
SOURCE # https://anzacday.org.au/ww1-an-overview-by-robert-lewis

Notes/Interpretation:
• During the war, the government needed new recruits in the defence force. To get new recruits, the government used posters to attract new recruits to the defence force.
• When they came back, some men couldn’t get jobs due to jobs being taken by younger men who had not participated in the war.

• Before the campaign, Australia seemed to be both enthusiastic for the war. However, there was some evidence that this was a misleading idea. There are hints and suggestions of the fractured state in society that would later lead to great resentment and partition in Australian society. While many tried to enlist into war, many more did not enlist.

• During the first enlistment rush, there were stories of white feathers being sent. The white feather was used as a symbol of cowardice to shame men who weren’t soldiers. The women rejected and abused men who did not enlist into the war. There were also some people who were very active in opposing Australia in the war. These people generally weren’t listened to back then.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS – DECISION MAKING:
Now decide whether the campaign/s or event was successful in achieving its goals.

Question 6:

SOURCE # https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/dawn/plan
SOURCE # http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world-war-one/battles-of-world-war-one/gallipoli/
Notes/Interpretation:
• The Gallipoli campaign was unsuccessful in achieving its goal. It was intended to force Germany's ally, Turkey, out of the war. It began as a naval campaign, with British battleships sent to attack Constantinople, now known as present day Istanbul. This failed when the warships couldn’t force a way through the Dardanelles straits. One third of the battleships were sunk or disabled on a single day, 18th of March 1915.
• The idea was of the campaign was to create another front to force the Germans to split their army still further as they would need to support the weakened Turkish army.

Now make a decision regarding your chosen individual’s response to the campaign/s or event that they were involved in. Would they have considered it a success or failure? Would they have been satisfied with their contribution to the war effort? Would they have considered it worthwhile or a waste of life and resources?
This section is based on what you have learned about your individual, their role in the campaign/s or event and how you believe (based on evidence) they would have seen their war experience in hindsight. Please note that dying in a battle does not necessarily mean it was a failure or insignificant to the war effort.

Write a summary of your decision and why:
To summarise what I have researched about John Monash, John Monash would have considered the Gallipoli Campaign a failure. He would’ve considered the campaign as a disastrous result, as his only successful assault during the Gallipoli battle was the attack on Hill 60.
• John Monash was satisfied with contribution from the soldiers in the war. The soldiers sacrificed their youth, their lives, their families, their future. They contributed to the face of post – colonial Australia as a new nation that was trying to build an identity that would influence the way people would view Australia.

• He would have considered the war to be a waste of life and resources. World War 1 was a tragic waste of lives. With millions of civilians and soldiers’ dead, anyone would have considered World War 1 to be a waste. Considering what had occurred in the Gallipoli campaign, with a massive defeat, John Monash would have considered the war unworthwhile and a waste.