Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 1, 14 August - 3 November 1914 - Part 11

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
FOURTH INFANTRY BRIGADE
VICTORIA BARRACKS,
MELBOURNE, 30th October, 1914.
M. 252. 
CONFIDENTIAL
  
Lieut.-Col. Courtney,

The question of the allotment of Royal Military College
Cadets has been one of acute difficulty regarding not only
your Battalion but other Battalions of the Brigade. You
will remember that during our last conference, it was a
question of allotting five of these officers to your
Battalion, which would involve the relegation of two officers,
to whom you felt yourself committed, to reinforcements. 
Since that conference the whole matter has been the subject
of repeated and lengthy interviews with higher authority,
during which the moral claims of officers whose names had been
sent forward for selection were very strongly and very fully
pressed. Ultimately the whole matter was carried to the
Minister and the whole of the arguments were presented to
him with the result that his final decision is that the 14th
Battalion must take four of these cadets as per the file
which accompanies this letter.
This result was only achieved by allotting an
additional cadet to the 13th Battalion. One difficulty 
confronting the Minister having been that the majority of the
available cadets are Victorians and his desire was to a1lot
them, as far as possible, territorially.

-2-

As matters now stand, and assuming that you have
either decided to dispose of Curlewis altogether or to send
him to the First Reinforcements of the Fourth Brigade, it
will now be necessary for you to select one other officer
to also go with the reinforcements and the Adjutant-
General has agreed that any such officer may be sent to
either of the First Reinforcements of the Fourth Brigade or
the Fourth First Reinforcements of the Second Brigade at your
option, provided the matter is settled promptly. Should
you decide to nominate Pigdon for reinforcements, this will
leave a vacancy for Henry and will thus dispose of the
unallotted officers. However, the above is by way of
suggestion only and the actual allotment of the officers
in the way indicated is left to your unfettered discretion.
There is, however, no appeal from the decision that room
must be found for four cadets. In the list sent you, one
of them is named as Machine Gun Officer but that is merely
to indicate his qualifications and does not bind you to
accept him in that office. You may allot him as subaltern of
a company.
Involved in the whole question is, of course, the
filling of the position of Second-in-Command, and if this
is done by the selection of some outside officer, the
position remains unaltered, but if it is to be done
ultimately from within the Battalion, there will be another
vacancy for a subaltern.
I now suggest that you should act promptly, so as
to close the matter on the present lines and get all final
recommendations through the Selection Committee and
approved and gazetted so that no further questions of
personnel can be raised to disturb the present arrangement.

Colonel
Commanding Fourth Infantry Bde,
Australian Imperial Force

AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
FOURTH INFANTRY BRIGADE 

VICTORIA BARRACKS,
MELBOURNE, 2nd November, 1914.
  
M. 283. 

C.O. 16th Battalion, A.I.F.
In furtherance of telegram of this date advising the
allotment of Staff Cadets Durston, Wilton and Chabrel, as
subalterns to the Battalion under your command, please
find herewith schedule showing all available particulars
regarding the cadets referred to.
Please acknowledge receipt hereon.
Major Baker has been supplied with particulars regarding
Col. Sergeant Chabrel.

J.P.McGlinn  Lt. Colonel 
Bde. Major. Fourth Infantry Bde, 
Australian Imperial Force.

DISTRICT HEAD QUARTERS 
O.M.F. 3^RD MILITARY DISTRICT 
No. 14/8230  
  
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE 
FOURTH INFANTRY BRIGADE 
  
M. 284. 

VICTORIA BARRACKS,  
MELBOURNE, 2nd November, 1914.
  
Head-Quarters,
3rd Military District. 

I propose leaving for Sydney on Thursday
next, 5th instant, for the purpose of inspecting the
13th Battalion of the Brigade under my command, and
would ask that the necessary permission to leave
this State be granted.
  
John Monash Colonel
Commanding Fourth Infantry Bde.
Australian Imperial Force
  
C.R. VICTORIA
To AAG 
Date 4.11.14 
  
O.C. 4th Infantry Brigade, 
A.I.F.
  
Approved.
J. C. Hawker
Colonel.
A.A.G., 3rd Military District.
5/11/14. 
  
File 
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AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
FOURTH INFANTRY BRIGADE
  
VICTORIA BARRACKS,
MELBOURNE, 3rd. November 1914
  
M-289
  
Assistant Adjutant General
2nd. Military District 

I am directed by the Brigadier to intimat
that, accompanied ny his Brigade Major, he proposes leaving for
Sydney by Express train on Thursday next, 5th. inst., for the purpose  
of inspecting the 13th. Battalion of his Command.
Colonel Monash desires me to add that it
is his intention to call upon xxx the Commandant 2nd. Military
District as soon as possible after arrival on 6th. inst. and on
completing the call to proceed direct to Liverpool arriving there
about 1 or 1.30 p.m.
  
Lt. Colonel,
Bde. Major. Fourth infantry Bde,
Australian Imperial Force.