Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 12, 3 April - 30 April 1916, Part 8
[*COPY.*]
Headquaters,
4TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
[*Confidential.*] 29th April, 1916.
G. O. C.
BRIGADE
On April 15th a Memorandum was issued from
this office dealing with certain points in the training
of an Infantry Battalion. It was intended that the points
raised should be discussed privately by Brigade Commanders
with the Battalion Commanders.
It now appears that in some instances the points were
discussed by junior Officers,and in connection with a
particular Battalion.
This was not my intention and steps should be
taken at once to inform junior Officers that the
Memorandum was circulated amongst them by mistake and
that all discussion on the subject,so far as it concers
senior Officers,is forbidden.
(Signed) H. V. COX. Major-General.
Commdg.,4TH AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
[* COPY *]
Headquaters,
4th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION,
[*CONFIDENTIAL*] 29th April,1916.
Headquaters,
4th INFANTRY BRIG ADE
With reference to your letter on April 27th forwarding
a letter from the O.C., 13th Battalion,regarding a Memorandum
issued from this office on April 15th, the method adopted by you was
correct; the remarks were intended to be communicated by
Brigade Commanders to Battalion Commanders/only,and not to
junior Officers.
Will you please inform the O.C.,13th Battalion,
that Brigade Commanders are now being informed to that effect,
and that steps are being taken ti withdraw the promulgation to
junior Officers of the latter portion of the Memorandum in
question.
A copy of the notice now being sent to Brigade
Commanders is attached herewith.
In accordance with the request of the O.C.,13th
Battalion,the Memorandum and the complete file of correspondence
on the subject is being forwarded to the Corps Commander.
(Signed) H. V. COX. Major-General.
Commdg., 4th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
COPY.
The Australian Imperial Force Headquarters.
29th April 1916.
The Secretary,
Department for Defence,
Melbourne.
I attach a semi-official letter received by me
from Brig-General J.Monash, C.B., V.D., regarding the
case of Captain Gordon Hanby, 14th Battalion.
2. I quite agree with all that General Monash says
and submit, for your consideration, the question of finding
employment for this Officer suitable to the state of his
health.
3. If the Medicinal Authorities consider that he is
fit for the Base or Lines of Communication, I have no doubt
I will be able to find employment for him in connection with
the Training Battalions here, thus releasing an officer for
the front.
Brig General.
Commandant.
The Australian Imperial Force Headquarters.
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AN ADRESS TO THE OFFICER OF THE 4th
AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
29th April 1916.
[*Introductory*] I should like Senior Officers present to understand that my
remarks are principally, though not entirely, addressed to Company
and Platoon Commanders. The men look to them in training time
for instruction, and in battle for leading, and at all times, for everything
that effects their welfare.
I quote from an address lately delivered by a Senior Officer at
a school of young officers "somewhere in France"; "The Company
is the best looking-glass of its officers. In a company you see the image of the officers, you see yourselves. When you see a company
on the marsh, slack-looking, miserable, dirty, slow; and almost
slack in coming to attention, with half-a0dozen stragglers creeping
along behind and the officers and N.C.Os taking no notice, you
can tell at once that these are bad officers and that no discipline and
no energy exists there. On the contrary, when you see a company
march well closed up, men with their heads erect (even though
covered with the mud of the trenches), and quick and energetic in
their movements in coming to the salute, this shows good officers
and a well disciplined company. When you take your men into action,
either in ordinary trench Warfare or in a big attack, this discipline
will repay you and everyone else a thousand fold".
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ADDRESS.
[*Friction of war.*] I think we have reached a time in our training where it may be useful
to all of us to, so to speak, take stock and make sure that misunderstandings
that might hinder us, do not exist. Thos of you who are acquainted with
Von Clausewitz's chapter, on the "Friction of War" will remember his
powerful description of its causes. How weather, cold or heat, mud, weary
men, unwilling and over-worked horses, jealousies, personal ambitions, all
combine to create friction against the will of the one mind directing operations,
and so to upset his calculations and schemes. Our efforts must be
unceasing to lessen this friction, and it with that in view that I have
asked you to meet me here this evening.
[*Progress.*] We may fairly say that good progress has been made generally in war
training. Our move put us back about a fortnight, but, thanks to your
zeal and energy, all our apparatus for training is again in full swing, and
we are now getting forward once more at a good pace. Specialist training,
such as gunnery, grenade throwing, machine and Lewis gun training, etc
is still hampered by want of complete material. We have learnt a good deal
about camp sanitation, which is a distinct gain, and considerable improvement
has been made in the system of feeding the men, and in the direction
of getting as much as possible out of the ration, and in the varying of the
men's diet. The subject is a very important one, and I commend it strongly
to every Company Commander's daily attention.
Equipment has been a slow business, but things are now beginning to
come along much more quickly.
[*Standard of training and discipline*] These differ. That of the permanent soldier is naturally the highest,
as in any other trade in life. It is obviously best to aim at the very highest
standard. Deterioration is bound to set in under a severe test, such as that
of fighting; therefore, the higher our aims before the test, the more room for
deterioration without breaking down during stress. For this reason there should
be no feeling of discouragement when it is pointed out to any officer that
the highest standard has not yet been reached by him or by the men under
his command, but only resolve to harden up, and attempt to reach it somehow.
It must be remembered that the only way a General (or the head of
any big firm) can judge of work, is by results; he and his immediate sub-
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ordinates supply the driving power and insist on a certain standard. But it
must not be considered that this driving power is applied without knowledge
of, and toleration and sympathy for the difficulties of the others. I am
well aware of them, the multiplicity of duties, at one time, administrative
work pushing aside training work, Court Martial Duty, Divisional Field
Officer's duties, Orderly Officer's duty, frequent change of commanders
each with different ideas, the impossibility of getting his N. V. Os & men
together owing to gards and fatigues, the transfer of men to other
units; all these combine to try the temper, endurance and spirit of a keen
company or platoon commander almost beyond bearing. But such officers
must not forget that they have no monopoly of trials in this respect. Their
Commanding Officers and their Brigadiers have at least an equal share, and
if any of them could spend a whole day with a Divisional Commander, they
would discover that he was not exactly lying on a bed of roses.
[*Methods of instruction*] I think I have been long enough with the Australian soldier to know
something, though not as much as you do, of his peculiarities. They are
mostly due to his bringing up and environment. He is a very intelligent and
independent man ; he takes little or nothing for granted, and thinks for
himself far more than does his English comrade. For this reason, unless
the meaning of any instruction is obvious, it is necessary to explain fully to
him why he is being instructed in any particular subject. I find this is not
always done, and where it is omitted, results are always poor. To take a
case in point - the matter of saluting. I have talked to a great many
Australian soldiers, who evidently dislike saluting, and have found invariably
that their ideas are altogether mistaken. Such men consider that the salute
is a tribute to the particular officer they salute, wheras we know it is only
a necessary mark of respect of the commission the officer holds from the
King, and has nothing whatever to do with the officer personally. They fail
entirely to see the link between good saluting and good discipline; and some
of them think that it is just an honour that officers desire for their own glorification. Here is another extract from the "Senior Officer" "...but
you cannot be too particular in insisting on a smart, alert, cheerful
appearance, and on the prompt and willing accordance of all honours and
salutes; it is only that Company or that Battalionwhich shows attention to
all these which really does possess discipline; without discipline no body of
men will stand an hour of real danger. These matters of appearance and
respect to officers are not eye-wash; they are an outward and visible sign of
the inward and spiritual grace as the parson says". The point I want to
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make here is that while your instructions on every subject must be forcible
(and it can only be so if you know your subject thoroughly) it must leave
your men in no doubt whatever as to exactly what is meant and why it is
important. This leads up to another point, viz, the necessity for strict
discipline during training. I will read you an extract from that excellent
publication "Impressions and reflection of a French Company Officer".
He is arguing that while trench warfare gives cohesion to troops, they are in
danger, after a long spell of it, of losing discipline and their offensive spirit,
and says that for these reasons "during any training period rigid discipline
impossible in trenches, must be maintained. Compliments should be
strictly observed and exactitude in uniform closely supervised.
Nothing is more demoralizing to the soldier than to see his comrades
badly turned out and slack in the performance of their duties. It may some
times seem more comfortable to the soldier but in reality he knows that in
such a lawless, ill-disciplined crowd, everybody will desert him in the hour
of danger. The daily sight of a company smartly turned out and well disciplined
gives him, on the other hand, a feeling of comfort and confidence".
But, gentlemen. it must not be forgotten than no Company Officer can insist
on this rigid discipline, often so uncomfortable to the soldier, unless he
places himself under the same discipline. It should be his pride and glory
to undergo the same hardships as his men, and to abide by exactly the
same rules and orders in small as in great matters. I have noticed that
this is not appreciated by all of you, and I want to put great
emphasis upon it l nothing carrier greater wight with the men, nothing
influences them more quickly that to realis that their Company and
Platoon Commanders are cheerful partners of their discomforts and privations.
Never think for a moment that because you are an officer a disagreeable
order does not apply to you. As an instance of things in this
respect as they should be, I should like to quote you our battalions of
Guards as one sees them on service. The popular idea of the Guard's officer
is that he cannot exist away from London society, and is unable to do
without all sorts of comforts and luxuries; never was there a more mistaken
idea. In this respect, as in most others. the Guards are a pattern to the
rest of the British Army. Their officers take everything that comes exactly
as their men, and set a brilliant example of devotion to duty and of self-
sacrifice, while at the same time insisting upon the highest standard of
discipline. I am told that 24 hours after the Guardsleave their trenches,
weary and coated with mud from head to foot, they turn out for steady drill
and ceremonial as if they were outside Buckingham Palace.
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[*Responsibility for seeing that orders are carried out as well as for giving they order that the shall be.*]
This is very important. "I gave the order that it was to be done" is
often taken to be a clearance certificate for the whole affair. It is nothing of the kind, and should never be accepted as such. I also want[to draw your
attention to the general responsibility of officers for seeing that all orders are
carried out. Corps, Divisional or Brigade order, it does not rest with only
the Divisional or Brigade Staff to see that it is observed. Every officer must
make it his business. An instance that occurs to me is the order issued
some time ago as to only driving wagons at a walk. Is there a single officer
present who has ever checked or reported driver for disobeying this order?
their duty in this respect it would have stopped long ago.
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