Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 12, 3 April - 30 April 1916, Part 9

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stirring happenings among us, many of us are inclined to lose our
perspective, and to forget exactly where we stand. We do not continually
realise that we are a part of an Empire at War, and all that that means, that
we shall not achieve success unless we deserve success, and that we shall not
deserve to succeed unless we prove ourselves better men, and shew that in al
things - in training - in efficiency – in military spirit – we are more
capable than our enemies. The call is upon every one of us to put forth every
ounce of effort, every fraction of those powers and abilities with which the
whole of our past work, our education our training and all the experiences
of our lives have endowed us. We have to realise that we are bound, in
honor, to apply (to the work now in our hands nothing less than the utmost
power of performance and self sacrifice of which we are capable.
And as an Australian, I make a very special appeal to Australian
officers. Do we appreciate, fully the enormous efforts and sacrifices which
the Australian Nation has made and is making in order to put her armies
into the field - efforts and sacrifices which will impose burdens upon her
population for generations to come? We are so far, and have been for so
long, removed from our home environments that unless we think about it,
and think hard we shall forget it. And in forgetting it, we shall forget also
That Australia has committed the achievement of the great purpose for which
those sacrifices have been made, into the keeping of a small handful of men,
a few hundred officers, through and by whom alone her great effort can be
translated into success. Let us, the officers to whom I refer, see to it that, in
doing anything less than our very best, we do not prove false to this great trust.
I should like to refer but from a different point of view, to one of the
foremost duties of an officer to which allusion has been made in the General's
address, namely the enforcement of orders, and the insistence upon strict
compliance which all instructions. In my daily inspections of the training in my
own Brigade, one of the greatest failings in officers that I continually observe
is their neglect to correct mistakes, promptly, effectively and on the spot.
This is important not so much to ensure the doing of the correct thing, but
far more to prevent the doing of the wrong thing, and to prevent, by the
doing of it unchecked, the formation of bad and incorrect habits of drill and
behaviour. When men are training, and learning, if errors are allowed to pass
uncorrected, we are simply making our task ever so much harder, and storing
up trouble for ourselves, for every time a man does a thing the wrong
way he is forming a habit of doing it the wrong way ; and before we can even
begin to teach him the right way, we shall have to commence by eradicating
the bad habit which we have ourselves allowed him to form. It is the

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same whether it be a matter of drill, of handling a weapon or an instrument,
or of behaviour in camp or in the field. Training consists largely in the
patient, energetic, and thorough elimination of all that is wrong.
As a concluding theme for these remarks, I wish to say a word
specially to the younger officers, many of whom have only recently been
promoted from the ranks. It is on an aspect of discipline which concerns
officers in special degree. I refer to loyalty to ones superiors, one's Company
and Battalion Commanders, and to higher authority generally. It is easy to
be loyal to a man, when you agree with him. Anybody can yield that kind of
loyalty. But it is not so easy to render loyal service to a man, when you
think he's wrong. Nevertheless, let me tell you that the latter is the only kind
of loyalty that is worth a "hang", the only kind that counts in the stress of
war. Remember always that it is the senior who has to shoulder all the
responsibility, and the very least you can do is to render him cheerful, willing
and loyal obedience and thorough support in all things and on all occasions, no
matter what you may think yourself. It is a high ideal, I know but not too
high, if we intend to make good !
Remarks by Brigadier Ceneral GLASFURD.
Most of what I have to say has already been said; and after the
uplifting remarks by General Monash, there is very little for me to add.
I think our greatest difficulty lies on the application of these high ideas.
I dont know what we can do except to be very persistent and very patient;
and to go on pegging away trying to act up to what we have been told this
afternoon, with which I am sure we all thoroughly agree.
I should like to say that the brigade staff, and I am sure the divisional
staff too, realize that the company officers have an uphill game to play, and
are most anxious to help them. The Subaltern of to-dav has a great advantage
in the platoon system which has worked wonders and which is chiefly
responsible for the very marked progress that has been made in the infantry
training. I am sure that all the work you put into your platoon will be well
repaid.
d by Barotti - Port Said.

4th Australian Division
Q12/130
29 APR,1916
4th. AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BRIGADE.
HEADQUARTERS.
SERAPEUM
29th. April. 1916.
Confidential
Headquarters,
4th. Australian Division,
On February 20th, last, a letter, of which attached
is a copy,was forwarded, through N.Z. & A. Division, upon the
question of the pay and allowances of officers holding the temporary
rank of Brigadier General.
As no reply has been received, nor any intimation made of any
action taken thereon, the matter is respectfully resubmitted.
John Monash
BRIG-GENL.
Commdg. 4th. Aust. Inf. Bde.
A
49A
Date 1-5-16
A.N.Z ARMY CORPS

(2).
Headquarters,
2nd A.N.Z.A.C.
May the attached letter from the G.O.C., 4th Australian
Brigade, be re-submitted to the Commonwealth Department of Defence.
H.V.Cox
Major-General,
30th April, 1916.
Comdg., 4th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION.
4th AUSTRALIAN DIVISION
No Q12/130
24 MAY 1916
H.Q
Llt [[b?]]4th Aus Div.
The correspondence ^on this subject was forwarded to H.Q. A.&N.Z
force on 18-3-16.
No reply has yet been received - and a request that 
the answer may be expedited has been sent - with a copy
of your letter.
For Pickering
Capt Hansen
2 ANZAC
1-5-16

COPY.
CONFIDENTIAL.
C. O.
13th Bn.
Please note and return.
30/4/16.
(Signed) JOHN MONASH. Brigadier-General
Commdg 4TH AUST. INF. BRIGADE.
G. 0. C.
4th A. I Brigade.
As regards the circulation of the Memorandum
referred to I cannot ask more redress than has been given
me by the G.O.C. 4th Aust. Division,and I wish to thank the
G.O.C. for his action in this matter.
(Signed) T. E. TILNEY. Lieut-Colonel.
Commdg 13th Battalion.
Serapeum

2/5/16.
H. Q.
4thvAust Div.
Submitted.
(Signed) JOHN MONASH. Brigadier-General.
Commdg 4th AUST ? INF. Brigade.