Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 12, 2 May - 31 May 1916, Part 4

16/5/16
Conference with C.O's
Slackness of discipline
Noise after Lights out  ]   Capt of Day
do before Reveille  ]
Bugle calls in Camp
Bugle practices
Punctuality of parties - often too early.
Hot weather - parade in heat - Med. advice.
16^th Bn - withdrawal of Signallers'
 

16/5/16
OPINION OF CONFIRMING AUTHORITY
I am of opinion that I should withhold confirmation of the finding
and sentence in this case; but before giving effect to this opinion
I refer the case for the favour of a ruling by the D.J.A.G.
The Filed General Court Martial having found the accused not
guilty on the second (alternative) charge, of perjury it is unnecessary
to deal with same of any length.  But in my opinion there was
nothing in the summary of evidence against Segeant Forde to justify
the laying of such a charge.  Perjury consists in swearing to that
which is known or believed to be untrue.  For a man to swear "I am
not in a position to say if he was drunk or not" amounts merely to
a refusal to swear on a matter of opinion or belief.
As to the first charge, it is admitted and proved that the
words charged were used by the accused, but there is nothing to
shew that the use of the words was to the prejudice of good order
and discipline.  On the contrary, two other N.C.O's entertained the
same belief as the accused, and it subsequently appeared that Capt.
Woollard A.A.M.C. "had no doubt in his own mind that he (Cpl. Cooper)
was very drunk".  It cannot be to the prejudice of good order and
discipline for an N.C.O to make a statement involving an expression
of belief which appears to have been well founded and shared by
others.
On the whole merits, it is unfortunate that there should have
been a breakdown of the case against Cpl. Cooper, but this is not
the fault of the accused Sergt. Forde.  In his defence he is perfectly
frank as to the reasons which actuated him in declining to repeat
an oath what he had previously stated; and those reasons disclose
no vestige of mala fides. But even if he could be held to have
committed an offence in refusing to repeat on oath his former statement,
this is an offence with which he was not charged.
BRIG-GENL.
for G.O.C. 4th. Aust. Division.
 

Serapeum
16/5/16.
If the Argus would like to make use of the subjoined
there can be no possible objection from the Censorship
point of view. -
John Monash.
P.S.  The point of interest in the attached report, lies
only in this that our Australian public have very
little opportunity afforded to them of getting at first
hand any Knowledge of the very great work which has
been going on in the formation and training of her great
Army of Four Divisions - made up by the breaking up
of the ^Four Veteran Brigades, & distributing them among the
new formations. -
JM.
The Fourth Division
Upon the formation of the Fourth Australian Division
the commander Major General Sir H. V. Cox called
together all the officers of the Division, and delivered
an address as an introduction to the War Training
of the Division. - At the conclusion of his
remarks he called upon Brigadier General Monash,
Commander of the Fourth Brigade, as the senior Australian
officer of the Division, to also address the gathering.
 

General Monash said: -
The General has asked me to add some remarks, and I feel sure
that he would desire that, in doing so, I should apply myself to
one or two themes other than those touched upon by him in the 
convincing and stimulating address to which we have listened.  And this I
shall endeavour to do.
In the first place, why do we, on this, as on previous occasions, 

direct our appeal specially to and at the Platoon Commander? It is 

not because the principles of command and leadership which have been

enunciated to you do not apply equally well to all officers, senior

and junior. It is because the Platoon Commander is the man who

stands in the most intimate contact with, and in the most direct

relationshipsxx, to, the personnel. It is because it is through him,

and by his agency, and by none other, that we can reach the man in

the ranks, and can achieve the highest fighting efficiency. It is

because the Platoon is, for all purposes, the unit for whose perfect-

ion we strive. Because, a perfect Platoon means a perfect Battalion

and Brigade and Division; and the efficiency of an Army Corps is to

be meausred by that of its Platoons. The Platoon is the compact

unit of some fifty men committed to the sole care of a single officer,

and that officer must look to it that, in all things, he fails in no

respect in his responsibility to and for those fifty men.

And in making this appeal to Platoon Commanders, for the exercise 

of their highest powers and for the practice of their greatest self-

devotion. I do so with the consciousness that it is very necessary

to remind ourselves, sometimes, how great, how responsible, is the

duty which is laid upon us all. Removed as we are from the centrex

of things, living as we are, so to say, on the fringe of the Empire's activities, in an atmosphere of monotonous war training in this

desert, and without the hourly stimulus of great and stirring happen-

ings 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 show that in all 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 these

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

powers 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 sacrifi-

ces 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 Australi ahas committ-

ed the achievement of the great purpose for which these 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 with all instructions. In my daily

2

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 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 xxx

been promoted from the ranks. It is on a aspect of discipline

which concerns officers in a special degree. I refer to loyalty to

one's superiors, one's Company and Battalion Commanders, and to

higher authority generally. It is easy to be loyal to a man, when

you agree xxxxxxxxxx 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!

[*Recd 16/5/16*]

THE DUTIES OF AN OFFICER.

AN ADDRESS IN THE FIELD.

The following notes formed the foundation of an address which was lately delivered by a

Senior Officer to a School for young Officers "somewhere in France."

I hope you feel that you have picked up much that will be useful to you in your responsible position as

officers... General -- has asked me to say something to you on the moral side of the duties of an 

officer ... In laying before you some remarks on such a subject, I would begin by impressing on you

the great importance of your work. You must realize that, however good and skilful the disposition may be,

battles must be won by fighting; the heroism, skill and firmness of the most junior officers will have the

most far-reaching results.

You are responsible for the successful leading of your men in battle; you are responsible for their safety

as far as this can be ensured, while gaining success in battle; you are responsible for their health, for their

comfort, for their good behaviour and discipline. Finally, and not least, you are responsible for maintaining

the honour of England, for doing all you can to ensure the security of England, and of our women and our

children after us.

To bear all these responsibilities successfully you must acquire, first KNOWLEDGE. You must know what

to do and how to do it, in order to lead your men with success and honour, and protect them from destruction

or loss, which will be suffered if you are ignorant of your work and of your profession. ...Secondly,

you must acquire CHARACTER - that is, resolution, self-confidence, self-sacrifice- in order to inspire your

men by your example, sustain their courage in danger by your example, and their endurance in hardship by

your example.

Now as regards the first-KNOWLEDGE - remember two things. ... (1) Knowledge is not a Heaven-

sent gift; it is the outcome of study, hard work, and thought. (2) It is an absolute necessity to you as an 

officer. It is the foundation of your own character, for without it you cannot gain self-confidence. you must

know your job. If you do not you can have no confidence in yourself, and the men can, and will, have no

confidence in you either. Knowledge is therefore the first great essential for your capacity to command your

men. ... The men must have confidence in their officer. They must feel not only that he known his 

job, but also that he will set the example of courage, self-sacrifice, and cheerfulness, and that he will look

after their welfare and comfort. It was to help you to this that these tactical schools have been started.