General Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 19, 4 June - 24 June 1918, Part 3

6/6/18
NOTE ON STAFF TRAINING.
A note by the F.M. C-in-C. recently drew attention to
the growing tendency towards the increased specialisation and to
the necessity of taking action to abate this.
This tendency is displayed in the present method of
training staff officers prior to appointment in the A.I.F.
Under A.I.F. Order 675 of 5.6.17. instructions were issued
for the training of officers in each division, as follows :-
2 for Brigade Major.
2 for Staff Capt.
1 for G.S.O.III.
1 for Administrative Staff of Division.
The normal custom has been to place the officers so
undergoing this training as under-studyies to an officers holding the
appointment for which they are being trained. It some times
happens that an officer receives an appointment of Staff Captain
who has been specially trained for this and this alone. It is
considered that before any officer is fit for any staff appointment
he should have a much more general knowledge than is normally to
be expected under the system as it exists at present.
In the lowest case-it is considered that a Staff Captain
will carry out his duties much more intelligently if he has had some
opportunity of seeing the operations or intelligence sides of staff
work. No officer can really be considered thoroughly equipped
for appointment as Brigade Major who has not had some training in
divisional staff work. He requires for the proper prosecution of
his duty a thorough knowledge of both 'A' and 'Q' work. He requires
to know the methods employed in the intelligence work up to and
including divisions at least. No officer can be considered properly
equipped for duties onf the Administrative Staff unless he has a
proper knowledge with of the effect of Administrative work on
operations. And above all, no officer is fit for appointment to the
General Staff who has not a fair general knowledge of 'Q' work.
 

-2-
The present period allotted to the instruction of
Staff Officers or the training of these officers is six months.
At the end of this time they are returned to regimental duty,
unless they have previously received an appointment. Under
normal conditions a Staff Trainee rarely receives an appointment
under 9 months. While it is a good thing that he should be
kept closely in touch with regimental duty, it is considered
that with the slight knowledge of staff work which he can obtain
by being attached for six months will be lost on his return to
regimental duty.
Under the conditions existing in the field it is
impossible to test the Staff Trainee's actual military knowledge
as a rule. The number of vacancies allotted to staff courses
are so few that only a very small number of staff trainees
can be given an opportunity of receiving this additional training.
The following alterations in the system are suggested :-
(i) That the period allotted for Staff training should be
extended to 9 months.
(ii) That every Staff Trainee, no matter what appointment
he is being trained for, should be attached for a
period to the General Staff and to the Administrative
Staff of divisional headquarters. A period of one
month to each branch is suggested.
(iii) That periodical short tactical courses should be held
at the Corps School at which to test the standard of
Military knowledge of all Staff Trainees.
TaB.
 

HEADQUARTERS,
AUSTRALIAN CORPS.
SECRET.
Copy No. 36
Australian Corps,
6th June, 1918.
AUSTRALIAN CORPS ORDER No. 111.
1. - The enemy's position on the ridge between SAILLY-LAURETTE and
MORLANCOURT will be attacked on a day and hour to be notified.
2. - The main portion of the attack will be delivered by the 2nd
Australian Division ^who will advance to the line Road Junction at K.25.c.0.5.
(inclusive) - K.19.d.4.6. - K.13.d.65.20 - K.13.b.2.8.
3. - The 4th Australian Division will conform at zero hour by
swinging its left flank forward to the road junction at K.25.c.0.5.
(exclusive) to cover the right of the 2nd Australian Division.
4. - Two field artillery brigades of the 4th Australian Division
will be detailed to participate in the attack under the orders of the
2nd Australian Division.
Except for registration and during the operation they will continue
to carry out their normal task of covering the 4th Australian
Division front.
The mobile field artillery brigade of the 3rd Australian
Division will be placed at the disposal of the 2nd Australian
Division forty-eight hours prior to the operation. It will return
to its present position and rôle after the completion of the
operation.
The 2nd Australian Division will arrange direct with B.G.H.A.
for the co-operation of the heavy artillery. 
5. - The 2nd Australian Division, in co-operation with the 4th
Australian Division, will co-ordinate the action of the artillery
and infantry taking part in the attack.
6. - The 3rd Australian Division will arrange a diversion at zero
hour which will include a creeping barrage against a selected
portion of the enemy's position opposite the division's front.
Similar participation by III Corps is being asked for.
7. - A contact aeroplane will be detailed by No.3 Squadron, A.F.C.
to be over the line at dawn following zero hour.
8. - Zero hour will be notified by the following code message from
Australian Corps to all recipients of this order :-
"Reference C.O. No.111 tests will be made
"at (hour) on (day)".
9. - ACKNOWLEDGE.
TA Blamey
Brigadier-General,
General Staff,
Australian Corps.
DISTRUBITION overleaf.

AUSTRALIAN CORPS ORDER No. 111.
DISTRIBUTION.
Issued to -
Copy No.
1 -2  2nd Australian Division
3 -4 3rd Australian Division
5 - 6 4th Australian Division
7     3rd Squadron, A.F.C.
Copies to -
8   9  Fourth Army
10  5th Bde., R.A.F.
11   15th Wing, R.A.F.
12  III Corps
13  5th Australian Division 
14  B.G.R.A.
15   13th Balloon Coy.
16   Branch Intelligence Section
17   5th Tank Bde.
18   31st French Corps Liaison Officer
19   31st French Corps 2me. Bureau.
20  AQ.
21   A.
22  Q.
23  Ig.
24  D.D.M.S.
25-28 G.O.C.R.A. (including 3 for Army Bdes.)
29  C.E.
30  A.D.Signals
31  O.O. File
32  Corres. File.
33-35 War Diary
36-40 Retained.
36 to ADC. for GOC

6/6/18
Div. Commanders
Conference.
A. Conferences - Reasons for - Interchange of Views. -
Div. Commanders - bring up matters. -
Possibly fortnightly intervals. -
B. Administrative
1. Conferences:- M.G. Bn at Corps 10.30 S-9^th
Education Conference 11.00 M-10^th.
2. Recommendations for Awards:- prev
P many previous order on subject
many letters.
warn all - breach of discipline.
3. A.I.F. Business
P Charter - any difficulties re this?
4. Unclaimed Horses
Hand over to Mob. Vet. Section
C.R.A.'s
→ Avoidance of scandal.
5. Mustard Gas - B
P Bicarb. Soda treatment. (Gellibrand)
6. Safeguarding troops against Casualties
Any remarks or suggestions?
→7. Cumulative small gas losses
Any remarks or suggestions?
8. Medal presentation parades -
Opinion re Church parade
(a) too long
(b) many men debarred
Div. Commdr to notify me
Support Divs. or Brigades.
C.Training.
[*If Divine ←8.
5 - Either. -
4 - do. -
3 - No. -
2 - Either. -*]

C. Training
9. Intelligence
Officers of Support Div. to Corps. -
10. Staff Training & Selection
Tendency to Watertight Compartments
Training - (a) Regimental }
(b) Administration }
(c) Intelligence }
(d) Operations }
D. Tactical
11. Dispositions in depth
(a) Disposition of Troops
(b) M.G. dugout design
(c) Artillery dispositions
Mobile Artillery
12. Enemy's present Tactics
(a) Efforts to pin our reserves
(b) Efforts to get identifications
x Warn our men not to talk.
x Telephone Conversations (Australians)
I putting on Listeners.
13. Necessity for our getting Identifications.
their regular importance.
[*M. sports
15^th Bde*]
(14. Intelligence requiring immediate action
Short circuiting
[* This held over for 
want of Time*]
14a 37mm. Guns. -
15. Lessons from Attack on 2^nd Div (Rosenthal.)
16. Proposed Operation of 2^nd Div
Date, Zero, Secrecy, Arty. diversion.
E. Confidential re G.O.C, A.I.F.
Hughes & Murdoch
(disaffected Brigadiers)

GOC
GENERAL STAFF,
FOURTH ARMY.
No. M.G. 23/4.
Date 7/6/18.
HEADQUARTERS,
AUSTRALIAN CORPS.
47/173
III Corps.
Australian Corps.
XIX Corps.
Herewith Agenda for M.G. Bn. Commanders'
Conference to be held at Australian Corps H.Q. on 9/6/18
at 10.30 a.m.
Further copies will be issued to officers
attending the conference.
Please arrange for as many M.G. Bn. Commanders
as possible to attend, together with the Corps M.G. Officer.
H.Q., Fourth Army,
7th June, 1918.
[[N.K. Charmers?]]] Col
for Major-General,
General Staff, Fourth Army.
[*GT
-7 JUN Rec'd*]

7/6/18
Corps Commander
When a man is kept for any
undue time in the F.P. Compound
the Division is responsible. Then Divs send
a man men ^ to the F.P.C for Safe Custody till  ^ such time as they are ready
to get rid of them or try them. The O.C.
F.P. Compound keeps them till such
time as the Div. sends for them or
sends Commitment order for their dispatch
to Base Prison. The O.C. F.P. Compound
has no responsibility for any delay
that occurs, but we make him send
weekly lists to A.P.M. A. of Corps ∧ showing periods of detention so
that the attention of Division can be called
to any cases in which men appear to
be kept for an unduly long time. As
the 1^st Aust Div. is not with the Corps they should
have no men in the F.P. Compound and we have
been sending any we had back to the Division.
This man, Millar, was sent on 9.5/18.
He was sent to the Compound by the A.P.M.
Havre on 5 3/18 & admitted on 7 3/18, and not

on 4 2/18 as shown in minute No. 6.
He was released by order of the Corps
Commander on 28 3/18 under with a lot
of others when the German offensive took place on.
5^th Army front & the Division moved South.
The 1^st Divn., before leaving for the South,
sent him back to the F.P Compound for
Safe Custody, and did not send an escort
to fetch him till 9 5/18. We do not know
the cause of delay - the Division was not
under the Corps - but it was probably
because the heavy fighting between 10^th
& 29^th April delayed all disciplinary
cases.
Ral