General, Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 21, 3 October - 24 November 1918 - Part 16

21/11/18
Rate of Demobilization 

Dependent on (a) Ships available
(b) Rate at which Australia can absorb.
Whence comes  decision ie 10,000 for 3 mths & 15,000 thereafter?
Basis of Selection

Whence comes decision for Units - in - halves?
Basis of preferences:- (a) Marital

(b) Length of Service

(C) Probability of employment.
War Equipment

Basis - 5 Divisions & 1 Mounted Division?
full War Establishment

Is this Dept. to deal with dependents now in Europe ?

or will it be African High Commission?

Yes -
Emptying of English Depots.

(a) Sick etc to Australia.

(b) All others to their Units √

Accommodation in England 
We must retain it all.  √
Employment

Census to be taken, to ascertain men’s desires.
Estimates to be made to determine numbers to be 
provided for.
Categories :- University√

Scholastic√
Continuation of apprenticeship.√
Industrial Employment in present trades.√

Training in new trades.√
Employment in Commonwealth Bureaus 
& Workshops.√
Commercial Employment. - √
Must be fully in Ministers’ Confidence. - 
 

No public announcement until for 3 days

from 21^st unless P.M.

permits by wire

White:-

An ex-officio Member of Board
 

X Birchall

Yates - feather brained

Abbott

Fleming

X Ryan

Pyrie

Carmichael

X Vaughan

Webber

Denny

FLUCTUATION OF GERMAN STRENGTH ON THE DIFFERENT FRONTS
SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
WESTERN  RUSSIAN  ITALIAN    BALKAN   RUMANIAN
Graph - see original document 

GOC.

HM. FORCES OVERSEAS (IN UNIFORM).
Combined Leave and Railway Ticket.
Available for an authorised journey on the Railways in Great
Britain and Ireland (including the Underground Railways) and
on the Steamers running to and from the Ports.
No.F365293
First-CIass.

FOR ONE PERSON ONLY

From  London  Station.
[*RETURN JOURNEY*]
Any alteration will render the Ticket useless,
unless made and signed by a Railway
Transport Officer.)
To FRANCE.
Leave granted from [[22-11-18?]] to completion

This Ticket is to be shown on demand, but is to be retained
by the Holder until he rejoins his Unit, when it is to be given
up to the Issuing Officer.
Through Tickets in cases where the journey is not continuous do not.
include the cost of transfer between Railway Termini in Towns or between

Railways Stations and Steamboats.
This ticket is issued subject to the Regulations of the [[?pective]]

Companies over whose Lines it is available, and to the Conditions stated

in their Time Tables.
 

In case of emergency you are to apply
immediately to the nearest Police Station for
information as to the Military Centre to which
you are to report. This Leave Warrant authorises
you to travel by rail to the Military Centre.
Your return train leaves London
(_________________Station)
at
Rank   { Lieut-General
and      {
Name. { Sir John Monash
Unit      Aust Corps HQ

Division
Signature {  HO Townsend Captain
of Issuing  {   [[S?]] Captain AIF
Officer.       {   Austrn Corps 

AUSTRALIAN CORPS.
Headquarters,
23rd November, 1918.
B.G.G.S. NOTES FOR CORPS COMMANDER.
1. PERSONAL ARRANGEMENTS.
I arranged to attend the final bouts of the Corps Boxing
Championships which are being held in ABBEVILLE. When I made this
arrangement I anticipated your return on Thursday. This will
necessitate my being absent from Corps Headquarters on Saturday
night but I shall return about mid-day on Sunday. I stuck to my
present arrangements in anticipation that you would not object and
as the ABBEVILLE Authorities have made rather a point of having
Corps Representatives down.
2.  ADVANCE TO THE RHINE.  
General Arrangements. General BIRDWOOD has probably told you in
some detail the arrangements  made for the advance to the RHINE of
the whole Army, but in case he has not done so the following is a
brief outline.
The number of British Divisions to go forward into GERMANY
has been reduced to 11. The whole of these will be under the
command of GO.C., 2nd Army. They will occupy the COLOGNE Bridge-
head and the RHINELAND in the British Zone as far west as the
BELGIUM - GERMAN border. The Americans will be on the right of the
British and the Belgians on the left. Among the 11 Divisions are
two Canadian Divisions and the New Zealand Division under the
command of the Canadian Corps Headquarters. G.H.Q. has definitely
committed itself to the statement that Headquarters and two divisions
of the Canadian Corps will be later relieved by Headquarters and
two divisions of the Australian Corps. 

Echeloned in rear of the Second Army in the British Zone
is the Fourth Army comprising 14 divisions. The Second Army area
will stretch from the BELGIAN - GERMAN boundary as far west as
AVESNES in French territory. The Australian Corps' final destination 
will be the area AVESNES - MAUBEUGE - CHARLEROI and as far east
as the MEUSE at DINANT. This is a very extensive area and will
give several large towns to the troops. The Army Commander
proposes to get the area definitely allotted and to give the Corps
a free hand in arranging the distribution of the troops. 

In rear of the Fourth Army the remainder of the British
Zone will be allotted to Armies in the following order commencing
from the south :-
Third Army;
First Army;
Fifth Army.
The area forward of L of C will be divided by lateral E to W. line.s
Moves. To bring about the concentration of the Corps in the
Army area a very considerable series of moves is now in progress.
Broadly it is a steady forward movement which will bring the 1st
and 4th Australian Divisions forward of AVESNES and will extend
the 2nd, 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions in that order westward
to BOHAIN - BUSIGNY. Divisions are coming up from the rear area
by Brigade Groups at the slow rate of six trains per day, which
requires about four days for each division to move. The movement
commenced on the 21st instant. The 1st and 4th Australian
Divisions are moving slowly eastward, a Brigade Group a day. The
billeting is very good. 

It is proposed to move Army Headquarters on the 26th ^or 28^th inst
from AVESNES to HAM-sur-HEURE, south of CHARLEROI. AVESNES will
then be available for Corps Headquarters and will be a very suitabl
Headquarters. Later the Army proposes to move from HAM further
to the east and suggested that we should follow them to HAM which
 

- 2 -
is, I understand, one of the best Headquarters to be found about.
If you would care to go into detail of the movement before
my return Milligan can give you full particulars.
Attitude of Troops. Following upon the decision of G.H.Q. that our
troops were not to go in at once to GERMANY General RAWLINSON spoke
to me. I said the men would certainly loyally abide by it although
they would be disappointed. I wrote to him the same day and a caopy
of the letter is attached.
In discussing the matter with Divisional Commanders and with
more junior officers I find very mixed feelings prevail with regard to
going into GERMANY. I should say that at present the predominant
interest in the minds of the men is when are they going to get back to
Australia. There appears to be a very decided desire on the part of
many to complete the job by setting foot on German soil, but there
appears to be very little desire to remain any length of time in
Germany. However, I shall be able to give you my impressions on this
personally much better than by writing them at present.
3.  ARMY COMMANDER.
The Army Commander desires that you should ring him up early
after your return. From a conversation with him I have gathered the
impression that he received hints of possible changes at an Army
Commanders' Meeting and is very interested to know what is going
forward. The attitude of the Army Commander and of General MONTGOMERY
through all our recent difficulties-which have only been of a minor
nature-has been ^one of the same extraordinary spirit of consideration
which has characterised them in ^all their dealings with us, and they both
seem particularly anxious to ensure that the men should be given as
much freedom as possible and should be kept interestee as interested
as conditions will permit while in BELGIUM and GERMANY.
TA Blamey
Brigadier-General,
General Staff
Australian Corps. 

Fifth Army
For General Birdwood aaa
Conference with Divisional and
Brigade Commanders Tuesday
1400 aaa please come lunch
aaa General Monash
Austr. Corps.
A.D.C.39.
24/11/18
12.40pm.