General, Sir John Monash, Personal Files Book 23, 1 June - 23 September 1919- Part 5

RD            Tripl. — Foolscap.                         30-6-19

                     Draft

Minister for Defence.

Enquiries have been initiated regarding the alleged _^reported trouble at Weymouth 

stated to be due to men of later date of enlistment having been embarked before 

those of earlier enlistment.

In the meantime, I have up once again issued instructions to

A.I.F. Depots in U.K., drawing attention to these _^such complaints, and directing that 

every effort is to _^be made to avoid any departure from the principle of repatriation 

by precedence of date of enlistment, so far as practicable _^same is applicable.

I should like to point out, however, that this principle - see my General

Instructions, _^no 3 — applies _^is applicable only within each Unit, and not throughout the A.I.F. _^taken as 

a whole. — Any attempt to apply it by treating the whole A.I.F. as one _^a single unit 

would have been quite impracticable, & would certainly have been broken down. 

A rough attempt approximation has, however, been made to _^this by treating each Division, for their 

purpose, as a Unit, — by arranging the personnel of the Division in a series 

of organized Quotas, — each Quota _^being composed of individuals selected in this 

_^due order of precedence from the precedence rolls of the Units composing the 

Division. — But _^even this process involves no guarantee that all the men of 

that Division will step on board in the _^strict order in which they enlisted. - This 

can be _^approximately ensured only in regards each _^separate Unit; & even then only if there are ^subject to a number 

of disturbing factors. -

Such disturbing factors are _^xxxxx numerous, some of them being as follows:-

(a) The necessity to modify the original size of a Quota in order to adapt 

it to the capacity of the ship

(b) Alterations, especially eleventh hour alterations - in the allotment of

troops to ships.-

(c) The necessity of excluding West Australians from certain ships, & collecting them to make up the load of certain other ships.

(d) The necessity to provide each ship with numerous "specialists", who must

often be selected from the readiest men available, irrespective of date, 

_^category. (e.g. education, medical, pay)

(e) The retention, at duty, of fully 20% of the whole A.I.F., for

Administration, & Demobilization, irrespective of any question of 

date e.g. Mechanical Transport, Signal Staff, Ordinance, Cooks, &c. &c. &c.

(f) the necessity to put on to family ships husbands to accompany wives,

without regard to their _^date priority in relation to other men without _^not accompanied by wives

(g) The disturbing factor _^effects of the scheme of 'Non-military Employment', which have the effect of ^must in 

to shuffling the _^many men into an different order of availability _^for ships different from their 

original order on the Unit Rolls. —

(h) The effect of promotions to N.C.O. rank, & the necessity to adapt a 

company, by ranks, to suit the available accommodation on the ship. —

(i) The actual sailing of ships in a different order of time from the order first 

announced by the Shipping Ministry, involving a change in the rotation of Quotas.

A very large number of complaints by _^the men, of being denied embarkation while other specified men of later enlistment have been embarked, have 

been investigated from time to time; & _^but it has rarely been disclosed that 

this was due to bad staff work at the Depots, or to other than quite unavoidable 

causes. — Indeed, quite frequently it has been shown that the it 

is due to the men's own default faults, or actions, such as making an 

application for N.M.E. & afterwards withdrawing it; or applying for a discharge 

& having it refused on account of insufficient grounds; or of asking 

for & obtaining special leave just prior to the compilation of his Quotas 

boat toll, &c. &c. — In the majority of cases, these complaints come from 

men necessarily retained at duty, such as _^Mechanical Transport, A.S.C., police, _^medical pay &c. &c.

In view of the very complex and _^mutually conflicting requirements of Demobilization, 

the principle of repatriation by date _^of enlistment originally laid down by 

the Prime Minister, can _^must be regarded as satisfactorily interpreted, if 

achieved on broad lines, such as the following: -

That substantially all men of the A.I.F. of any given year's enlistment, 

who are not required 'for duty', who are not married 'family men', and 

who are not recipients of special demobilization privileges,

shall have 

been embarked before all men enlisted in subsequent years. P I think 

it can be claimed that this procedure, very difficult and hazardous 

as it has been, has been carried out with _^substantial thoroughness & with astonishingly little friction 

or complaint, & that the number of individual cases in which mistakes 

have been made by junior staffs, when compiling boat rolls, have 

been, on the one hand _^in point of numbers very few, and on the other hand _^in point of time, scarcely 

not worthy of notice _^material, seeing that a delay of at most 2 or 3 weeks would should be 

involved to any given individual in who may have been incorrectly _^mistakenly 

omitted from a boat roll for which he was due.

                                                                               Lieut General

CHF/FB                                                2/7/19

NOTES OF COMPILATION OF HISTORY OF DEPARTMENT.

                  -------------------------------------------------------------

1. The Scheme provides for seven chapters, as shown 

   on the attached.

2. In the case of each Branch, an Officer is named as 

   being responsible for the compilation of the history of that 

   branch. He, of course, can sub-let any portions of the work to his Officers. In some cases, this "subletting" is indicated on the Scheme.

3. It is desired that the arrangement of the matter 

   should be on a chronological basis as far as possible.

4. The subheadings are merely intended as a guide. Branches can add to them as may be necessary.
5. All graphs, charts, tabulations, etc. are to take the 
   form of appendices, and are not to form an integral 
   part of a chapter.
6. It is desired that the chapters shall form a 
   complete record of the history of the respective branches, 
   but it is not desired that the volume should be too 
   bulky. Conciseness is therefore to be arrived at.
    

C H Foott

Brig.-General.

D/Director-General.

Repatriation & Demobilisation Dept, A.I.F.

1. 54 Victoria Street, London S.W.1.

2.7.19

 

Distribution

All Branches

Encl.

CHF/FB

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF REPATRIATION

AND DEMOBILISATION, A. I. F.

----------------------------------------------------------

SCHEME OF WORK.

CHAPTER 1.      Introduction (General Monash).

 

CHAPTER 11.     History (Generall Foott).

Previous Repatriation Branch of A.I.F.

Administrative H,Q.

Initiation of Department

 

Table of Branches.

Growth of Department.

Office Accommodation.

Liaison with H.Q, A.I.F, Administration,

H.Q, A.I.F & Depots in U.K.

Formation of Egypt Branch.

Gradual Extinction of Department.

1.D

CHAPTER III   Non Military Employment and Education

(General McNicol).

2.D.

CHAPTER IV.  Shipping and movements (General Wisdom)

Movements from France.

Movements from England to France.         

Outfitting of Ships.

Strikes and Labour Troubles.

Inspection of Transports.

Specifications for Transports.

.2.

3.D.

CHAPTER V.  Personnel and Statistical. (Colonel Hidley).

List of Officers.

Diagrams, Graphs & Statement of Numbers.

Demobilizable Personnel.

Remounts.

4.D.

CHAPTER VI.   Ordnance  (Lt. Rainbird)

Handling in of Unit Equipment in France

(Col. Tuckett).

Cadre System.

Post-bellum Army

Aircraft (Col. R. Williams).

Mechanical Transport (Col. Tunbridge)

Medical Veterinary Equipment.

5.D.

CHAPTER VII   Finance (Capt. Cocks.)

3. 7. 19

Dear Capt Tennelley

This is for your Gen Monash's

private eye.      
Yrs sincly.

 Alfred  Pritchard
DEPARTMENT OF OVERSEAS TRADE,

4. Queen Anne's Gate Buildings,

Queen Anne's Gate, S.W.1.

July 3rd 1919.

I was hoping to have had the chance of

meeting you not only on general grounds as always, 

but there was one little matter which I wanted to

mention to you privately and informally, and which'

I know you would not take as any intrusion of my

part.

You probably know of the Australian Officers

Club at 138. Piccadilly, which is now just being

wound up. The inception of the Club was due to Mrs.

R.L. Fenwick, who perhaps you know because she has

lived in Australia for a good part of her life, and

has always been interested in the Commonwealth matters.

I fancy that the Military Authorities would tell you

that they have found the Club of great use. I think,

to be confidential and candid, when they had anyone

particularly boisterous over here, who had to blow off

steam somewhere, they used to use the Club for the

the purpose so as to prevent anything happening in

public which would reflect on the Australian name, 

anyway I think it has really been rather a boon to 

a number of them. Now all the time Mrs Fenwick,

besides getting the Club up, has lived there, has

mingled with the officers who have been there and

helped to keep the place homely for them. Now that

it is being wound up, would it not be a good thing 

for a woman who has done as much as that without any 

idea of reward or anything of the kind, to have some 

appreciation shown her, say by being made a Dame of 

the British Empire Order.

As I say, this is not really my business, 

but you know me well enough to know that do not 

wish to be either impertinent or intrusive. It is 

of course for you to consider, and you may wish to 

corroborate what I have said in any case by consulting

the Military Authorities.

I hope there may be a chance of meeting

you and Mrs. Fisher again before long. I have,

have, however, been bound to work like a galley-slave

at the oar, at my desk early in the morning and not

leaving it till nightfall.

 Yours sincerely

 (signed) Arthur [[xxxxxxxx?]]

 

The Rt. Hon. Andrew Fisher.

Cable - & give me

a copy of cable sent

 er

Defence.

Inform Acting Minister and General White that Branch

Ordnance Branch of Demobanst now being closed down

and Colonel Leane with Staff _^will embark very soon aaa

Monash.                
Demobanst

Inform Leane of above - He may go at

earliest practicable

JM

3/7/19

6/7/19

HYMN OF PEACE.

O Thou, to whom all flesh must bow,

Who reignedst ere the world was made,

Who spak'st the word e'en then as now,

And all to Thee have homage paid!

 

Thou makest Prace in heavens high,

Thous planests harmony on earth;

Hushed is now the battle-cry,

And signing giveth place to mirth.

 

Rejoice all ye who live to hear

The voice of Peace again resound;

No more the sorrow, gone the fear;

The world itself again hath found.

 

O God! To Thee all praise be given,

Thou reignest in a world of peace;

The bands of strife at length are riven,

Thou spak'st, the clash of arms did cease.

 

Children of the earth, beware!

Guard the Peace now newly sown;

help to drive away the care,

Soothe the sorrow, still the moan.

 

And when all strife on earth is o'er,

When love in place of hate is given;

Then men on angels' wings shall soar,

And earth shall be the gate to Heaven.

HERMANN GOLLANCZ

1918.                       .