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| General Sir John Monash, 1865–1931 |
[Editor's Note: If you are not familiar with General Monash's military achievements, see our article about him HERE.]
1. His parents were immigrant German Jews from Krotoshin in Prussia, an area that is in modern-day Poland.
2. As an engineer, he revolutionized construction in Australia by the introduction of reinforced concrete technology and later led the electrification effort for much of the nation.
3. He once met the notorious Ned Kelly, held his horse, and received a shilling from Ned for the service .
4. A prodigy pianist, Monash gave public recitals throughout his life.
5. Despite being a polymath and gifted linguist, he failed his first year at university.
6. Yet, by the time he "formally" graduated, Monash was already working as an experienced engineer.
7. While supervising the construction of a suburban rail in Melbourne, he had a torrid affair with an employee's wife and was knocked silly by said employee when he tried to escape with the lady and her son. (The son would serve under Monash’s command in WWI)
8. Prewar, Monash onetime excelled in a military exercise witnessed by future Gallipoli commander Ian Hamilton and Lord Kitchener.
9. At Gallipoli he played a major role in the May 1915 ill-fated attack on Baby 700, whichs temporarily damaged his reputation.
10. During the Gallipoli campaign, and later as the AIF was redeploying to Europe, he was subject to whispering campaigns that he had been relieved of his command and was suspected of passing messages in German to the Turks and, subsequently, that—being of German ancestry—he was unsuitable to command troops facing German forces.
11. In Europe, he became a proponent of "bite and hold" tactics, carefully planned and based on comprehensive mapping and intelligence.
12. His plan for the 7 June 1917 assault of his forces during the Battle of Messines was six inches thick. His force achieved all objectives in 45 minutes.
13. Australian war correspondents C.E.W. Bean and Keith Murdoch both actively lobbied against Monash's appointment as commander of the Australian Corps.
14. Monash’s return to Australia was not kind to him. Although he had been carrying on an affair with a London woman, the death of his wife in 1920 devastated him. On a political level, he was ostracized.
15. Nevertheless, his postwar days—up to his death in 1941—were filled with achievements too numerous to list. Today Monash's image appears on the back of the Australian 100-dollar note.
Source: Lessons in Leadership: The Life of Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD, Presentation by Rolfe Hartley, March 2013
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