The Australian Victories in France in 1918
London, Hutchinson & Co., 1920 [first edition].
Large octavo, viii, 352 pages plus 9 folding colour maps and 31 plates (after photographs by Captain G.H. Wilkins).
Dark blue cloth lettered and ruled in gilt on the spine; cloth lightly rubbed and a little marked; front endpaper slightly marked; free endpapers and first and last pages offset; edges of the frontispiece (loose at some stage) slightly creased, with a couple of minute sealed tears; minimal signs of age and use; an excellent copy.
A SIGNED PRESENTATION COPY, inscribed on the verso of the half-title 'To Lieut. L.W. Avery | In remembrance of the days of a great comradeship. | John Monash | Lieut. General | Nov. / 1925'. The recipient has later written in a neat hand below the inscription 'Died 8th October 1931'. General Sir John Monash (1865-1931), soldier, engineer and administrator; it's not a question of where to begin, but how to keep it short ... 'In May 1918, Monash was appointed corps commander of the Australian forces, and in that year he led some significant attacks by Australian troops in the final stages of the war. Monash's troops were involved in helping to stem the March German offensive. But it was during the battle at Hamel that Monash really secured his reputation. Monash's skilful planning and attention to detail resulted in a triumphant attack and capture of the town by Australian and American troops. This was the beginning of a series of successful campaigns by Australians that continued until their last battle in October' (Australian War Memorial website). 'Military historians have acclaimed [the battle at Hamel] as "the first modern battle", "the perfect battle".... As a general, Monash had the first essential qualities, the capacity to bear great strain and to make quick and clear decisions. His sheer intellect, breadth of grasp, his articulateness especially, together with his forceful personality, induced respect and confidence among his juniors. He worked closely with his staff, extracting the best from them ... He developed the practice of conferences of senior officers, not merely to cover a mass of detail, but to facilitate knowledge of what was expected right down the line. He held the view that warfare was essentially a problem in engineering, of mobilizing resources, like the conduct of a large industrial undertaking; in 1918 the men in the line knew that all was right behind them. He eagerly made use of the most recent innovations. He took the view that an energetic offensive policy, "feeding the troops on victory", was the short way to end the slaughter and misery. He was of the new scientific breed of generals, did not attempt to hob-nob with the troops and seek their popularity, and so was often criticized by the traditional "inspirational" school of thought. His chief weaknesses were his status-hunger, craving for publicity and honours, and his habit of exaggerating his men's and his own achievements.... From early August [1919] in about a month - another amazing feat - he wrote "The Australian Victories in France in 1918"; it was propaganda, but not far off the truth.... In the 1920s Monash was broadly accepted, not just in Victoria, as the greatest living Australian. The soldiers had to have a representative hero who was a volunteer; he was acceptable to the community as a seemingly unpretentious outsider, not really part of the Establishment. His commanding intellect was sensed as well as his basic honesty and decency. He was one tall poppy who was never cut down. His knowledge ranged extraordinarily widely, but was neither very profound nor original. He achieved greatness essentially as an administrator, by cultivating to a super-pitch of excellence the ordinary qualities such as memory, concentration, stability and common sense, allied with temperamental capacity to work harmoniously with colleagues. He had the gift of being able instantaneously to turn from one task to the next. He was a great teacher, supremely articulate, "the greatest advocate I ever listened to" said Sir Robert Menzies. No one in Australia's history, perhaps, crammed more effective work into a life; but, he said, work was the best thing in life.... From 1927 Monash was troubled with high blood-pressure. With his eyes open he continued to work. Early in 1930 the Scullin government briefly considered him as a possible governor-general. In 1930-31 he rebuffed sporadic attempts to persuade him to lead a right-wing political movement. Early in 1931 he enjoyed representing the Australian government at the durbar for the opening of New Delhi. By August his health had markedly deteriorated and he died of coronary vascular disease at Iona [the family home] on 8 October. His state funeral, with crowds of at least 250,000, was probably the largest in Australia to that time; he was buried in Brighton cemetery with Jewish rites' ('Australian Dictionary of Biography'). Loosely inserted in the book is a fine sepia-toned studio portrait photograph (154 × 102 mm) of Monash, with the triangular paper stamp of the photographer on the verso ('Hilwood | late S. Langfier | 34, 36 Oxford St. | London W.1.'); we suggest it dates from 1918. The image is inscribed and signed in white ink 'John Monash | Lieut. General'; apart from light wear to the corner tips, and a tiny crease to the top left-hand corner, it is in excellent condition, and possibly accompanied the book as a gift. The recipient, Louis Willyama Avery (1891-1980) was working as an engineer in his home town of Broken Hill when he enlisted in August 1914 as 55 Sapper L.W. Avery, 3rd Field Company Engineers. He embarked on 22 September 1914, landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, was awarded the MM in France in October 1917, and was promoted to lieutenant in June 1918. He embarked for Australia on 13 October 1918 on 'Special Leave 1914', which was granted to men who enlisted in 1914 and had served at least four years overseas. A copy of Avery's diary of his war years is available online in the State Library of South Australia's Digital Collection, and sections of it have been incorporated in a well-illustrated presentation on the website of the History Trust of South Australia. Also loosely inserted is a typed letter signed by Monash, dated 10 August 1931 on his personal letterhead, addressed to Avery at the Melbourne office of the Silverton Tramway Company Limited (Avery's father had been the general manager of the company in Broken Hill in 1914 when he enlisted). 'My dear Avery, I would like you to know how very much I appreciate your personal kindness and that of your Board in extending to me so cordial an invitation to accompany them in September on that interesting round trip to Broken Hill. I am so sorry to tell you, however, that, quite apart from the exigencies of my public office, which make it very difficult for me to get away from my duties, even for a week, without elaborate procedures, including Orders-in-Council and Gazette notices and the like, - the state of my health is at the moment such that I am quite sure my medical adviser would not countenance the stress of so long a journey, even though I know well how comfortable that would be made for me. I am told that I must go very slow for a time, and avoid every form of physical stress or effort, taking things as quietly as possible, until the trouble with which I am threatened clears up'. As fate would have it, Monash died less than two months later. Three ephemeral items are offered with this material: a printed Christmas card 'From Lieut.-General Sir John Monash | Iona, | Toorak' (undated and uninscribed); a pictorial 'Supplement to "Table Talk", October 15, 1931' featuring 'The late General Sir John Monash', published a week after his death; and a newspaper clipping of a poem by C.J. Dennis, 'Vale, John Monash', which appeared on the front page of the Melbourne 'Herald' on 8 October 1931. Altogether, a peerless addition to any collection of Australian military history ... Dornbusch 331; Fielding and O'Neill, page 251; Trigellis-Smith 183. [6 items].
Item #139950
Price (AUD):
$9,900.00