THE DIRECTOR of the Saluting Monash Council says it is time to posthumously promote a legendary World War One commander.
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The group’s director Michael Headberry used Huntly’s commemorative Anzac Day service to outline the contribution that the Australia Corp’s General John Monash made to the war effort.
After the service, Mr Headberry said Sir Monash’s achievements and his work to introduce new warfare techniques that saved lives on the battlefield warranted an equal standings with contemporaries who had been promoted to the rank of field marshal.
“We’ve been soliciting letters and pledges of support, which has been remarkably successful,” he said.
“Five hundred RSL sub-branches throughout Australia, 140 Rotary Clubs, many military associations – some of which were represented here (at the Huntly service) today – prominent Victorians, the support goes on and on.
“I might add, many supporters are descendants of diggers.”
That effort included work out of Huntly, with local Lindsay Clay helping drive support in the wider region, Mr Headberry said.
Part of the reason Sir Monash had not received a promotion to field marshal during his career was because he was an outsider.
“His parents were German and Jewish,” Mr Headberry said
“He was not a regular army man. He was a volunteer who had remarkable success. It is recorded that there was some professional jealousy among the regular army that this volunteer was getting to a high rank.”
Mr Headberry said then-prime minister Billy Hughes also opposed a promotion.
“He was a very sharp politician and recognised that if Monash came back and entered politics it could be the end of him,” he said.
Country people earned Monash’s respect
During his Huntly service address, Mr Headberry said the area was symbolic of thousands of rural communities that contributed a disproportionate number of soldiers to the war effort.
“Country folk were often expert horseman and riflemen. They were imbued with a love of competitive sports and were used to the challenges and adversity the Australian climate imposes,” he said.
“These traits were well recognised by General Sir John Monash, who believed it helped explain why Australians made such formidable soldiers.”
Huntly and District Memorial Hall Committee president Keith Kelly said 45 per cent of eligible people from the area signed up for service in WW1.
“A lot of them did not come back, so theirs it is a great tribute for us to honour,” he said.
Related: Your local guide to Anzac Day
Mr Kelly said many of those in Huntly were young men at the time, which helped drive enlistment.
“At that stage there was not much work around, and that probably helped a bit,” he said.
“But they were also very loyal to the king. Because they were a way away from England they felt a bit more towards the royal family than we do now.”
The Saluting Monash Council was pushing for Sir Monash’s promotion to field marshal by November 11, 2018. That date marked the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One.