File:Bust of Sir John Monash.jpg

The sign says: Sir John Monash is widely considered one of the First World War's outstanding commanders. On the Western Front his innovative tactics, combined with extensive and meticulous preparation, met with great success.

Monash was born in West Melbourne in 1865. An exceptional student, he attended Scotch College and Melbourne University, gaining degrees in engineering, arts and law.

Monash saw citizen-soldiering as a way to advance in the world and gain recognition; he had joined the Melbourne University Company of the Victorian Rifles and in 1887 was commissioned in the North Melbourne Battery, Victorian Artillery. In 1908 he became a lieutenant colonel in the Australian Intelligence Corps, and later took command of the 13th Infantry Brigade.

By 1914 Monash had established himself as a leading civil engineer. In December he went off to war as commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade, AIF. Despite some criticism of his performance on Gallipoli, Monash was made brigadier general in July 1915. In France a year later he was promoted to major general and given command of the 3rd Division, whose first major battle was the successful action at Messines in July 1917.

In June 1918 Monash was given command of the Australian Corps. He planned and commanded the corps' first battle at Hamel on 4 July. Monash's own description was succinct: 'all over in ninety-three minutes... the perfection of teamwork'. Further successes followed, notably at Villers-Bretonneux and Amiens. On 12 August, in a unique gesture, King George V invested Monash in the field with the Knight Commander of the Bath award he had received in the New Year Honours List.

Immediately after the war, Monash was appointed Director-General of Repatriation and Demobilisation. In this position he initiated vocational training for soldiers awaiting repatriation and succeeded in bringing home 160,000 men in eight months.