Monash: The Outsider Who Won a War

by Roland Perry

s/t: A Biography of Australia's Greatest Military Commander

Genres: Biography, History, Australia, War, Nonfiction, Military History, World War I

586 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Professor Roland Perry (born 11 October 1946) is a Melbourne-based author best known for his books on history, especially Australia in the two world wars. His Monash: The Outsider Who Won The War, won the Fellowship of Australian Writers' 'Melbourne University Publishing Award' in 2004. The judges described it as 'a model of the biographer's art. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 2011, Perry was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia 'for services to literature as an author.In October 2011, Monash University awarded Perry a Fellowship for 'high achievement as a writer, author, film producer and journalist.His sports books include biographies of Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller and Shane Warne. Perry has written on espionage, specialising in the British Cambridge Ring of Russian agents. He has also published three works of fiction and produced more than 20 documentary films. Perry has been a member of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council since 2006.

In late 2012 Perry accepted an adjunct appointment at Monash University as a Professor, with the title ‘Writer-in-Residence’ in the University’s Arts Faculty.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a birthday present from my parents. A good read, and every Aussie should read up a bit about Monash, he was one of those giants of our history. There are two reasons this book doesn't score higher. Firstly, it is not well edited and can be confusing in places and sometimes simple things are wrong, such as the rank of characters in the book being wrong in the timeline, and other simple mistakes. More importantly though, the book is very one eyed about Monash. There were other leaders on the Western Front that were also starting to fight a different war and who had learned from the hard years in the trenches. The Canadian, New Zealand and English at least all had leaders that did well at the same time as Monash. Having said that, I take nothing away from Monash and highly recommend this book.

[Anna Ciddor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened on audio. This was written in such an interesting way it kept my attention through a mammoth 21 cds! Went into lots of detail from his boyhood to his death. An incredible achiever.

[Thursday coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apart from the length (which I feel was probably necessary given the subject matter) this detailed understanding of Monash’s life was very good. A highly interesting 600+ pages. I was particularly fascinated with Monash’s logistics, ethics, and tactics in war. I also very much appreciated the dismemberment of British ego.


4/5

[Ron Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monash: The Outsider Who Won a War

I read Geoffrey Serle’s biography back in the early 1980s. It was one of the most impressive biographies that I have read. In my school days I was a devotee of English historians AJP Taylor. I remember him making passing remarks about Monash’s achievements. “… The only general of creative originality produced in the first world war…” My interest in Monash was stimulated by some comments made by a panel of historians discussing WW1 on Radio National in April. They were slightly dismissive of his contribution to the ending of WW1.
Monash: The Outsider Who Won a War is certainly a tome. At first I was worried that it would be a hagiography and the extensive retelling of actual conversation was a bit worrying in a book written by an academic with the standing of Roland Perry. As I later discovered Monash was a prolific writer and Perry did have access to King George’s personal diaries.
I would recommend this book for anyone wanting to find out more about Australia’s contribution to the war effort in 1914-18.
At time I do think Perry is sweeping and exaggerating Monash’s achievements. I don’t believe he was Australia’s Napoleon. He was far too much of a decent human to be anything like the French autocrat.
What this book did reaffirm for me is that every male Murdoch who has inhabited this planet is a ego driven wanker and much the same can be said about Billy Hughes.
Sir John must have had a strong sexual drive, he certainly enjoyed the occasional peccadillo
We don’t have many heroes in our Australian history but Monash is certainly up there with the bravest and most honourable.
I enjoyed the ending of the book where Perry wrote about what happened to many of the individual who were mentioned in the text.
A lengthy well researched account of a truly great Australian.

[Michael Beashel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too often we read about the British generals in the Great War. Wilson, Gough, Haig and Rawlinson et alia. Enter centre stage an Australian militia trained Engineer-lawyer soldier. Haig said that Monash arrived too late and if he had been on the scene in 1915, the war could very well have been shortened. Monash's engineering skills planed all assaults down the details and gave all his commanders instructions. On of his battles was over in the length of time to see a movie.

The anti Semites were about in that time and wanted him pushed into the background but Monash's abilities kept him in the front row. A flawed man in many respects but his job was to reduce casualties and win battles. That he did with aplomb.

[Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has personally filled a rather large hole in my understanding of a very important man in Australian History. Sir John Monash accomplished great things for our country and his actions played not just a pivotal role in winning the war, but reducing the number of Australian causulties as he challenged the then British methods of war which often treated soldiers as fodder. The underdog who had a major impact on the course of history. I very much enjoyed the book, although I did sometimes get lost amongst the names of places and battles, but perhaps that says more about me than the author! I would recommend this book generally as an excellent book on an important man who all Australians should know.

[Trent Gilbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too Long, Too boring. That's how I will sum this book up. It's vey hard to get through a book like this that is so pedestrian. It's a shame, because he is a great, if not one of the greatest, modern Australians.

[John Kidman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful in every way. Thoroughly researched, as always, with Roland Perry. Found out many things I did not know and was totally engaged throughout the book. Was a terrific depiction of the times and nothing has really changed. Power of the press and politics.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of detail but I found it fascinating having a renewed interest in history, Australian history and the world wars. Every Australian should read this book and all WW1 historians as well!

[Benn Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating read that I couldn't put down. Made me very proud to be an Australian, and I'm not even Australian!

[Drew Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. If it was a film you wouldn’t believe the cast of characters let alone the plot!

[James Kell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant account of one of the finest Australians to have lived.

[Kev Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about a very famous Australian on the world stage whose achievements have almost been forgotten by Australians in general There is a University named after the general. Monash was the General Guderian of WWI who introduced new tactics which tended to overwhelm an enemy which had ben mired in trench warfare for three years. Until then both sides had continued the War of Attrition (Meatgrinder) tactics which had bene made out of date at the end of the American Civil War when machine guns were first introduced because they could think of nothing new. Fo such a great general and an Australian it seems he doesn't count either here or abroad. The German generals pre WWII certainly took note and based their first attacks on the tactics used by Monash.

[Gerrit Gmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book after getting Australian citizenship thinking that as an Aussie I ought to know who this “Monash guy” is who’s got universities, streets, hospitals and other things named after him.
An extraordinary character and a fantastic book to get to know him. I appreciate that the book does not focus solely on the war effort but goes in depth into his early life, his love life, as well as the thoughts that drove him. Having access to his journals and letters is a treasure.

I rate this 4 stars because of the fairly limited interest the character will have outside of Australia and perhaps the limited amount of wisdom applicable to your own life. Still, I’m glad I read this book, a lot of landmarks now make a lot more sense to me...

[David Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monash seems to have achieved success through a combination of privilege, personal ambition and simply turning up on time; which probably shouldn't be underestimated. He was able to apply a more systematic, coordinated approach to the reigning of death and destruction than those fuddy duddy British who were so stuck in the past man.

Given his training in engineering and project management, it's eerie how similar these skills seem to contemporary organisational practices outside of war.

[Matthew Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's far too long. Which is a shame because there's some great sections about the war and his brilliance.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and inspiring story of a somewhat forgotten hero of Australia. As a fellow engineer I could particularly relate and was inspired by Monash's story. Highly recommended.

[Michael Ransley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book if a great Australian that doesn’t gloss over his faults. Should be required school reading rather than some of the other questionable books that our students now read.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monash was a gifted guy - engineer, businessman, lawyer, lover of the arts, militia man than general and leader of the Australian Corps during WWI. He had a great capacity for work, planning, logic and coherent arguments based on fact and knowledge. So his life makes an interesting read.
He had a knack of knowing which battles he could win (not battles on the battlefield but those with his superiors and detractors) so he could focus on the bigger and bigger picture.
He became quite friendly with the King and other Royals which did help him influence those English Generals who were stuck in their ways. But didn't help him with his relationship with the Australian PM of the time or Keith Murdoch who was rising in the world with his sensationalism and seeking the power to influence.
Sad to see how the establishment in Australia ignored him as much as they could after WWI, partially because they feared his power and popularity and partially because he was a Jew.

[Hazel Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audio book as I walked around the oval daily. 'Going for a date with Sir John Monash'....was how I described it. Very impressed by the biographer Roland Perry's crafting of the meticulously strategic personality of the man Monash. Amused that his aim at one stage was to become a chancellor of Melbourne University. And so many of us have been to a university named after him; Monash University. Or live in a council named after him. On a day to day basis, he might have been annoyingly pedantic, but his engineering ideas were significant in building bridges, railways , military strategies and in problem solving techniques. Glad to know a little more about him as an innovator who kept trying despite various prejudices against him. Admired his persistent learning but his list of what he required in a wife was most telling.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful telling of the life of a great Australian. While Gallipoli may have been the birth of the Anzac tradition, it’s first great victories fighting as a single army cane through Monash’s brilliance as a military leader. He not only changed the direction of the first World War but clearly bought it to a much earlier end. I enjoyed the telling of the story of his early life as an engineer in Melbourne where he worked on many things we continue to enjoy today

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Monash was an amazingly talented man whose significant contribution to Australian history (& world war history) is probably underappreciated. I found it really interesting to learn about his pre-war professional background & how these career experiences shaped his approach toward warfare & man-management.

This book is well written & very comprehensive but at 546 dense pages maybe just a tad long.

[Phil Cousins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read about a great Australian.
Heavy going in parts with lots of detail. A good insight into the man from his early days through to the end.
I was surprised how he was treated by Billy Hughes and journalist Bean but not surprised with the treatment he received from Murdoch and that same trait has been passed down the line through all Murdoch’s

[Rick Forsyth]

Brilliant, captured the man and the many experiences in his life. The absolute appalling generalship by the English aristocracy, the racial bias he endured but was big enough to rise above it all.
A great read about a truly great Aussie.

[Andrew Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read and insight to an incredible man.
He was no Hugh Heffner but he wasn't the boy scout I had been led to believe. A few scandals in his life.
An amazing determination form a man who was so often overlooked because he was Australian born Jewish and German descent.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Yes it is very long but totally engrossing as a lesson in leadership and history.

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the finest biographies/histories I have ever read. It deserves to be read by all Australians & anyone interested in WWI.

[Mark Broadhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good bio, but more than a tad jingoistic.

[Tim Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched. Draws you in a largely draws a compelling picture of the man. Falls down in the descriptions of the battles and the lack of detail in diagrams.

[Rob Hamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* biography of a genuinely remarkable individual. The hero worshipping style of the author doesn’t do justice to Monash and his achievements.