E-text prepared by Brian Coe, Moti Ben-Ari,
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
()
from page images generously made available by
Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries
(https://archive.org/details/toronto)
| Note: | Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See https://archive.org/details/australianvictor00mona |
The Australian Victoriesin France in 1918
Lieut.-General Sir John Monash, G.C.M.G.,K.C.B., V.D., D.C.L., LL.D.
The Australian Victories in France in 1918
By
Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash,
G.C.M.G., K.C.B., V.D., D.C.L., LL.D.
WITH 9 FOLDING MAPS IN COLOUR
AND 31 ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON: HUTCHINSON & CO.
PATERNOSTER ROW
to the
AUSTRALIAN SOLDIER
who by his military virtues, and by his deeds
in battle, has earned for himself a
place in history which none
can challenge
PREFACE
The following pages, of which I began the compilation when stillengaged in the arduous work of Repatriation of the Australian troopsin all theatres of war, were intended to be something in the natureof a consecutive and comprehensive story of the Australian ImperialForce in France during the closing phases of the Great War. I soonfound that the time at my disposal was far too limited to allow meto make full use of the very voluminous documentary material whichI had collected during the campaign. The realization of such aproject must await a time of greater leisure. So much as I have hadthe opportunity of setting down has, therefore, inevitably taken theform rather of an individual memoir of this stirring period. While Ifeel obliged to ask the indulgence of the reader for the personalcharacter of the present narrative, this may not be altogether a disadvantage.Having regard to the responsibilities which it fell tomy lot to bear, it may, indeed, be desirable that I should in all candourset down what was passing in my mind, and should attempt to describethe ever-changing external circumstances which operated to guide andform the judgments and decisions which it became my duty to makefrom day to day. It may be that hereafter my exercise of commandin the field and the manner in which I made use of