Editing John Monash (section)

== Early life ==
[[File:John Monash 3 years old (1868) - Davies & Co., Photographers, Melbourne (12199143986).jpg|thumb|left|Portrait Monash aged 3, Melbourne, 1868]]
[[File:John Monash as a boy.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Monash as a teenager]]

Monash was born in 58 Dudley Street,<ref name=DAB>{{Dictionary of Australian Biography |First=General Sir John |Last=Monash |shortlink=0-dict-biogMa-Mo.html#monash1 |access-date=12 March 2011}}</ref> [[West Melbourne, Victoria]],<ref>Cecil Edwards "John Monash" (State Electricity Commission of Victoria, 1970), page 3. In the 1970s, the house was offices of a brewing company. Since the 1980s, the house has been a brothel called "The Main Course."</ref> to [[Jewish]] parents, both from [[Krotoschin]] in the [[Prussia]]n province of [[Province of Posen|Posen]] (now [[Krotoszyn County|Krotoszyn, Poland]]). His birth certificate records his date of birth as 23 June 1865, but that is probably a mistake, because he was almost certainly born on 27 June.<ref>Cecil Ewards, op. cit. p. 5.</ref> He was the first child of Louis Monash and his wife Bertha, née Manasse, who had arrived in Melbourne on the ''Empire of Peace'' on 5 June 1864.<ref name=ADB>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |last= Serle |first= Geoffrey |author-link= Geoffrey Serle |year= 1986 |id=A100533b |title= Monash, Sir John (1865–1931) |access-date= 12 March 2011}}</ref>  The family name was originally spelt ''Monasch'' and was pronounced with the emphasis on the second syllable.<ref>{{harvnb|Serle|1982|p=1}}</ref>

The young family soon relocated from Dudley Street to larger premises on nearby Victoria Parade, before moving to a third rental property in Church Street, [[Richmond, Victoria|Richmond]]. In 1873, Bertha received a large inheritance from her mother, with which she purchased two houses, a large one in Yarra Street, [[Hawthorn, Victoria|Hawthorn]], and a smaller one in Clifton Street, Richmond. The family resided in the smaller one and rented-out the larger one.<ref>Cecil Edwards, ibid.</ref> The young John was sent to St Stephen's School on Docker's Hill in Richmond, and was remembered as a bright and alert schoolboy, with a special interest in English, some skill in drawing, a keen sense of fun, and no interest whatsoever in organised sport. At home his mother taught him piano, and encouraged him to read to her in English, French and German.<ref>Cecil Edwards, op. cit. p. 6.</ref> The family spoke German as their [[native language]].<ref>{{Cite ODNB |author=Bridge, Carl |title=Monash, Sir John (1865–1931) |year=2004 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/35060 |access-date=28 November 2008 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/35060}}</ref> As might be expected from a man brought up by cultivated German parents who had arrived in Australia barely two years before John's birth, Monash spoke, read, and wrote German fluently. However, from 1914 until his death, he had good reason not to attract attention to his German background.<ref>{{harvnb|Serle|1982|pp=7–8, 193}}</ref>

In 1874, the family moved to the small town of [[Jerilderie]], in the [[Riverina]] region of [[New South Wales]], where his father ran a store. Monash later claimed to have met the [[bushranger]] [[Ned Kelly]] during the Kelly gang's raid there in 1879.<ref>{{harvnb|Pedersen|1985|p=8}}</ref> Monash attended the state school where his intelligence was recognised. The family was advised to move back to Melbourne to let John reach his full potential, which they did in 1877. Although his parents had largely abandoned religious practice, Monash celebrated his [[Bar and bat mitzvah|Bar Mitzvah]] at the [[East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation]] and sang in its choir. He was educated under [[Alexander Morrison (headmaster)|Alexander Morrison]] at [[Scotch College, Melbourne]], where he passed the matriculation examination when only 14 years of age.<ref name=ADB /> At age 16, he was [[Dux#Post-Roman uses|dux]] of the school.<ref name=DAB /> He graduated from the [[University of Melbourne]]: a Master of Engineering in 1893; a [[Bachelor of Arts]] and [[Bachelor of Laws]] in 1895,<ref name=DAB /> and a [[Doctor of Engineering]] in 1921.<ref>{{harvnb|Hetherington|1983|p=156}}</ref>

On 8 April 1891, Monash married Hannah Victoria Moss (1871–1920), and their only child, Bertha, was born in 1893. Monash had previously engaged in an affair with Annie Gabriel, the wife of one of his colleagues, which ended as an active matter after his conscious choice of 'Vic' for marriage (though communication continued many years afterwards).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/defence/passions-of-a-warrior/news-story/6b005f7947aaa345a5ac43ef0274c5a5|title=Passions of a warrior|date=10 November 2008|access-date=28 February 2017}}</ref> He worked as a [[civil engineer]], and played a major role in introducing [[reinforced concrete]] to Australian engineering practice. He initially worked for private contractors on bridge and railway construction, and as their advocate in contract arbitrations. Following a period with the [[Melbourne Harbor Trust]], in 1894 he entered into partnership with [[Joshua Thomas Noble Anderson|J. T. N. Anderson]] as consultants and contractors. When the partnership was dissolved in 1905 he joined with the builder [[David Mitchell (builder)|David Mitchell]] and industrial chemist John Gibson to form the Reinforced Concrete & Monier Pipe Construction Co, and in 1906 with them and businessmen from [[South Australia]], to form the S. A. Reinforced Concrete Co.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aholgate/jm/mainpages/jmcareer.html |title=Monash's Engineering Career prior to WW1 |author1=Alan Holgate |author2=Geoff Taplin |author3=Lesley Alves |work=John Monash—Engineering enterprise prior to WW1 |publisher=Alan Holgate |access-date=15 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010150542/http://home.vicnet.net.au/~aholgate/jm/mainpages/jmcareer.html |archive-date=10 October 2008 }}</ref> He took a leading part in his profession and became president of the [[Victorian Institute of Engineers]] and a member of the [[Institution of Civil Engineers]], London.<ref name=DAB />

Monash joined the university company of the [[Australian Army Reserve|militia]] in 1884, and he became a lieutenant in the North Melbourne battery on 5 April 1887.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7868416/278973 |title=6 April 1887|newspaper=The Argus |date=6 April 1887 |access-date=30 March 2020 |page=7 }}</ref> He was promoted to captain in 1895 and in April 1897 was promoted to major and given command of the battery.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/193697321/18497741|title=News of the Day|newspaper=The Age |date=12 April 1897 |access-date=30 March 2020 |page=5 }}</ref> On 7 March 1908, he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in the intelligence corps.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/232520393/24985752|title=Military Forces of the Commonwealth – Promotions|newspaper=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette |issue=15 |date=28 March 1908 |access-date=30 March 2020 |page=645 }}</ref> He was given command of the [[13th Brigade (Australia)|13th Infantry Brigade]] in 1912,<ref name=DAB /> and was promoted colonel on 1 July 1913.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/232470283/25001267|title=Military Forces of the Commonwealth – Appointments, Promotions, etc.|newspaper=Commonwealth of Australia Gazette |issue=62 |date=6 September 1913 |access-date=30 March 2020 |page=2609 }}</ref>