Scotch College

Where Monash once strode

Stepping out where Monash once strode - 2001 tour

'There is no spot on the whole of the tortured soil of France which is more associated with Australian history and the triumph of Australian soldiers, than Villers-Bretonneux.'

After World War I, Sir John Monash, arguably Scotch's most illustrious son, used those words to describe a small town in northern France, scene of a costly but wonderfully courageous Australian victory in the dark days of the Great War.

In 2001, as part of Celebration 150 - marking Scotch's sesquicentenary - a group of Scotch students and teachers will visit Villers-Bretonneux, Amiens, Vimy Ridge, Ypres and Lille - names forever vividly etched in Australian military history. In this 16-day tour - the history excursion to end them all - the group will also visit Gallipoli, and make brief stops in Paris and London.

Sir John Monash, Dux of Scotch College in 1881, served at Gallipoli and was later appointed Commanding Officer on the notorious Western Front. For his brilliance as a military tactician and leader, he was knighted at Villers-Bretonneux.

Back home, in 1920 he was the obvious choice to lay the foundation stone of the new Scotch College Memorial Hall.

What is so significant about this little French town? There must be reasons why locals still say 'N'oublions jamais l'Australie' - 'Never forget Australia' - and why streets have names like 'Rue de Melbourne' and 'Rue de Victoria'.

In 1918, the German army launched its last great offensive of the war, with the ultimate aim of capturing the Channel ports and disrupting the British supply lines. One of the targets along the way was to capture Villers-Bretonneux.

The Australian and British troops, under the command of General Monash, fought valiantly to defend Villers-Bretonneux, and won the first battle, early in April 1918. But later in the month a German tank attack succeeded in capturing the town.

An heroic attack by Australian troops of the 49th and 51st Battalions and the 13th and 15th Brigades, together with British troops, liberated Villers-Bretonneux on the significant date of 25 April, and the allied troops poured into the town. Thanks to Monash and his redoubtable men, the German offensive had broken down, but Australian casualties totalled 3,038.

The bravery and spirit of the Australian troops in the assault on Villers-Bretonneux were summed up in a German historian's account of the event: 'All round one can hear only loud (Australian) cheering ... With great uproar they sweep through the night ...'

In 1920, the City of Melbourne 'adopted' Villers-Bretonneux, to honour the memory of the Australians who fought and died so valiantly, in a locality that would have been unknown to them just a few years earlier. Funds were raised in Australia to help rebuild the devastated town, and a school was built with money raised partly by Victorian schoolchildren.

And so, in April 2001, 83 years almost to the day after the famous victory, a new generation of young Australians - not much younger than many of the diggers of 1918 - will once more 'capture' Villers-Bretonneux, and other World War I battlefields.

Dr Mark Johnston, Head of History at Scotch, says the tour is designed for students who are "genuinely interested in visiting places of enduring significance to Scotch and the nation". Dr Johnston, a well-known military historian, and long-time Scotch history teacher, Mr Bruce Brown are planning the epic journey. Scotch history students have already participated in three very successful overseas tours organised by Mr Brown.

An information evening is planned for Thursday 28 October, and any Scotch history student or parent interested in attending the evening function is invited to contact Dr Johnston or Mr Brown on 9810 4322.

The tour is a very significant part of the Scotch 150 celebrations, and the memories of it will undoubtedly be lifetime ones for all those who participate.

In a new century, the links between those far-away battlefields and Scotch College will once more be strengthened, as they were in the days of Monash.