The 93 Minutes that shortened WWI by 18 Months

Australian General Sir John Monash is arguably one of Australia’s greatest soldiers from World War One. The British High Command was so impressed with Monash they gave him command of the Australian Army Corps in France. What he did next shocked the world and has had long-lasting effects on all the world’s militaries.

British forces were virtually at a stalemate in France against the Germans. Monash employed his definitive engineering skills and formulated a plan to break the deadlock in Le Hamel by using an all-arms combat assault on the Germans – a first in the four-year war. The result shortened World War 1 by around 18 months saving the lives of thousands of soldiers on both sides.

Former Lieutenant Colonel Christopher J. Holcroft OAM RFD JP (Ret), will give his presentation at the Liverpool Regional Museum on Saturday 16th November at 11 am on how General Sir John Monash changed the art of warfare forever in just 93 minutes.

LTCOL Holcroft is a former Army Reservist who served more than 43 years in the Army. He was deployed to East Timor (now Timor Leste) and Iraq as Australia’s Senior Military Public Affairs Officer in the region. He has served in most major Australian military headquarters including Headquarters Australian Theatre (now Joint Operations Command), Headquarters Land Command, Headquarters Forces Command, Maritime Headquarters, Air Force Headquarters and Headquarters Second Division.

He has written and published seven books, three for Young Adults, three for Adults and one unpublished in the editing process. LTCOL Holcroft received the Medal to the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2023 Australia Day Honours and Awards for his service to Youth and the Community.

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General Sir John Monash (Australian War Memorial Accession Number: ART02986)