Sir John Monash (1865-1931) was an outstanding Australian soldier, engineer, and administrator.

On June 27, 1865, John Monash was born at West Melbourne, Victoria, the only son of Louis Monash and his wife Berthe, née Manasse, Jewish migrants from East Prussia (Poland). After schooling at Jerilderie, New South Wales, where his father kept a store, John attended Scotch College, Melbourne, of which he was equal dux (equalled the highest marks made by others in his courses) and won the mathematics exhibition at the 1881 public examinations.

Monash failed the first year of his arts and engineering course at the University of Melbourne, being engrossed in private reading, the theater, and loss of religious faith. He then completed two years, though preoccupied with editing the Melbourne University Review, piano performances, and chess. But, deeply distressed by his mother's death, he abandoned his course in 1885. He obtained employment building bridges, then...