John Charles Hoad KCMG (1856 - 1911)

Born 25 Jan 1856 in Goulburn, New South Wales (Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Sarah Denniston (Brown) Hoad — married 1881 in Wangaratta, Victoria (Australia)

Died 6 Oct 1911 at age 55 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

John Hoad KCMG is Notable.

Major General Sir John Hoad KCMG was an Australian military leader in the early twentieth century, best known as the Australian Army's second Chief of the General Staff. He was Australia's first 'home-grown' Army general.

Formative years

Born John Charles Hoad on 25th January 1856 in Goulburn, New South Wales (Australia), he was the eldest of three sons of Sussex-born George Hoad and Catherine Kearney, from Tipperary, Ireland. ^[1] John's father married a second time, to Hannah Vick in 1863 in Albury, New South Wales, ^[2] after which the family appear to have moved to Victoria. John was a talented athlete, excellent horseman, Australian rules footballer and cricketer. ^[3]

Teaching career

On 1st January 1878, John entered the Victorian Education Department as a teacher at Gooramadda State School and by the September he was an assistant at Wangaratta School. In April 1881 he became head teacher at Wangaratta North School.

Marriage and family

John married young widow, Sarah Sennett née Brown in Wangaratta, Victoria on 22nd December 1881. ^[4] They had a daughter, who died as a child, and two sons:

1. George Aubrey Denniston Hoad (1884-)
2. Brigadier Oswald Vick Hoad (1888-1963)
3. Dorothy Carol Margaret Hoad (1892-1900)

A different discipline

By 1886, John traded being an educator to joining the permanent Victorian Military Force. On 4th June 1886, John was appointed adjutant of the (permanent) Victorian Mounted Rifles, and through his aptitude, was quickly promoted to Captain, and then Major, within two years. In October 1889 he was seconded to England to study signalling, military engineering and musketry for two years, before returning to Victoria to be appointed second in command of the Victorian Mounted Rifles. An astute and capable commander, by 1895 he had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, as well as becoming the first Australian-born Assistant Adjutant General at Victorian Military Headquarters. Once more sent to England in 1897, he was appointed to the personal staff of Lord Roberts and the Duke of Connaught for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. ^[3]

Second Boer War

John Hoad KCMG is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Second Boer War 1899-1901
assistant adjutant general

After the celebrations and as he was in the process of returning to Victoria, he was seconded to South Africa as a special service officer on promotion to Colonel and saw service from the outbreak of the Second Boer War. ^[5] In November 1899, he was given command of the Australian Regiment, a joint-colonial unit which contained troops from Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. In April 1900, the regiment was merged with the 1st Mounted Infantry Brigade under Edward Hutton, and John was appointed Assistant Adjutant General. For his services in the Boer War, he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), ^[6] awarded the Queen's South Africa Medal, and Mentioned in Despatches (equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry). ^[3]

Between 1902 and 1906 John served as aide-de-camp to the Governor General of Australia. From November 1903 to January 1904 he was temporarily commander of the 6th Military District (Tasmania).

Russo-Japanese War

Hutton, now Chief of the General Staff, sent John to Manchuria on attachment to the Imperial Japanese Army. Along with other Western military attachés, John had two complementary missions: to assist the Japanese, and; to observe the Japanese forces in the field during the Russo-Japanese War. For this service, he received the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, which represents the third highest of eight classes associated with this award. His participation in the war was also recognised with a presentation of the Japanese War Medal. He was subsequently promoted Brigadier General. ^[3]

First Australian-born Major General

In January 1907, while serving on the Military Board as Inspector General, John was promoted to Major General. Then Secretary for Defence, Sir George Pearce, appointed him Chief of the General Staff in July 1909. He met Lord Kitchener in Darwin in the December to discuss Australia's land defences, and joined him for a two-month-long tour of inspection of the whole country. By 1911 he had begun planning for the introduction of Australian universal military training, but with failing health, took sick leave on 1st June that year. ^[3]

John was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) upon the occasion of the coronation of King George V on 22nd June 1911, ^[7] however, passed away of a heart disorder on 6th October that year in Melbourne, Victoria; still aged just 55 years. ^[8] He was survived by Sarah, who passed in 1938.

Honours and Awards

• Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
• Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
• Mentioned in Despatches
• Queen's South Africa Medal
• Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
• Japanese War Medal

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #1299/1856 V18561299 155
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #1253/1863
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Wikipedia profile: John Hoad; accessed 16 Jun 2018
4. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #4865/1881
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial nominal roll: Colonel John Hoad; accessed 16 Jun 2018
6. ↑ Australian Honours: CMG; accessed 10 Apr 2020
7. ↑ Australian Honours: KCMG; accessed 10 Apr 2020
8. ↑ Victoria Death Index #11468/1911