Alexander Jobson
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
Alexander Jobson DSO
(2 April 1875 – 7 November 1933) was an Australian Army
Brigadier General
in World War I
.
. He was educated in the public system and at the age of 14 he started working as a junior clerk with the Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP) in Melbourne. He studied accountancy
and qualified as an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries
and a Fellow of the Australian Corporation of Public Accountants. Jobson moved to Sydney in 1902 and became actuary
for an American firm. He established his own business as an accountant and actuary in 1906. From 1910 to 1916, he also wrote a financial column in the Sydney Sun
.
Jobson enlisted in the Scottish Rifles in August 1898 and was commissioned as a full lieutenant on 2 December 1899. He was promoted to captain on 29 August 1902. After moving to Sydney he joined the New South Wales Scottish Rifles with the rank of lieutenant on 1 January 1903 and was promoted to captain again on 1 July. He was promoted major on 13 September 1909. He transferred to the 25th Infantry on 1 July 1912 and on 1 July 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel; and appointed to command the 34th Infantry Regiment.
on 10 February 1916 with the rank of colonel and given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade. He was promoted to temporary brigadier general on 1 May 1916, shortly before departing Sydney. He arrived in London
via South Africa
and Dakar
on 11 July 1916. The brigade trained on Salisbury Plain
before moving to France
in November. The brigade entered the an area of the line known as "Nursery Sector" at Armentieres
on 26 November 1916.
Twice, during the absence of Major General Monash
in 1917, Jobson became acting commander of the 3rd Division
. His brigade was involved in a number of raids and Jobson was mentioned in dispatches
for his part. At the Battle of Messines
in June 1917, Jobson's planning and performance was excellent, but afterwards Jobson seemed badly affected by the stress of the situation. At a conference on 24 July 1917, Jobson appeared to be in an agitated state and Monash felt that his friend was becoming unstable.
Jobson relinquished command on 25 August 1917 and returned to Australia
where his appointment with the AIF was terminated on 9 December. Monash arranged for him to be again mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in the 1918 New Year's List.
After the war, Jobson held a number of company directorates, most notably director of AMP
in 1925 and Vice Chairman in 1932.
Jobson collapsed and died from a coronary occlusion
in King Street, Sydney
on 7 November 1933 and was cremated.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Alexander Jobson DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(2 April 1875 – 7 November 1933) was an Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Early life and career
Alexander Jobson was born on 2 April 1875 in Clunes, VictoriaClunes, Victoria
Clunes is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2006 census it had a population of 1,026.- History :...
. He was educated in the public system and at the age of 14 he started working as a junior clerk with the Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP) in Melbourne. He studied accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
and qualified as an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries
Institute of Actuaries
The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom . The Institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland...
and a Fellow of the Australian Corporation of Public Accountants. Jobson moved to Sydney in 1902 and became actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
for an American firm. He established his own business as an accountant and actuary in 1906. From 1910 to 1916, he also wrote a financial column in the Sydney Sun
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
.
Jobson enlisted in the Scottish Rifles in August 1898 and was commissioned as a full lieutenant on 2 December 1899. He was promoted to captain on 29 August 1902. After moving to Sydney he joined the New South Wales Scottish Rifles with the rank of lieutenant on 1 January 1903 and was promoted to captain again on 1 July. He was promoted major on 13 September 1909. He transferred to the 25th Infantry on 1 July 1912 and on 1 July 1913 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel; and appointed to command the 34th Infantry Regiment.
World War I
Jobson was appointed to the First Australian Imperial ForceFirst Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
on 10 February 1916 with the rank of colonel and given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade. He was promoted to temporary brigadier general on 1 May 1916, shortly before departing Sydney. He arrived in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
via South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
on 11 July 1916. The brigade trained on Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...
before moving to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in November. The brigade entered the an area of the line known as "Nursery Sector" at Armentieres
Armentières
Armentières is a commune in the Nord department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France. It is part of the Urban Community of Lille Métropole, and lies on the Belgian border, northwest of the city of Lille, on the right bank of the river Lys....
on 26 November 1916.
Twice, during the absence of Major General Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
in 1917, Jobson became acting commander of the 3rd Division
Australian 3rd Division (World War I)
The 3rd Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. Existing during various periods between 1916 and 1991, it is considered the "longest serving Australian Army division". It was first formed during World War I, as an infantry division of the Australian Imperial Force and saw service...
. His brigade was involved in a number of raids and Jobson was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
for his part. At the Battle of Messines
Battle of Messines
The Battle of Messines was a battle of the Western front of the First World War. It began on 7 June 1917 when the British Second Army under the command of General Herbert Plumer launched an offensive near the village of Mesen in West Flanders, Belgium...
in June 1917, Jobson's planning and performance was excellent, but afterwards Jobson seemed badly affected by the stress of the situation. At a conference on 24 July 1917, Jobson appeared to be in an agitated state and Monash felt that his friend was becoming unstable.
Jobson relinquished command on 25 August 1917 and returned to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where his appointment with the AIF was terminated on 9 December. Monash arranged for him to be again mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in the 1918 New Year's List.
Post war
In October 1918, Jobson was appointed to command the 2nd Battalion, 53rd Infantry Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel and honorary brigadier general. Failure in the field was apparently considered no bar to promotion and he was promoted to colonel in December 1919 and transferred to the Reserve of Officers in 1921.After the war, Jobson held a number of company directorates, most notably director of AMP
AMP Limited
AMP Limited is an Australian financial corporation. It operates primarily in Australia and New Zealand. AMP formed in 1849 as the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a non-profit life insurance company. In 1998 it was demutualised and listed on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges...
in 1925 and Vice Chairman in 1932.
Jobson collapsed and died from a coronary occlusion
Coronary occlusion
A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack.In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored: the myocardium is however damaged....
in King Street, Sydney
King Street, Sydney
King Street is today the central thoroughfare of the suburb of Newtown in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It's in this street that the residents of the area are most visible, confirming Newtown's reputation as a cosmopolitan community with a higher than average concentration of students,...
on 7 November 1933 and was cremated.