On 1 January 1878, John Hoad entered the
Victorian Education Department as a teacher at
Gooramadda State School and by September he was an assistant at
Wangaratta School. In April 1881 he became head teacher at
Wangaratta North. Hoad began his military career in 1884, when he joined the
Victorian Rifles as a
militia lieutenant. He soon resigned his position as a teacher to join the permanent military staff. On 4 June 1886, Hoad was appointed as
adjutant of the
Victorian Mounted Rifles, and through his aptitude, was quickly promoted to
captain, and then
major, within two years. In October 1889 he left Victoria for England where he studied
signalling,
military engineering and
musketry for two years before returning to Victoria to be appointed as the second in command of the Victorian Mounted Rifles. Hoad was an astute and capable commander, and by 1895 he had been promoted to
lieutenant colonel, as well as becoming the first Australian-born assistant
Adjutant General at Victorian Military Headquarters. Hoad was again sent to England in 1897, and was appointed to the personal staff of
Lord Roberts and the
Duke of Connaught for
Queen Victoria's
Diamond Jubilee. Immediately after, he returned to
Melbourne, and by 1899 had attained the rank of
colonel. Hoad saw service in the
Second Boer War as a special service officer, and upon arriving in
Cape Town on 28 April 1899, was given overall command of the
1st Australian Regiment, which contained colonial troops from
Tasmania,
South Australia, Victoria and
Western Australia. The force moved to
Orange River, where they met up with the
Kimberley Relief Force. In
Bloemfontein in April 1900, the 1st Australian Regiment was merged with the 1st Mounted Infantry Brigade under
Edward Hutton, and Hoad was appointed as assistant
adjutant general. However, by July 1900, he had been invalided and evacuated back to Australia. For his services in the Boer War, Hoad was appointed a
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, awarded the
Queen's South Africa Medal, and
mentioned in despatches. Between 1902 and 1906 Hoad 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). Hoad was sent by
Chief of the General Staff,
Edward Hutton, to
Manchuria on attachment to the
Imperial Japanese Army. Along with other Western military attachés, Hoad 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. Upon returning to Australia in January 1905, Hoad was appointed to the newly formed Military Board with the title of Deputy
Adjutant General. In September 1906 he was promoted to
brigadier general, and again promoted to
major general in January 1907. At this time he was serving the Military Board as
Inspector General. In 1908 Hoad again visited London, this time to discuss plans for the establishment of an Imperial General Staff at the
War Office. He also participated in the
British Army's autumn manoeuvres. Hoad's recommendations about the Imperial General Staff were accepted, and on 1 July 1909, then
Secretary for Defence, Sir
George Pearce, appointed him as
Chief of the General Staff. He met
Lord Kitchener in
Darwin on 21 December 1909 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 1 June 1911. Hoad was appointed a
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) upon the occasion of the
coronation of
King George V on 22 June 1911. Sir John died of a heart disorder in
Melbourne on 6 October 1911. ==See also==