General, Sir John Joseph Talbot-Hobbs
- Position
- KCMG; Member Centenary Committee
- Committee group
- Executive; Aerial (chair); Historical, arts and science and pageantry
- Year of death
- 1938
- Plaque number
- FB11
- Dedicated by
- Kings Park Board on 29 September 1929
- More information
Biography abstract:
John Joseph Talbot-Hobbs (24/8/1864 - 21/4/1938) was born in Chelsea, England. He trained as an architect and arrived in Western Australia in 1887 to work for J. Hurst builder and Perth City Council.
In England, Hobbs had served with the 14th Battery, First Cinque Ports Artillery Volunteers and after his arrival in Perth, continued his interest in the military by joining the volunteer field artillery as a gunner.
He used several self-funded trips back to the UK to keep up to date with artillery methods. This voluntary service led to his promotion from sergeant in 1888 to colonel in 1913, commanding the 22nd Infantry Brigade.
During the goldrush period in the 1890s, his architectural practice flourished with a reputation for excellence. Examples of his work include Scot's Church in Fremantle (1890), the Weld Club in Perth (1891) and Swan Brewery (1897).
When war was declared in August 1914, Hobbs was chosen as one of the leaders of the First Australian Division. In October that year, he sailed from King George Sound, Albany with 20,000 troops of the Australian Imperial Force for overseas service.
Colonel Hobbs went ashore with his men at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and fought there for eight months until, suffering dysentery, he was evacuated and promoted to the rank of brigadier-general.
After two months recovery, he then served in France and was promoted to major-general in charge of Fifth Division which he led with distinction through many battles during 1917 and 1918.
On 1 January 1918 he received a knighthood, the first Western Australian Australian Imperial Force (AIF) member to be so honoured.
Following Armistice in November 1918, Sir Talbot Hobbs was promoted to lieutenant-general and created Knight Commander of St Michael and St George (KCMG) for distinguished wartime service.
After his return to Perth, he was described as "not much altered, the same spare frame, the same keen intellect, the same sympathetic smile and the same will to succeed".
He resumed his architectural career and designed St George's College in Crawley.
Over the following years, Talbot Hobbs took an interest in a wide variety of community affairs including being Chief Scout of WA.
He died on 21 April 1938 and a request for a place in Kings Park for a statue of him was refused by the Kings Park Board following an earlier decision that there would be no more personal monuments in the Park. A statue honouring General Sir Talbot Hobbs KCMG now stands on The Esplanade, along the Swan River in Perth.
His proudest commission was the State War Memorial, completed in time for the State Centenary in 1929. He also served on several of the Western Australian Centenary Committee groups (Executive; Aerial (chairperson); Historical, arts and science and pageantry).