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Sir Joseph Cook's Diplomatic passport as Australian Minister…
Sale Title:
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Melbourne
Date:
30-May-2021
Lot No.
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Description:
Sir Joseph Cook's Diplomatic passport as Australian Minister for the Navy, 1918-19, this very important diplomatic passport was the document carried by Cook, while participating in the Imperial war Conference in London in 1918 and in the negotiations that became known as the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. Cook, and Prime Minister Billy Hughes, were the only Australian signatories to this significant document, which reshaped the post-war map of the world, the treatment of Germany and its' allies and the inter-war alliances amongst the victors. Signed by Joseph Cook, beneath his photograph, the many endorsements, handstamps, dates and manuscript entries record the many times Cook travelled to France for working sessions and signing ceremonies. A most remarkable survivor of Cook's significant role in international politics. Provenance: The Cook family, by descent. Cook had been prime minister for the first six weeks of Australia's involvement in world war I. On 30 July 1914, he was informed via telegram that the British government was considering a declaration of war and advised that Australia should take appropriate defence precautions. He told an election meeting at Horsham, Victoria, the following day to 'Remember that when the Empire is at war, so is Australia at war'. At the suggestion of Governor-General Ronald Munro Ferguson, Cook called an emergency cabinet meeting for 3 August. It was attended by only four members of his ministry, as the others were out campaigning and unable to travel to Melbourne in time. The government decided to offer an expeditionary force of 20,000 men – 'Of any suggested composition to any destination desired (...) at complete disposal of the home Government; cost of despatch and maintenance would be borne by this Government' – and to give the British Admiralty control of the Royal Australian Navy 'When desired'. Australia's offer was made 40 hours before the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, and it has been suggested that it May have intensified the pressure on the British government to enter the war, along with similar offers made by Canada and New Zealand. The United Kingdom formally accepted Australia's offer on 6 August, and Cook subsequently authorised the creation of the Australian Imperial Force and the Australian naval and military Expeditionary Force; the latter captured and then occupied German New Guinea within a few months. Writing in 1962, Malcolm Henry Ellis described him as 'The activator and originator of Australia's war effort'. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on 23 June 1919 with Cook and Hughes signing on behalf of Australia. Cook had some private misgivings the final document. Although he believed Germany needed to be punished, he thought some elements of the Treaty were too vindictive. He was strongly in favour of the creation of the League of Nations, and David Lloyd George considered him to be the most fervent supporter of the League in the entire British delegation. Lloyd George considered him 'A man of calm and balanced judgment'. Cook and Hughes arrived back in Australia on 24 August 1919, after an absence of nearly 16 months. They travelled from Fremantle to Melbourne via the Trans-Australian railway, and Cook particularly enjoyed their stop at the small settlement of Cook, South Australia, which had been named in his honour a few years earlier.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified