Australian Military Units

Field Marshal Thomas Albert Blamey, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO, ED

Date of birth  1884-01-24  Wagga Wagga, NSW. 
Other  1904-11  Became a cadet officer. 
Other  1906  Sat the examination for a commission in the Administrative and Instructional Staff of the cadets. He was not appointed as there were no vacancies in Western Australia. He wrote to the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General stating he was willing to move to Victoria should a Victorian vacancy be offered to him. 
Other  1906-11  Moved to Melbourne and commissioned as a lieutenant. 
Other units  1910-04  Transferred to the Administrative and Instructional Staff of the Citizens Military Forces. 
Date promoted  1910-12-01  Promoted to captain. 
Other  1911  Sat the entrance examination for the British Staff College and became the first Australian to pass. 
Dates studied  1912  Commenced course at the Staff College's campus at Quetta, India. 
Date graduated  1913  Graduated from British Staff College, Quetta, India. 
Other  1914-05  Sailed for Britain and spent a brief time on attachment to the 4th Dragoon Guards, then taking up duties on the staff of the Wessex Division. 
Date promoted  1914-07-01  Promoted to major. 
Other  1914-11-28  Sailed for Egypt and became part of the 1st Division Headquarters as General Staff Officer, Grade 3 (GSO3) in charge of intelligence. 
Other  1915-04-25  Landed at Gallipoli, Turkey. 
Date promoted  1915-07-26  Promoted to lieutenant colonel and posted to Egypt as Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General for the new 2nd Division. 
Other  1915-10-25  Returned to Gallipoli. 
Date of honour or award  1915-11-05  Mention in Despatches. 
Other  1916-03  Accompanied the 2nd Division to France. 
Other  1916-07-05  Appointed to General Staff Officer Grade 1 of the 1st Division. 
Date promoted  1916-12-01  Promoted to colonel. 
Other units  1916-12-03  Appointed to command the 2nd Infantry Brigade. 
Other units  1916-12-28  Took over as acting command of the 1st Infantry Brigade. 
Other units  1917  Returned to General Staff Officer Grade 1 with the 1st Division. 
Date of honour or award  1917-01-01  Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), for his part in the attack at Poziers. 
Date of honour or award  1917-01-04  Mention in Despatches. 
Date of honour or award  1917-06-03  Mention in Despatches. 
Other units  1917-08-27 - 1917-09-04  Acting commander of the 2nd Brigade. 
Other  1917-09-13  Admitted to hospital and evacuated to England. 
Date of honour or award  1918-01-01  Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). 
Date of honour or award  1918-05-28  Mention in Despatches. 
Date promoted  1918-06  Promoted to temporary brigadier and chief of staff of the Australian Corps. 
Other  1918-11-08  Returned to France. 
Date of honour or award  1918-12-31  Mention in Despatches. 
Date of honour or award  1919-01-07  France Croix de Guerre. 
Date of honour or award  1919-03-22  Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB), for his services as Corps Cheif of Staff. 
Date of honour or award  1919-07-11  Mention in Despatches. 
Date returned to Australia  1919-09-06  Posted to Army Headquarters in Melbourne as Director of Military Operations. 
Date promoted  1920-05  Became Deputy Chief of the General Staff, his first major task was the creation of the RAAF. 
Other  1922-11-01  Left for London as the Australian Representative at the Imperial General Staff. 
Other  1925  Appointed second chief of the Australian General Staff. 
Other  1925-09-01  Resigned from the permanant forces and transferred to the militia, and became Chief Commissioner of Police in Victoria. 
Other units  1926-05-01  Took command of the 10th Infantry Brigade. 
Date promoted  1931-03-23  Promoted to major general and took command of the 3rd Division. He was one of four militia officers promoted to the rank of major general between 1929-1939. 
Date of honour or award  1935-01-01  Appointed Knight Bachelor. 
Other  1936  Resigned from the police force. 
Other units  1939-09-28  Appointed to command the new 6th Division. 
Date promoted  1939-10-13  Promoted to lieutenant general. 
Other  1939-11  Took over the Chairmanship of the Manpower Committee at the Department of Defence, making arrangements for future full mobilisation. 
Other  1940-02-28  Given command of I Corps when the War Cabinet decided to raise a second division. 
Other  1940-03-04  Left command of 6th Division. 
Other  1940-06-12  Left for Palestine and the 6th Division was attached to the Western Desert Force. 
Other  1941-02  Arrived in Greece with I Corps. 
Other  1941-05  Returned to Cairo and appointed Deputy Commander in Chief Middle East. 
Date promoted  1941-12  Promoted to general. He was only the fourth Australian to reach this rank. 
Date of honour or award  1942  Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for his services in Greece. 
Other  1942-03-11  Appointed Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces and returned to Australia to take command of the Army. 
Other  1942-03-26  Appointed Commander in Chief Allied Land Forces and Commander in Chief of the South West Pacific Area. 
Other  1942-09-23  Arrived in Port Moresby to take personal command of the 7th Division. 
Date of honour or award  1943-05-29  Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) for his part in operations in New Guinea. 
Other  1943-09  Served in the campaign in New Guinea was the last as operational commander. 
Date of honour or award  1944  Greek War Cross - First Class. 
Date of honour or award  1944  United States Distinguished Service Cross. 
Other  1944-04  Travelled to USA with Prime Minister Curtin. 
Other  1945-09-02  Signed the Japanese surrender document on behalf of Australia on board USS Missouri with General Macarthur. He then flew to Morotai and personally accepted the surrender of the remaining Japanese in the South West Pacific. 
Other  1945-11-14  Dismissed by the government. 
Date of discharge  1946-01-31  He declined any honours for himself, instead requesting kinghthoods for Lieutenant General Northcott and Major Generals Cannan, Stevens and Wootten. His request was refused. 
Other  1949-12  Wrote to Prime Minister Menzies recommending knighthoods for Lieutenant Generals Northcott, Savige, Sturdee, and Berrymand and Major Generals Burston, Cannan, Steele, Stevens and Wootten. All were accepted except Cannan. 
Date promoted  1950-06-08  Promoted to field marshal - the first and only Australian to reach this rank. 
Other  1950-09-16  Presented with his baton in a ceremony at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. 
Date of death  1951-05-27  Died of a stroke in Melbourne, VIC.