Editing First Australian Imperial Force (section)

===Command===
[[File:Billy Hughes and Lt-Gen William Birdwood in early 1916.jpg|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of two men standing in front of trees|Australian Prime Minister [[Billy Hughes]] (at left) with Lieutenant-General [[William Birdwood]] in early 1916]]
When originally formed in 1914 the AIF was commanded by Bridges, who also commanded the 1st Division.{{sfn|Bean|1941a|p=35}} After Bridges' death at [[Gallipoli Campaign|Gallipoli]] in May 1915, the Australian government appointed [[Major General]] [[James Gordon Legge]], a [[Second Boer War|Boer War]] veteran, to replace Bridges in command of both.{{sfn|Faraday|1997|p=46}} However, British [[Lieutenant General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant General]] Sir [[John Maxwell (British Army officer)|John Maxwell]], the commander of [[British Troops in Egypt]], objected to Legge bypassing him and communicating directly with Australia. The Australian government failed to support Legge, who thereafter deferred to Lieutenant General [[William Birdwood]], the commander of the [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]].{{sfn|Faraday|1997|p=48}} When Legge was sent to Egypt to command the [[2nd Division (Australia)|2nd Division]], Birdwood made representations to the Australian government that Legge could not act as commander of the AIF, and that the Australian government should transfer Bridges' authority to him. This was done on a temporary basis on 18 September 1915.{{sfn|Bean|1941b|pp=417–418}} Promoted to major general, Chauvel took over command of the 1st Division in November when Major General [[Harold Walker (British Army officer)|Harold Walker]] was wounded, becoming the first Australian-born officer to command a division.{{sfn|Stevenson|2013|p=134}} When Birdwood became commander of the [[Dardanelles Army]], command of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the AIF passed to another British officer, Lieutenant General [[Alexander Godley]], the commander of the NZEF, but Birdwood resumed command of the AIF when he assumed command of [[II ANZAC Corps]] upon its formation in Egypt in early 1916.{{sfn|Bean|1941c|pp=32, 147}} [[I ANZAC Corps]] and II ANZAC Corps swapped designations on 28 March 1916.{{sfn|Bean|1941c|p=66}} During early 1916 the Australian and, to a lesser extent, New Zealand governments sought the establishment of an [[Australian and New Zealand Army]] led by Birdwood which would have included all of the AIF's infantry divisions and the [[New Zealand Division]]. However, General [[Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig|Douglas Haig]], the commander of the British Empire forces in France, rejected this proposal on the grounds that the size of these forces was too small to justify grouping them in a [[field army]].{{sfn|Bean|1941c|pp=148, 156–157}}

Birdwood was officially confirmed as commander of the AIF on 14 September 1916, backdated to 18 September 1915, while also commanding I ANZAC Corps on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]].{{sfn|Bean|1941b|pp=417–418}} He retained overall responsibility for the AIF units in the Middle East, but in practice this fell to Godley, and after II ANZAC Corps left Egypt as well, to Chauvel who also commanded the [[ANZAC Mounted Division]]. Later promoted to lieutenant general, he subsequently commanded the [[Desert Mounted Corps]] of the [[Egyptian Expeditionary Force]]; the first Australian to command a [[corps]].{{sfn|Dennis et al|2008|pp=63 & 128}} Birdwood was later given command of the [[Australian Corps]] on its formation in November 1917. Another Australian, Monash, by then a lieutenant general, took over command of the corps on 31 May 1918.{{sfn|Fleming|2012|p=7}} Despite being promoted to command the [[Fifth Army (United Kingdom)|British Fifth Army]], Birdwood retained command of the AIF.{{sfn|Grey|2001|p=46}}{{sfn|Bean|1942|pp=212–213}} By this time four of the five divisional commanders were Australian officers.{{sfn|Beaumont|1995|p=28}} The exception was Major General Ewen Sinclair-Maclagan, the commander of the 4th Division, who was a British Army officer seconded to the Australian Army before the war, and who had joined the AIF in Australia in August 1914.{{sfn|Bean|1941e|p=15}} The vast majority of brigade commands were also held by Australian officers.{{sfn|Grey|2001|p=45}} A number of British [[Staff (military)|staff officers]] were attached to the headquarters of the Australian Corps, and its predecessors, due to a shortage of suitably trained Australian officers.{{sfn|Blaxland|2006|p=31}}{{sfn|Grey|2001|pp=50–51}}