Talk:General (Australia)

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Military history: Culture / South Pacific

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Birdwood's rank

@Abraham, B.S.: This is an error; Birdwood's rank of general in the AIF was substantive, not honorary. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 20:09, 29 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Hawkeye. Please see reference 2, from the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, confirming that Birdwood was granted the honorary rank of general in the Australian Army. Cheers, Abraham, B.S. (talk) 21:38, 29 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Abraham. Officers who held rank in the AIF were granted that rank in the AMF as honorary rank after the war. Birdwood's AIF file says that he was appointed to the AIF as a lieutenant general on 18 September 1915, promoted to general on 23 October 1917, and his AIF appointment was terminated on 10 September 1920. (I found his promotion to honorary field marshal in the CMF on 17 December 1925. [1]) Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:27, 30 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Hawkeye. The AIF was an expeditionary force, though, and as you say wartime ranks didn't necessarily translate to substantive promotions in the permanent or part-time forces. The promotions noted in the AIF record correspond with Birdwood's advancement to lieutenant general and general in the British Army, as promulgated in the London Gazette. There doesn't appear to be anything in the AIF file or the London Gazette, however, to indicate that Birdwood's promotions were actually in the Australian forces. Instead, the promotions were in the regular British forces and were granted while Birdwood was in command of a Dominion corps. Cheers, Abraham, B.S. (talk) 14:40, 1 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The AIF equivalent is the AIF General Orders. There is a bound copy in the War Memorial. Note that Birdwood's AIF appointment was terminated in 1920, but his British Army appointment was not. Hawkeye7 (discuss) 00:14, 2 July 2022 (UTC)[reply]