Thomas Blamey
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal
Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO
, ED
(24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australia
n general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to date to attain the rank of field marshal.
Blamey joined the Australian Army as a regular soldier in 1906, and attended the Staff College at Quetta
. During the First World War he participated in the landing at Anzac Cove
on 25 April 1915, and served as a staff officer in the Gallipoli Campaign, where he was mentioned in despatches for a daring raid being enemy lines. He later served on the Western Front
, where he distinguished himself in the planning for the Battle of Pozières
. He rose to the rank of brigadier general
, and served as chief of staff of the Australian Corps
under Lieutenant General
Sir John Monash
, who credited him as a factor in the Corps' success in the Battle of Hamel
, the Battle of Amiens and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line
.
After the war Blamey was Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and was involved in the creation of the Royal Australian Air Force
. He resigned from the regular Army in 1925 to become Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police
, but remained in the Militia
, rising to command the 3rd Division in 1931. As Chief Commissioner, Blamey set about dealing with the grievances that had led to the 1923 Victorian Police strike
, and implemented innovations such as police dogs and equipping vehicles with radios. His tenure as Chief Commissioner was marred by a scandal in which his police badge was found in a brothel, and a later attempt to cover up the shooting of a police officer led to his forced resignation in 1936. He later made weekly broadcasts on international affairs on Melbourne radio station 3UZ
. Appointed chairman of the Commonwealth Government's Manpower Committee and Controller General of Recruiting in 1938, he headed a successful recruiting campaign which doubled the size of the part-time volunteer Militia.
During the Second World War he commanded the Second Australian Imperial Force
and the I Corps in the Middle East. In the latter role he commanded Australian and Commonwealth troops in the disastrous Battle of Greece
. In the former role, he attempted to protect Australian interests against British commanders who sought to disperse his forces on all manner of missions. He was appointed Deputy Commander in Chief in the Middle East, and was promoted to general
in 1941. In 1942, he returned to Australia as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces and Commander of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area
under the command of General
Douglas MacArthur
. On the orders of MacArthur and Prime Minister
John Curtin
, he assumed personal command of New Guinea Force
during the Kokoda Track Campaign
, and relieved some commanders under controversial circumstances. During the Salamaua–Lae Campaign he planned and executed a major victorious campaign. Nonetheless, during the final campaigns of the war he faced vociferous criticism of the Army's performance. He signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of Australia at Japan's ceremonial surrender in Tokyo Bay on 3 September 1945, and later personally accepted the Japanese surrender at Morotai
. He was promoted to field marshal in June 1950.
, near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
. He was the son of Richard Blamey, a farmer who had emigrated from Cornwall
at the age of 16 in 1862, and his Australian born wife, Margaret Blamey née Murray. After farming failures in Queensland and on the Murrumbidgee River
near Wagga Wagga, his father Richard moved to a small 20 acres (8.1 ha) property in Lake Albert, where he supplemented his farm income working as a drover and shearing overseer. Blamey acquired the bush skills associated with his father’s enterprises and became a sound horseman. He attended the Superior Public School (now Wagga Wagga Public School), where he played Australian football, and was a keen and efficient member of the Army Cadets
. He transferred to Wagga Wagga Grammar when he was 13, and was head cadet of its unit for two years.
Blamey began his working life in 1899 as a trainee school teacher at Lake Albert School. He transferred to South Wagga Public School in 1901. In 1903 he moved to Western Australia, where he taught for three years at Fremantle Boys School. He coached the rifle shooting team of its cadet unit there to a win in the Western Australian Cup. Blamey was raised in a Methodist family and was involved with his church. By early 1906 he was a lay preacher, and Church leaders in Western Australia offered him an appointment as an associate minister in Carnarvon, Western Australia
.
, Blamey saw a new opportunity. He sat the exam and came third in Australia, but failed to secure an appointment as there were no vacancies in Western Australia. After correspondence with the military authorities he persuaded the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Major Julius Bruche, that he should be given the option of taking up an appointment for one of the vacancies in another state. He was appointed to a position in Victoria with the rank of lieutenant
, commencing duty in November 1906 with responsibility for school cadets in Victoria.
In Melbourne, Blamey met Minnie Millard, the daughter of a Toorak
stockbroker who was involved in the Methodist Church there. They were married at her home on 8 September 1909. His first child was born on 29 June 1910, and named Charles Middleton after a friend of Blamey's who had died in a shooting accident; but the boy was always called Dolf by his family. A second child, a boy named Thomas, was born four years later.
Blamey was promoted to captain
on 1 December 1910, and became brigade major
of the 12th Brigade Area. Blamey next set his sights on attending the British Staff College. There were two staff colleges, at Camberley
in England and Quetta
in India, and from 1908 one position was set aside for the Australian Army at each every year. No Australian officers managed to pass the demanding entrance examinations, although this requirement was waived to allow them to attend. In 1911, Blamey became the first Australian officer to pass the entrance test for examination. He commenced his studies at Quetta in 1912, accompanied by Minnie and Dolf. He performed very well, completing the course in December 1913.
The usual practice was for Australian staff college graduates to follow their training with a posting to a British Army
or British Indian Army
headquarters. He was initially attached to the 4th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
at Rawalpindi
, and then on the staff of the Kohat Brigade
on the North West Frontier. Finally, he was assigned to the General Staff at Army Headquarters at Shimal. In May 1914, Blamey was sent to Britain for more training, while his family returned home to Australia. He left India visiting Turkey (including the Dardanelles), Belgium, and the battlefields of the Franco-Prussian War
en route. He spent a brief time on attachment to the 4th Dragoon Guards at Tidworth
before taking up duties on the staff of the Wessex Division, at that time entering its annual camp. On 1 July 1914, he was promoted to major.
, where he worked in the Intelligence Branch
preparing daily summaries for the King
and Secretary of State for War
, Lord Kitchener. Fully trained staff officers were rare and valuable in the Australian Army, and while still in Britain, Blamey was appointed to the First Australian Imperial Force
(AIF) as General Staff Officer, Grade 3 (Intelligence), on the staff of Major General
William Bridges' 1st Division. As such, he reported to the 1st Division's GSO1, Lieutenant Colonel
Brudenell White
. In November 1914 Blamey sailed for Egypt with Colonel
Harry Chauvel, to join the Australian contingent there.
at 07:20 on 25 April 1915. Blamey was sent to evaluate the need for reinforcements by Colonel James Whiteside M'Cay's 2nd Brigade on the 400 Plateau
. He confirmed that they were in such need, and the reinforcements were sent.
On the night of 13 May 1915, Blamey, in his capacity as 1st Division intelligence officer, led a patrol consisting of himself, Sergeant J.H. Will and Bombardier A.A. Orchard, behind the Turkish lines in an effort to locate the Olive Grove guns that had been harassing the beach. Near Pine Ridge, an enemy party of eight Turks approached and one of them went to bayonet Orchard, so Blamey shot him with his revolver. In the action that followed, six Turks were killed. He withdrew his patrol back to the Australian lines without locating the guns. For this action, he was mentioned in despatches.
Blamey was always interested in technical innovation, and receptive to unorthodox ideas. He was instrumental in the adoption of the periscope rifle
at Gallipoli, an instrument which he saw during an inspection of the front line. He arranged for the inventor, Lance Corporal
W.C.B. Beech, to be seconded to division headquarters to develop the idea. Within a few days, the design was perfected and periscope rifles began to be used throughout the Australian trenches.
In July 1915 Blamey was given a staff appointment as a General Staff Officer, Grade 2 (GSO2), and in September 1915 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and joined the staff of the newly forming 2nd Division in Egypt as its Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (AA&QMG) – the senior administrative officer of the division. Its commander, Major General James Gordon Legge
preferred to have an Australian colonel in this post as he felt that a British officer might not take such good care of the troops. The 2nd Division Headquarters embarked for Gallipoli on 29 August 1915, but Blamey was forced to remain in Egypt as he had just had an operation for haemorrhoids. He finally returned to Anzac on 25 October 1915, remaining for the rest of the campaign.
in 1916, Blamey returned to the 1st Division as GSO1. At the Battle of Pozières
, he developed the plan of attack which captured the town, for which he received a mention in despatches, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
in the 1917 New Year Honours
. He was considered as a possible brigade commander, but he had never commanded a battalion, which was usually regarded as a prerequisite for brigade command. He was therefore appointed to command the 2nd Infantry Battalion on 3 December 1916. On 28 December, Blamey, as senior ranking battalion commander, took over as acting commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade. On 9 January 1917, he went on leave, handing over command to Lieutenant Colonel Iven Mackay. However, when General Headquarters BEF found out about this use of a staff college graduate, it reminded I ANZAC Corps
that "it is inadvisable to release such officers for command of battalions unless they have proved to be unequal to their duties on staff".
Blamey therefore returned to 1st Division Headquarters. Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood did, however, promote Blamey to full colonel, backdated to 1 December 1916, thereby making him technically senior to a number of recently promoted brigadier general
s, that rank being only held temporarily. His division commander, Major General H. B. Walker
, had Blamey mentioned in dispatches for this period of battalion and brigade command, although the battalion had spent most of the period out of the line and there had been no significant engagements. Blamey was also acting commander of the 2nd Brigade during a rest period from 27 August to 4 September 1917. On 8 September he was evacuated sick with vomiting and coughing. He was evacuated to England where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital for treatment for debilitating psoriasis
on 22 September, and did not return to duty until 8 November 1917. Blamey was made a Companion of St Michael and St George in the 1918 New Year's list, and received another mention in despatches in May 1918.
On 1 June 1918, Lieutenant General
John Monash
succeeded Birdwood as commander of the Australian Corps
, and Blamey was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and replaced White as the corps Brigadier General General Staff (BGGS). He played a significant role in the success of the Australian Corps in the final months of the war. Blamey remained interested in technological innovation. He was impressed by the capabilities of the new models of tanks and pressed for their use at Battle of Hamel
, where they played an important part in the success of the battle. Monash rated him as a factor in his Corps' success in the Battle of Amiens in August and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line
in September. The Major General General Staff of the British Fourth Army, of which the Australian Corps was a part during these battles, Major General Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, was a former instructor of Blamey's at Quetta. He declared himself "full of admiration for the staff work of the Australian Corps." Monash later wrote:
Blamey's loyalty to Monash would continue after the latter's death in 1931, and would have important consequences. For his services as Corps Chief of Staff, Blamey was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1919, mentioned in despatches twice more, and was awarded the French Croix de guerre
.
His first major task was the creation of the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). The government established a joint Army-Navy board to provide recommendations on the matter, with Blamey and Lieutenant Richard Williams as the Army representatives. Blamey supported the creation of an separate air force, albeit one still subordinate to the Army and Navy. He refused to yield, however, on his opposition to the Navy's demand that Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Goble
become its first chief.
In November 1922 Blamey embarked for London to be the Australian representative on the Imperial General Staff. He reported that the "conception of an Imperial General Staff... was absolutely dead". The British Army saw no little use in the concept of a combined staff which could coordinate the defence of the British Empire
. He became involved with the development of the Singapore strategy
, and he briefed Prime Minister Stanley Bruce
on it for the 1923 Imperial Conference, at which it was formally adopted. Even in 1923, though, Blamey was sceptical about the strategy.
When White retired as Chief of General Staff in 1923, Blamey was widely expected to succeed him, as he had as chief of staff of the Australian Corps in France, but there were objections from more senior officers, particularly Major General Victor Sellheim, at being passed over. Instead, the Inspector General, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel, was made Chief of General Staff as well, while Blamey was given the new post of Second CGS, in which he performed most of the duties of Chief of General Staff.
Seeing no immediate prospects for advancement. Blamey transferred from the Permanent Military Forces to the Militia on 1 September 1925. For the next 14 years he would remain in the Army as a part-time soldier. On 1 May 1926 he assumed command of the 10th Infantry Brigade
, part of the 3rd Division. Blamey stepped up to command the 3rd Division on 23 March 1931, and was promoted to major general, one of only four Militia officers promoted to this rank between 1929 and 1939. In 1937 he was transferred to the unattached list.
went on strike
, and Monash and James McCay established a Special Constabulary Force to carry out police duties. After the Chief Commissioner, Alexander Nicholson, resigned for ill-health in 1925, Chauvel recommended Blamey for the post. He became Chief Commissioner on 1 September 1925 for a five-year term, with a salary of £1,500 per annum (A$ in 2008 dollars). Blamey set about addressing the grievances that had caused the strike, which he felt "were just, even if they went the wrong way about them". Blamey improved pay and conditions, and implemented the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the strike. He attempted to introduce faster promotion based on merit, but this was unpopular with the Police Association
, and was abandoned by his successors. As in the Army, he showed a willingness to adopt new ideas, such as police dogs. He increased the number of police cars equipped with two-way radios from one in 1925 to five in 1930. He also boosted the numbers of policewomen on the force.
Blamey became involved in his first and greatest scandal soon after taking office. During a raid on a brothel in Fitzroy
on 21 October 1925, the police encountered a man who produced Blamey's police badge, No. 80. Blamey later said that he had given his key ring, which included his badge, to a friend who had served with him in France, so that the man could help himself to some alcohol in Blamey's locker at the Naval and Military Club. Blamey's story was corroborated by his friend Stanley Savige
, who was with him at the time. Blamey protected the man in question, whom he said was married with children, and refused to identify him. He has never been identified, but the description given by the detectives and the brothel owner did not match Blamey.
During the 1920s, Victoria had repressive and restrictive drinking laws, including the notorious six o'clock closing. Blamey took the position that it was the job of the police to enforce the laws, even if they did not support them. He drew a sharp distinction between his personal life and his job. Many members of the public did not agree with this attitude. Blamey's presence in a hotel after closing time was always welcome, as it meant that drinking could continue, for it was known that it would not be raided while he was there; but other citizens felt that it was unjust that they continued to be arrested for breaking the same laws.
As Police Commissioner he defended the actions of the police during the 1928 Waterside Workers' Federation dispute, during which police opened fire, killing a striking worker who as also a Gallipoli veteran, and wounding several others. Blamey's treatment of the unionists was typical of his hard line anti-communist
beliefs and as such his relations with left-wing governments were tense. Along with many senior army and ex-army officers, he was a leading member of the clandestine far-right wing League of National Security. This was reportedly a response to the rise of communism in Australia. Its members stood ready to take up arms to stop a catholic or communist revolution.
Blamey was re-appointed as Chief Commissioner in 1930, but at a reduced salary of £1,250 per annum. A year later it was reduced still further, to £785, due to cutbacks as a result of the Great Depression
. Minnie became an invalid, and by 1930 no longer accompanied him in public. His son Dolf, now an RAAF flying officer
, was killed in an air crash at RAAF Base Richmond
. Minnie died in October 1935. Blamey was knighted
in the 1935 New Year Honours,Citation: "Major General Thomas Albert Blamey, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. Chief Commissioner of Police, State of Victoria. For services in connection with the Centenary Celebrations." and in 1936 he was appointed a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John.
A second scandal occurred in 1936 when Blamey attempted to cover up details of the shooting of the superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Branch, John O'Connell Brophy, whom Blamey had appointed to the post. Brophy had taken two women friends along with him to a meeting with a police informant. While they were waiting for the informant, they had been approached by armed bandits, and Brophy had opened fire and had himself been wounded. In order to cover up the identities of the two women involved, Blamey initially issued a press release to the effect that Brophy had accidentally shot himself. The Premier, Albert Dunstan
, gave Blamey the choice of resigning or being dismissed. The latter meant the loss of pension rights and any future prospects of employment in the Public Service or the Army. Blamey reluctantly submitted his resignation on 9 July 1936.
From March 1938 Blamey supplemented his income by making weekly broadcasts on international affairs on Melbourne radio station 3UZ
under the pseudonym "the Sentinel". Blamey and the station's general manager, Alfred Kemsley, felt that Australians were poorly informed about international affairs, and set about raising awareness of matters that Blamey believed would soon impact them greatly. He was appalled at Nazi Germany
's persecution of Jews, and saw a clear and growing menace to world peace from Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan
. Blamey's 15-minute weekly talks continued until the end of September 1939, by which time the war that he had warned was coming had started.
In November 1938, Blamey was appointed chairman of the Commonwealth Government's Manpower Committee and Controller General of Recruiting. As such, he laid the foundation for the expansion of the Army in the event of war with Germany or Japan, which he now regarded as inevitable. In 1938 and 1939, he headed a successful recruiting campaign which doubled the size of the part-time volunteer Militia from 35,000 in September 1938 to 70,000 in March 1939. On 5 April 1939 he married Olga Ora Farnsworth, a 35-year-old fashion artist, at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak, Victoria
.
Richard Casey, who had served with Blamey on Gallipoli and in France, and Jo Gullett
put Blamey's name forward to Prime Minister
Joseph Lyons
as a possible commander in chief in the event of a major war. "We've got some brilliant staff officers," Casey told Lyons, "but Blamey is a commander. That's the difference." Lyons initially had concerns about Blamey's morals, but Casey and Lyons summoned Blamey to a meeting in Canberra, after which, Lyons designated Blamey for the job. Lyons died on on 7 April 1939, but was replaced as prime minister by Robert Menzies
, another prominent supporter of Blamey's. Two other officers, Major Generals Gordon Bennett and John Lavarack
were considered, and had strong supporters; but both were strong and public critics of the government's defence policies, whereas Blamey had never publicly criticised government policy.
and appointed to command the 6th Division
, the first formation of the new Second Australian Imperial Force
, and received the AIF service number VX1. Menzies limited Blamey's choice of commanders by insisting that they be selected from the Militia rather than the PMF. For brigade commanders Blamey chose Brigadier
s Arthur Allen
, Leslie Morshead
and Stanley Savige. He selected Brigadier Edmund Herring
to command the 6th Division artillery, Colonel Samuel Burston
for its medical services, and Lieutenant Colonels Clive Steele
and Jack Stevens
its engineers and signals. All except Allen had previously served with Blamey during his time commanding the 3rd Division in Melbourne. For his two most senior staff officers, he chose Colonel Sydney Rowell
and Lieutenant Colonel George Alan Vasey.
In February 1940, the War Cabinet
decided to form a second AIF division, the 7th Division
, and group the 6th and 7th Divisions together as I Corps, with Blamey as its commander. On Blamey's recommendation, Major General Iven Mackay was appointed to succeed him in command of the 6th Division, while Lieutenant General John Lavarack
assumed command of the 7th Division. Blamey took Brigadier Rowell with him as his chief of staff, and picked Major General Henry Wynter
as his administrative officer. Blamey flew to Palestine
on a Qantas
flying boat
in June 1940. He refused to allow his troops to perform police duties in Palestine, and established warm relations with the Jewish community there, becoming a frequent guest in their homes.
As commander of the AIF, Blamey was answerable directly to the Minister of Defence
, rather than to the Military Board. He was given a charter based on that given to Bridges in 1914. Part of his charter required that his forces remain together as cohesive units, and that no Australian forces were to be deployed or engaged without the prior consent of the Australian government. Blamey was not inflexible and permitted Australian units to be detached when there was a genuine military need. Because the situation in the Middle East tended to lurch from crisis to crisis, this resulted in his troops becoming widely scattered at times. When the crises had passed, however, he wanted units returned to their parent formations. This resulted in conflicts with British commanders. The first one occurred in August 1940 when the British Commander in Chief Middle East, General Sir Archibald Wavell and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, Winston Churchill
, ordered the 16th Infantry Brigade forward to Egypt. Blamey refused on the grounds that the brigade was not yet fully equipped, but eventually compromised.
I Corps assumed responsibility for the front in Cyrenaica
on 15 February 1941, but within days Blamey was informed that his troops would be sent to Greece. Blamey has been criticised for allowing Australian troops to be sent on the expedition to Greece
when he knew it was extremely hazardous after he was told that Menzies had approved. Blamey insisted, however, on sending the veteran 6th Division first instead of the 7th Division, resulting in a heated argument with Wavell, which Blamey won. Blamey was under no illusions about the odds of success and immediately prepared plans for an evacuation. His foresight and determination saved many of his men but he lost credibility when he chose his son to fill the one remaining seat on the aircraft carrying him out of Greece. The campaign exposed deficiencies in the Australian Army's training, leadership and staff work that had passed unnoticed or had not been addressed in the Libyan Campaign
. The pressure of the campaign opened a rift between Blamey and Rowell, which was to have important consequences. While Rowell and Brigadier William Bridgeford
were extremely critical of Blamey's performance in Greece, this opinion was not widely held. Wavell reported that "Blamey has shown himself a fine fighting commander in these operations and fitted for high command."
The political fallout from the disastrous Battle of Greece led to Blamey's appointment as Deputy Commander in Chief Middle East in April 1941. However, to ensure that command would not pass to Blamey in the event of something happening to Wavell, the British government promoted Sir Henry Maitland Wilson to general
in June. Soon afterwards, Wavell was replaced by General Sir Claude Auchinleck
. Blamey was subsequently promoted to the same rank on 24 September 1941, becoming only the fourth Australian to reach this rank, after Monash, Chauvel and White. During the Syrian campaign against the Vichy French
, Blamey took decisive action to resolve the command difficulties caused by Wilson's attempt to direct the fighting from the King David Hotel
in Jerusalem by interposing Lavarack's I Corps headquarters.
During Blamey's absence in Greece, AIF units had become widely scattered, with forces being deployed to Cyprus
, and the 9th Division
and the 18th Infantry Brigade
coming under siege in Tobruk
. Blamey would spend the rest of the year attempting to reassemble his forces. This led to a clash with Auchinleck over the relief of Tobruk, where Blamey accepted Burston's advice that the Australian troops there should be relieved on medical grounds. Menzies, and later John Curtin
, backed Blamey, and Auchinleck and Churchill were forced to give way. For his campaigns in the Middle East, Blamey was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1942. He was Mentioned in Despatches for the eighth time, and was awarded the Greek War Cross
, First Class.
with a proposal that all officers over the age of 50 be immediately retired and Major General Horace Robertson
be appointed Commander in Chief. This "revolt of the generals" collapsed with the welcome news that Blamey was returning from the Middle East to become Commander in Chief Australian Military Forces
.
General
Douglas MacArthur
arrived in Australia in March 1942 to become Supreme Commander
South West Pacific Area (SWPA). In addition to his duties as Commander in Chief, Blamey became Commander of Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area. In the reorganisation that followed his return to Australia on 23 March, Blamey appointed Lavarack to command the First Army, Mackay to command the Second Army
, and Bennett to command the III Corps in Western Australia. Vasey became Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS), while Herring took over Northern Territory Force, and Robertson became commander of the 1st Armoured Division. Blamey's Allied Land Forces Headquarters (LHQ) was established in Melbourne, but after MacArthur's General Headquarters (GHQ) moved to Brisbane in July 1942, Blamey established an Advanced LHQ in St Lucia, Queensland
.
The Allied command structure was soon put under strain by Australian reverses in the Kokoda Track Campaign
. MacArthur was highly critical of the Australian performance, and confided to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army
, General George Marshall
, that "The Australians have proven themselves unable to match the enemy in jungle fighting. Aggressive leadership is lacking." MacArthur told Curtin that Blamey should be sent up to New Guinea to take personal command of the situation. Curtin later confessed that "in my ignorance (of military matters) I thought that the Commander in Chief should be in New Guinea." Jack Beasley
suggested that Blamey would make a convenient scapegoat: "Moresby
is going to fall. Send Blamey up there and let him fall with it!"
Blamey felt he had no choice, but his assumption of command of New Guinea Force sat uneasily with Rowell, the commander of I Corps there, who saw it as displaying a lack of confidence in him. A petulant Rowell would not be mollified, and, after a series of disagreements, Blamey relieved Rowell of his command, replacing him with Herring. More reliefs followed. Herring relieved Brigadier Arnold Potts
of the 21st Infantry Brigade
, replacing him with Brigadier Ivan Dougherty
on 22 October. Five days later, Blamey replaced Allen as the 7th Division's commander with Vasey. Nor were generals the only ones to be removed. Blamey cancelled Chester Wilmot
's accreditation as a war correspondent
in October 1939 for spreading a false rumour that Blamey was taking payments from the laundry contractor at Puckapunyal
. Wilmot had later been reinstated, but on 1 November 1942, Blamey again terminated Wilmot's accreditation, this time for good.
During a speech to the 21st Infantry Brigade on 9 November 1942:
The implication of cowardice was seen as contrasting with his own inability to stand up to MacArthur and the Prime Minister. Rowell felt that Blamey "had not shown the necessary 'moral courage' to fight the Cabinet on an issue of confidence in me." However, when American troops were checked at in the Battle of Buna-Gona
, Blamey turned the tables on MacArthur and "frankly said he would rather send in more Australians, as he knew they would fight... a bitter pill for MacArthur to swallow".
In January 1943, Blamey visited the Buna-Gona battlefield, surprising Vasey at how far forward he went, seemingly unconcerned about his safety. Blamey was impressed by the strength of the Japanese fortifications that had been captured, later telling correspondents that Australian and American troops had performed miracles.
At the Battle of Wau
in January 1943, Blamey won the battle by acting decisively on intelligence, shifting the 17th Infantry Brigade from Milne Bay
in time to defeat the Japanese attack. The official historian, Dudley McCarthy, later wrote:
For the Papuan Campaign, MacArthur awarded Blamey the American Distinguished Service Cross
, and Blamey was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire on 28 May 1943. This was unusual as it was the Australian Labor Party
's policy not to award knighthoods. Blamey's and Herring's knighthoods would be the last that the Labor government would award to Australian soldiers.
argued that:
The next operation was MacArthur's Operation Cartwheel
, an advance on the major Japanese base at Rabaul. The Australian Army was tasked with the capture of the Huon Peninsula
. Blamey was ordered to again assume personal command of New Guinea Force. His concept, which he developed with Herring and Frank Berryman, who had replaced Vasey as DCGS, was to draw the Japanese forces away from Lae with a demonstration against Salamaua
, and then capture Lae
with a double envelopment. Blamey remained a devotee of new technology. His plan called for the use of the landing craft of the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade, and he intended to cross the Markham River
with the aid of paratroops. Supplies would be brought across the river using DUKW
s, a relatively new invention. He also attempted to acquire helicopters, but met resistance from the RAAF, and they were never delivered. MacArthur accepted a number of changes that Blamey made to his strategy, the most notable of which was probably moving the landing on New Britain to before Blamey's attack on Madang
.
The campaign started well, with Lae captured well ahead of schedule. Blamey then handed over command of New Guinea Force to Mackay and returned to Australia. The 7th Division then advanced through the Ramu Valley
while the 9th Division landed at Finschhafen
. The campaign then slowed owing to a combination of logistical difficulties and Japanese resistance. Blamey responded to a request from Mackay to relieve Herring, whose chief of staff had been killed in an aircraft accident. He immediately sent Morshead. In February 1944 there was criticism in Parliament of the way that Blamey had "side tracked" various generals, the names of Bennett, Rowell, Mackay, Wynter, Herring, Lavarack, Robertson, Morshead and Clowes being mentioned. Blamey responded that
The Minister for the Army, Frank Forde
also criticised Blamey for having too many generals. Blamey could only reply that the Australian Army had one general for 15,741 men and women compared to one per 9,090 in the British Army.
Blamey was annoyed by the media campaign run against him by William Dunstan
and Keith Murdoch
of the The Herald and Weekly Times
newspaper group; but success in New Guinea led to a change of heart at the newspaper, and Blamey even accepted a dinner invitation from Murdoch in 1944. There was another victory, though, far more significant. The Army had taken heavy casualties from malaria
in the fighting in 1942. Blamey took the advice of Edward Ford
and Neil Hamilton Fairley
, and strongly backed their, ultimately successful, efforts to control the disease. To acquaint himself with the issues, Blamey read through Manson's Tropical Diseases, the standard medical textbook on the subject. Blamey also promoted the work of Howard Florey on the development of pennicilin, and wrote to Curtin urging that £200,000 be earmarked for Florey's vision of a national institute for medical research in Canberra, which ultimately became the John Curtin School of Medical Research
.
Blamey was involved in discussions with the government over the size of the Army to be maintained. Now that the danger of invasion of Australia had passed, the government reconsidered how the nation's resources, particularly of manpower, should be distributed. Blamey pressed for a commitment to maintain three AIF divisions, as only they could legally be sent north of the equator where the final campaigns would be fought. He urged that the Empire Air Training Scheme be curtailed, and opposed MacArthur's proposal to use the Australian Army primarily for logistic support and leave combat roles principally to American troops.
for the first leg of a voyage to attend the 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
in London as part of Curtin's party. The journey was made by sea and rail due to Curtin's fear of flying. Also on board the ship were American military personnel returning to the United States, and some 40 Australian war brides. Blamey "was always attractive to women and attracted by them. Advancing years had not reduced either his taste for amorous adventures or his capacity to enjoy them", and he brought with him several cases of spirits. The rowdy goings-on in Blamey's cabin did not endear him to the Prime Minister, who was a reformed alcoholic. The party travelled by train to Washington, DC, where Blamey was warmly greeted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
, and briefed the Combined Chiefs of Staff
on the progress of the war in SWPA. In London Blamey had a series of meetings with the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, and was briefed on Operation Overlord
by General Sir Bernard Montgomery and Air Chief Marshal
Sir Arthur Tedder. Blamey was disappointed to have to turn down an offer to accompany the invasion as a guest of General Dwight Eisenhower because Curtin feared that the invasion would lead to retaliatory German bombing, and wanted to be far away before it started.
As a matter of policy, Curtin wanted Australian forces to be involved in liberating New Guinea. MacArthur therefore proposed that Australian troops relieve the American garrisons on New Britain, Bougainville and New Guinea
. However, MacArthur baulked at Blamey's proposal to replace the seven American divisions with just seven Australian brigades, resulting in the 6th Division being employed as well. The larger garrisons permitted offensive operations, and demanded them if the 6th Division was to be freed for employment elsewhere. These operations aroused considerable criticism on the grounds that they were unnecessary, that the troops should have been employed elsewhere, and that the Army's equipment and logistics was inadequate. Blamey vigorously defended his aggressive policy to reduce the bypassed Japanese garrisons and free the civilian population, but some felt that he went too far in putting his case publicly in a national radio broadcast. He was also criticised for not spending enough time in forward areas, although he spent more than half his time outside Australia in 1944, and between April 1944 and April 1945 travelled 65000 miles (104,607.1 km) by air, 7000 miles (11,265.4 km) by sea and 7500 miles (12,070.1 km) by land. Blamey urged that the 7th Division not be sent to Balikpapan
, an operation that he regarded as unnecessary. On this occasion, he was not supported by the government, and the operation went ahead as planned.
Gavin Long
wrote that:
On 2 September 1945, Blamey was with MacArthur on and signed the Japanese surrender document on behalf of Australia. He then flew to Morotai
and personally accepted the surrender of the remaining Japanese in the South West Pacific. He insisted that Australia should be represented in the Allied occupation of Japan.
Blamey returned to Melbourne, where he devoted himself to business affairs, to writing, and to promoting the welfare of ex-service personnel. In September 1948, Blamey paid a visit to Japan, where he was warmly greeted on arrival at Iwakuni by Horace Robertson, the commander of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
, who also provided an RAAF honour guard. MacArthur sent his own aircraft, the Bataan to collect Blamey and bring him to Tokyo, where he met Blamey at the airport and gave him another warm greeting. In the late 1940s Blamey became involved with The Association, an organisation similar to the earlier League of National Security, which was established to counter a possible communist coup. He was the head of the organisation until ill health forced him to stand down in favour of Morshead in 1950.
Menzies became prime minister again in December 1949, and he resolved that Blamey should be promoted to the rank of field marshal, something that had been mooted in 1945. The recommendation went via the Governor General, William McKell
, to the War Office
in London, which replied that a dominion
officer could not be promoted to the rank. Menzies pointed out that Jan Smuts
already had. The War Office then claimed that Blamey could not be promoted to field marshal because he was a retired officer, which was not true. Menzies then restored Blamey to active duty. Blamey was duly promoted to field marshal in the King's Birthday Honours of 8 June 1950.
A few days afterwards, Blamey became seriously ill and was forced to receive his field marshal's baton from the Governor General, William McKell
, in his hospital bed at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. He died there of hypertensive cerebral haemorrhage on 27 May 1951. His body lay in state at the Shrine of Remembrance
, where 20,000 people filed past. Crowds estimated at 300,000 lined the streets of Melbourne at his state funeral. Ten of his lieutenant generals served as pallbearers: Frank Berryman
, William Bridgeford
, Edmund Herring
, Iven Mackay, Leslie Morshead
, John Northcott
, Sydney Rowell
, Stanley Savige
, Vernon Sturdee
and Henry Wells
. His body was cremated at the Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park
.
Blamey is honoured in Australia in various ways, including a square named after him which is situated outside the Russell Offices
headquarters of the Australian Defence Force
and Department of Defence
in the national capital, Canberra
. A statue of Blamey stands in Kings Domain, Melbourne on the corner of Government House Drive and Birdwood Avenue, opposite that of John Monash. It was sculptured from granite and bronze by Raymond B. Ewers and presented to the city in February 1960. Controversially, Blamey is mounted on a jeep instead of the traditional horse. Blamey Barracks at Kapooka
, where the Army Recruit Training Centre is located, is also named in his honour, as is Blamey Street in North Ryde, New South Wales
. His papers are held in the Australian War Memorial
, where his field marshal's baton is on display.
Field Marshal (Australia)
Field Marshal is the highest rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of field marshal. A five-star rank, the equivalent ranks in the other armed services are Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force...
Sir Thomas Albert Blamey GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, ED
Efficiency Decoration
The Efficiency Decoration is a defunct medal of Britain and the Commonwealth awarded for long service in the Territorial Army of the UK, the Indian Volunteer Forces and Colonial Auxiliary Forces....
(24 January 1884 – 27 May 1951) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n general of the First and Second World Wars, and the only Australian to date to attain the rank of field marshal.
Blamey joined the Australian Army as a regular soldier in 1906, and attended the Staff College at Quetta
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
. During the First World War he participated in the landing at Anzac Cove
Landing at Anzac Cove
The landing at Anzac Cove was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915. The landing, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast of the Peninsula, was made by soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was the first...
on 25 April 1915, and served as a staff officer in the Gallipoli Campaign, where he was mentioned in despatches for a daring raid being enemy lines. He later served on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, where he distinguished himself in the planning for the Battle of Pozières
Battle of Pozières
The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
. He rose to the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, and served as chief of staff of the Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
under Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
Sir John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
, who credited him as a factor in the Corps' success in the Battle of Hamel
Battle of Hamel
The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack launched by the Australian Corps of the Australian Imperial Force and several American units against German positions in and around the town of Hamel in northern France during World War I....
, the Battle of Amiens and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line
Battle of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line...
.
After the war Blamey was Deputy Chief of the General Staff, and was involved in the creation of the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
. He resigned from the regular Army in 1925 to become Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
, but remained in the Militia
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
, rising to command the 3rd Division in 1931. As Chief Commissioner, Blamey set about dealing with the grievances that had led to the 1923 Victorian Police strike
1923 Victorian Police strike
The 1923 Victorian Police strike occurred in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. On the eve of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in November 1923, half the police force in Melbourne went on strike over the operation of a supervisory system using labour spies...
, and implemented innovations such as police dogs and equipping vehicles with radios. His tenure as Chief Commissioner was marred by a scandal in which his police badge was found in a brothel, and a later attempt to cover up the shooting of a police officer led to his forced resignation in 1936. He later made weekly broadcasts on international affairs on Melbourne radio station 3UZ
3UZ
3UZ is the official callsign of a medium-wave radio station in Melbourne, Australia which broadcasts under the name Radio Sport National.-History:...
. Appointed chairman of the Commonwealth Government's Manpower Committee and Controller General of Recruiting in 1938, he headed a successful recruiting campaign which doubled the size of the part-time volunteer Militia.
During the Second World War he commanded the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
and the I Corps in the Middle East. In the latter role he commanded Australian and Commonwealth troops in the disastrous Battle of Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
. In the former role, he attempted to protect Australian interests against British commanders who sought to disperse his forces on all manner of missions. He was appointed Deputy Commander in Chief in the Middle East, and was promoted to general
General (Australia)
General is the second highest rank, and the highest active rank, of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of General; it is also considered a four-star rank....
in 1941. In 1942, he returned to Australia as Commander in Chief of the Australian Military Forces and Commander of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
under the command of General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
. On the orders of MacArthur and Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
, he assumed personal command of New Guinea Force
New Guinea Force
New Guinea Force was a military command unit for Australian, territory of Papua and territory of New Guinea troops serving in the New Guinea campaign during World War II. Formed in April 1942 it was responsible for planning and directing all operations within the territory up until October 1944,...
during the Kokoda Track Campaign
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
, and relieved some commanders under controversial circumstances. During the Salamaua–Lae Campaign he planned and executed a major victorious campaign. Nonetheless, during the final campaigns of the war he faced vociferous criticism of the Army's performance. He signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of Australia at Japan's ceremonial surrender in Tokyo Bay on 3 September 1945, and later personally accepted the Japanese surrender at Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
. He was promoted to field marshal in June 1950.
Early life
The seventh of ten children, Blamey was born on 24 January 1884 in Lake Albert, New South WalesLake Albert, New South Wales
Lake Albert is a suburb of the city of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia, on the shores of Lake Albert from which it is named. The suburb has three schools; Lake Albert Primary School, Mater Dei Primary School and Mater Dei Catholic College...
, near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...
. He was the son of Richard Blamey, a farmer who had emigrated from Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
at the age of 16 in 1862, and his Australian born wife, Margaret Blamey née Murray. After farming failures in Queensland and on the Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...
near Wagga Wagga, his father Richard moved to a small 20 acres (8.1 ha) property in Lake Albert, where he supplemented his farm income working as a drover and shearing overseer. Blamey acquired the bush skills associated with his father’s enterprises and became a sound horseman. He attended the Superior Public School (now Wagga Wagga Public School), where he played Australian football, and was a keen and efficient member of the Army Cadets
Australian Army Cadets
The Australian Army Cadets is a youth organisation that is involved with progressive training of youths in military and adventurous activities. The programme has more than 19,000 Army Cadets between the ages of 12½ and 19 based in 236 units around Australia...
. He transferred to Wagga Wagga Grammar when he was 13, and was head cadet of its unit for two years.
Blamey began his working life in 1899 as a trainee school teacher at Lake Albert School. He transferred to South Wagga Public School in 1901. In 1903 he moved to Western Australia, where he taught for three years at Fremantle Boys School. He coached the rifle shooting team of its cadet unit there to a win in the Western Australian Cup. Blamey was raised in a Methodist family and was involved with his church. By early 1906 he was a lay preacher, and Church leaders in Western Australia offered him an appointment as an associate minister in Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
.
Early military career
With the creation of the Cadet Instructional Staff of the Australian Military ForcesAustralian Military Forces
The Australian Military Forces was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the "regular army", and the forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen Military Forces and the Australian Citizen Military Force .Initially this...
, Blamey saw a new opportunity. He sat the exam and came third in Australia, but failed to secure an appointment as there were no vacancies in Western Australia. After correspondence with the military authorities he persuaded the Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, Major Julius Bruche, that he should be given the option of taking up an appointment for one of the vacancies in another state. He was appointed to a position in Victoria with the rank of lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, commencing duty in November 1906 with responsibility for school cadets in Victoria.
In Melbourne, Blamey met Minnie Millard, the daughter of a Toorak
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
stockbroker who was involved in the Methodist Church there. They were married at her home on 8 September 1909. His first child was born on 29 June 1910, and named Charles Middleton after a friend of Blamey's who had died in a shooting accident; but the boy was always called Dolf by his family. A second child, a boy named Thomas, was born four years later.
Blamey was promoted to captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
on 1 December 1910, and became brigade major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
of the 12th Brigade Area. Blamey next set his sights on attending the British Staff College. There were two staff colleges, at Camberley
Staff College, Camberley
Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army from 1802 to 1997, with periods of closure during major wars. In 1997 it was merged into the new Joint Services Command and Staff College.-Origins:...
in England and Quetta
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
in India, and from 1908 one position was set aside for the Australian Army at each every year. No Australian officers managed to pass the demanding entrance examinations, although this requirement was waived to allow them to attend. In 1911, Blamey became the first Australian officer to pass the entrance test for examination. He commenced his studies at Quetta in 1912, accompanied by Minnie and Dolf. He performed very well, completing the course in December 1913.
The usual practice was for Australian staff college graduates to follow their training with a posting to a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
or British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
headquarters. He was initially attached to the 4th Battalion, King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
at Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, and then on the staff of the Kohat Brigade
Kohat Brigade
The Kohat Brigade was formed after the 1903 reforms of the British Indian Army by Herbert Kitchener when he was Commander-in-Chief, India. The brigade was part of the Northern Army and deployed along the North West Frontier...
on the North West Frontier. Finally, he was assigned to the General Staff at Army Headquarters at Shimal. In May 1914, Blamey was sent to Britain for more training, while his family returned home to Australia. He left India visiting Turkey (including the Dardanelles), Belgium, and the battlefields of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
en route. He spent a brief time on attachment to the 4th Dragoon Guards at Tidworth
Tidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
before taking up duties on the staff of the Wessex Division, at that time entering its annual camp. On 1 July 1914, he was promoted to major.
First World War
Following the outbreak of the First World War, Blamey was transferred to the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
, where he worked in the Intelligence Branch
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
preparing daily summaries for the King
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Secretary of State for War
Secretary of State for War
The position of Secretary of State for War, commonly called War Secretary, was a British cabinet-level position, first held by Henry Dundas . In 1801 the post became that of Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The position was re-instated in 1854...
, Lord Kitchener. Fully trained staff officers were rare and valuable in the Australian Army, and while still in Britain, Blamey was appointed to the First Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
(AIF) as General Staff Officer, Grade 3 (Intelligence), on the staff of Major General
Major General (Australia)
Major General is a senior rank of the Australian Army, and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of Major General. It is the third-highest active rank of the Australian Army, and is considered to be equivalent to a two-star rank...
William Bridges' 1st Division. As such, he reported to the 1st Division's GSO1, Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Brudenell White
Brudenell White
General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham White KCB, KCMG, KCVO, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army, who served as Chief of the General Staff from 1920 to 1923 and again from March to August 1940, when he was killed in the Canberra air disaster.-Early Life and career:White was born in St...
. In November 1914 Blamey sailed for Egypt with Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Harry Chauvel, to join the Australian contingent there.
Gallipoli
Along with Bridges, White and other members of 1st Division headquarters, Blamey left the battleship in a trawler and landed on the beach at Anzac CoveLanding at Anzac Cove
The landing at Anzac Cove was part of the amphibious invasion of the Gallipoli Peninsula by Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915. The landing, north of Gaba Tepe on the Aegean coast of the Peninsula, was made by soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was the first...
at 07:20 on 25 April 1915. Blamey was sent to evaluate the need for reinforcements by Colonel James Whiteside M'Cay's 2nd Brigade on the 400 Plateau
Lone Pine (tree)
The Lone Pine was the name given to a solitary tree on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, which marked the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in 1915...
. He confirmed that they were in such need, and the reinforcements were sent.
On the night of 13 May 1915, Blamey, in his capacity as 1st Division intelligence officer, led a patrol consisting of himself, Sergeant J.H. Will and Bombardier A.A. Orchard, behind the Turkish lines in an effort to locate the Olive Grove guns that had been harassing the beach. Near Pine Ridge, an enemy party of eight Turks approached and one of them went to bayonet Orchard, so Blamey shot him with his revolver. In the action that followed, six Turks were killed. He withdrew his patrol back to the Australian lines without locating the guns. For this action, he was mentioned in despatches.
Blamey was always interested in technical innovation, and receptive to unorthodox ideas. He was instrumental in the adoption of the periscope rifle
Periscope rifle
A periscope rifle was first invented by Sergeant William Beech, a builder's foreman in civilian life, of the 2nd Battalion NSW, Australian Imperial Force, in May 1915...
at Gallipoli, an instrument which he saw during an inspection of the front line. He arranged for the inventor, Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
W.C.B. Beech, to be seconded to division headquarters to develop the idea. Within a few days, the design was perfected and periscope rifles began to be used throughout the Australian trenches.
In July 1915 Blamey was given a staff appointment as a General Staff Officer, Grade 2 (GSO2), and in September 1915 he was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel and joined the staff of the newly forming 2nd Division in Egypt as its Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster General (AA&QMG) – the senior administrative officer of the division. Its commander, Major General James Gordon Legge
James Gordon Legge
Lieutenant General James Gordon Legge CB, CMG was an Australian Army Lieutenant General who served in World War I. His son Stanley Ferguson Legge reached the rank of Major General.-Early life and career:...
preferred to have an Australian colonel in this post as he felt that a British officer might not take such good care of the troops. The 2nd Division Headquarters embarked for Gallipoli on 29 August 1915, but Blamey was forced to remain in Egypt as he had just had an operation for haemorrhoids. He finally returned to Anzac on 25 October 1915, remaining for the rest of the campaign.
Western Front
After the Australian forces moved to the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in 1916, Blamey returned to the 1st Division as GSO1. At the Battle of Pozières
Battle of Pozières
The Battle of Pozières was a two week struggle for the French village of Pozières and the ridge on which it stands, during the middle stages of the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Though British divisions were involved in most phases of the fighting, Pozières is primarily remembered as an Australian battle...
, he developed the plan of attack which captured the town, for which he received a mention in despatches, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
in the 1917 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
. He was considered as a possible brigade commander, but he had never commanded a battalion, which was usually regarded as a prerequisite for brigade command. He was therefore appointed to command the 2nd Infantry Battalion on 3 December 1916. On 28 December, Blamey, as senior ranking battalion commander, took over as acting commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade. On 9 January 1917, he went on leave, handing over command to Lieutenant Colonel Iven Mackay. However, when General Headquarters BEF found out about this use of a staff college graduate, it reminded I ANZAC Corps
I Anzac Corps
The I ANZAC Corps was a combined Australian and New Zealand army corps that served during World War I.It was formed in Egypt in February 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the Australian Imperial Force and the New Zealand Expeditionary Force following the evacuation of Gallipoli...
that "it is inadvisable to release such officers for command of battalions unless they have proved to be unequal to their duties on staff".
Blamey therefore returned to 1st Division Headquarters. Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood did, however, promote Blamey to full colonel, backdated to 1 December 1916, thereby making him technically senior to a number of recently promoted brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
s, that rank being only held temporarily. His division commander, Major General H. B. Walker
Harold Bridgwood Walker
Lieutenant General Sir Harold Bridgwood Walker KCB, KCMG, DSO was an English general who led Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War...
, had Blamey mentioned in dispatches for this period of battalion and brigade command, although the battalion had spent most of the period out of the line and there had been no significant engagements. Blamey was also acting commander of the 2nd Brigade during a rest period from 27 August to 4 September 1917. On 8 September he was evacuated sick with vomiting and coughing. He was evacuated to England where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital for treatment for debilitating psoriasis
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that appears on the skin. It occurs when the immune system mistakes the skin cells as a pathogen, and sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious. However, psoriasis has been linked to an increased risk of...
on 22 September, and did not return to duty until 8 November 1917. Blamey was made a Companion of St Michael and St George in the 1918 New Year's list, and received another mention in despatches in May 1918.
On 1 June 1918, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
John Monash
John Monash
General Sir John Monash GCMG, KCB, VD was a civil engineer who became the Australian military commander in the First World War. He commanded the 13th Infantry Brigade before the War and then became commander of the 4th Brigade in Egypt shortly after the outbreak of the War with whom he took part...
succeeded Birdwood as commander of the Australian Corps
Australian Corps
The Australian Corps was a World War I army corps that contained all five Australian infantry divisions serving on the Western Front. It was the largest corps fielded by the British Empire army in France...
, and Blamey was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and replaced White as the corps Brigadier General General Staff (BGGS). He played a significant role in the success of the Australian Corps in the final months of the war. Blamey remained interested in technological innovation. He was impressed by the capabilities of the new models of tanks and pressed for their use at Battle of Hamel
Battle of Hamel
The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack launched by the Australian Corps of the Australian Imperial Force and several American units against German positions in and around the town of Hamel in northern France during World War I....
, where they played an important part in the success of the battle. Monash rated him as a factor in his Corps' success in the Battle of Amiens in August and the Battle of the Hindenburg Line
Battle of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces in the spearhead attack and as a single combined force against the German Siegfried Stellung of the Hindenburg Line...
in September. The Major General General Staff of the British Fourth Army, of which the Australian Corps was a part during these battles, Major General Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd, was a former instructor of Blamey's at Quetta. He declared himself "full of admiration for the staff work of the Australian Corps." Monash later wrote:
Blamey's loyalty to Monash would continue after the latter's death in 1931, and would have important consequences. For his services as Corps Chief of Staff, Blamey was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1919, mentioned in despatches twice more, and was awarded the French Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
.
General staff
Blamey arrived back in Australia on 20 October 1919, after an absence of seven years, and became director of Military Operations at Army Headquarters in Melbourne. His AIF appointment was terminated on 19 December 1919, but he retained his wartime rank of a brigadier general as an honorary rank. He was promoted to a substantive colonel in January 1920, and in May 1920 was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff.His first major task was the creation of the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF). The government established a joint Army-Navy board to provide recommendations on the matter, with Blamey and Lieutenant Richard Williams as the Army representatives. Blamey supported the creation of an separate air force, albeit one still subordinate to the Army and Navy. He refused to yield, however, on his opposition to the Navy's demand that Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Goble
Stanley Goble
Air Vice Marshal Stanley James Goble CBE, DSO, DSC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force . He served three terms as Chief of the Air Staff, alternating with Wing Commander Richard Williams...
become its first chief.
In November 1922 Blamey embarked for London to be the Australian representative on the Imperial General Staff. He reported that the "conception of an Imperial General Staff... was absolutely dead". The British Army saw no little use in the concept of a combined staff which could coordinate the defence of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. He became involved with the development of the Singapore strategy
Singapore strategy
The Singapore strategy was a strategy of the British Empire between 1919 and 1941. It was a series of war plans that evolved over a twenty year period to deter or defeat aggression by the Empire of Japan by basing a fleet of the Royal Navy at Singapore. Ideally, this fleet would be able to...
, and he briefed Prime Minister Stanley Bruce
Stanley Bruce
Stanley Melbourne Bruce, 1st Viscount Bruce of Melbourne, CH, MC, FRS, PC , was an Australian politician and diplomat, and the eighth Prime Minister of Australia. He was the second Australian granted an hereditary peerage of the United Kingdom, but the first whose peerage was formally created...
on it for the 1923 Imperial Conference, at which it was formally adopted. Even in 1923, though, Blamey was sceptical about the strategy.
When White retired as Chief of General Staff in 1923, Blamey was widely expected to succeed him, as he had as chief of staff of the Australian Corps in France, but there were objections from more senior officers, particularly Major General Victor Sellheim, at being passed over. Instead, the Inspector General, Lieutenant General Sir Harry Chauvel, was made Chief of General Staff as well, while Blamey was given the new post of Second CGS, in which he performed most of the duties of Chief of General Staff.
Seeing no immediate prospects for advancement. Blamey transferred from the Permanent Military Forces to the Militia on 1 September 1925. For the next 14 years he would remain in the Army as a part-time soldier. On 1 May 1926 he assumed command of the 10th Infantry Brigade
10th Brigade (Australia)
The 10th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army. It was raised in 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force following the end of the Gallipoli campaign and subsequently saw service on the Western Front in France and Belgium during the First World War...
, part of the 3rd Division. Blamey stepped up to command the 3rd Division on 23 March 1931, and was promoted to major general, one of only four Militia officers promoted to this rank between 1929 and 1939. In 1937 he was transferred to the unattached list.
Chief Commissioner of the Victoria Police
In 1923, the Victoria PoliceVictoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
went on strike
1923 Victorian Police strike
The 1923 Victorian Police strike occurred in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. On the eve of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in November 1923, half the police force in Melbourne went on strike over the operation of a supervisory system using labour spies...
, and Monash and James McCay established a Special Constabulary Force to carry out police duties. After the Chief Commissioner, Alexander Nicholson, resigned for ill-health in 1925, Chauvel recommended Blamey for the post. He became Chief Commissioner on 1 September 1925 for a five-year term, with a salary of £1,500 per annum (A$ in 2008 dollars). Blamey set about addressing the grievances that had caused the strike, which he felt "were just, even if they went the wrong way about them". Blamey improved pay and conditions, and implemented the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the strike. He attempted to introduce faster promotion based on merit, but this was unpopular with the Police Association
Police Association Victoria
The Police Association Victoria is the union organisation representing about 11,000 members of the Victoria Police. The association is affiliated with the Police Federation of Australia, representing over 50,000 Australian Police Officers.-History:...
, and was abandoned by his successors. As in the Army, he showed a willingness to adopt new ideas, such as police dogs. He increased the number of police cars equipped with two-way radios from one in 1925 to five in 1930. He also boosted the numbers of policewomen on the force.
Blamey became involved in his first and greatest scandal soon after taking office. During a raid on a brothel in Fitzroy
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...
on 21 October 1925, the police encountered a man who produced Blamey's police badge, No. 80. Blamey later said that he had given his key ring, which included his badge, to a friend who had served with him in France, so that the man could help himself to some alcohol in Blamey's locker at the Naval and Military Club. Blamey's story was corroborated by his friend Stanley Savige
Stanley Savige
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant general....
, who was with him at the time. Blamey protected the man in question, whom he said was married with children, and refused to identify him. He has never been identified, but the description given by the detectives and the brothel owner did not match Blamey.
During the 1920s, Victoria had repressive and restrictive drinking laws, including the notorious six o'clock closing. Blamey took the position that it was the job of the police to enforce the laws, even if they did not support them. He drew a sharp distinction between his personal life and his job. Many members of the public did not agree with this attitude. Blamey's presence in a hotel after closing time was always welcome, as it meant that drinking could continue, for it was known that it would not be raided while he was there; but other citizens felt that it was unjust that they continued to be arrested for breaking the same laws.
As Police Commissioner he defended the actions of the police during the 1928 Waterside Workers' Federation dispute, during which police opened fire, killing a striking worker who as also a Gallipoli veteran, and wounding several others. Blamey's treatment of the unionists was typical of his hard line anti-communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
beliefs and as such his relations with left-wing governments were tense. Along with many senior army and ex-army officers, he was a leading member of the clandestine far-right wing League of National Security. This was reportedly a response to the rise of communism in Australia. Its members stood ready to take up arms to stop a catholic or communist revolution.
Blamey was re-appointed as Chief Commissioner in 1930, but at a reduced salary of £1,250 per annum. A year later it was reduced still further, to £785, due to cutbacks as a result of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Minnie became an invalid, and by 1930 no longer accompanied him in public. His son Dolf, now an RAAF flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
, was killed in an air crash at RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...
. Minnie died in October 1935. Blamey was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 1935 New Year Honours,Citation: "Major General Thomas Albert Blamey, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. Chief Commissioner of Police, State of Victoria. For services in connection with the Centenary Celebrations." and in 1936 he was appointed a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John.
A second scandal occurred in 1936 when Blamey attempted to cover up details of the shooting of the superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Branch, John O'Connell Brophy, whom Blamey had appointed to the post. Brophy had taken two women friends along with him to a meeting with a police informant. While they were waiting for the informant, they had been approached by armed bandits, and Brophy had opened fire and had himself been wounded. In order to cover up the identities of the two women involved, Blamey initially issued a press release to the effect that Brophy had accidentally shot himself. The Premier, Albert Dunstan
Albert Dunstan
Sir Albert Arthur Dunstan, KCMG was an Australian politician. A member of the Country Party , Dunstan was the 33rd Premier of Victoria. His term as Premier was the second-longest in the state's history, behind Sir Henry Bolte...
, gave Blamey the choice of resigning or being dismissed. The latter meant the loss of pension rights and any future prospects of employment in the Public Service or the Army. Blamey reluctantly submitted his resignation on 9 July 1936.
From March 1938 Blamey supplemented his income by making weekly broadcasts on international affairs on Melbourne radio station 3UZ
3UZ
3UZ is the official callsign of a medium-wave radio station in Melbourne, Australia which broadcasts under the name Radio Sport National.-History:...
under the pseudonym "the Sentinel". Blamey and the station's general manager, Alfred Kemsley, felt that Australians were poorly informed about international affairs, and set about raising awareness of matters that Blamey believed would soon impact them greatly. He was appalled at Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
's persecution of Jews, and saw a clear and growing menace to world peace from Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. Blamey's 15-minute weekly talks continued until the end of September 1939, by which time the war that he had warned was coming had started.
In November 1938, Blamey was appointed chairman of the Commonwealth Government's Manpower Committee and Controller General of Recruiting. As such, he laid the foundation for the expansion of the Army in the event of war with Germany or Japan, which he now regarded as inevitable. In 1938 and 1939, he headed a successful recruiting campaign which doubled the size of the part-time volunteer Militia from 35,000 in September 1938 to 70,000 in March 1939. On 5 April 1939 he married Olga Ora Farnsworth, a 35-year-old fashion artist, at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak, Victoria
Toorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
.
Richard Casey, who had served with Blamey on Gallipoli and in France, and Jo Gullett
Jo Gullett
Henry Baynton Somer 'Jo' Gullett AM MC, was an Australian soldier, politician, diplomat and journalist. He served with distinction in the Australian Army during World War II, was a controversial Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Division of Henty from 1946 to 1955,...
put Blamey's name forward to Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Lyons
Joseph Aloysius Lyons, CH was an Australian politician. He was Labor Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928 and a Minister in the James Scullin government from 1929 until his resignation from the Labor Party in March 1931...
as a possible commander in chief in the event of a major war. "We've got some brilliant staff officers," Casey told Lyons, "but Blamey is a commander. That's the difference." Lyons initially had concerns about Blamey's morals, but Casey and Lyons summoned Blamey to a meeting in Canberra, after which, Lyons designated Blamey for the job. Lyons died on on 7 April 1939, but was replaced as prime minister by Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
, another prominent supporter of Blamey's. Two other officers, Major Generals Gordon Bennett and John Lavarack
John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
were considered, and had strong supporters; but both were strong and public critics of the government's defence policies, whereas Blamey had never publicly criticised government policy.
Middle East
On 13 October 1939, a month after the outbreak of the Second World War, Blamey was promoted to lieutenant generalLieutenant General (Australia)
Lieutenant general is the second-highest active rank of the Australian Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the British military rank of lieutenant general. It is also considered a three-star rank....
and appointed to command the 6th Division
Australian 6th Division
The 6th Division of the Australian Army was a unit in the Second Australian Imperial Force during World War II. It served in the North African campaign, the Greek campaign and the New Guinea campaign, including the crucial battles of the Kokoda Track, among others...
, the first formation of the new Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
, and received the AIF service number VX1. Menzies limited Blamey's choice of commanders by insisting that they be selected from the Militia rather than the PMF. For brigade commanders Blamey chose Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
s Arthur Allen
Arthur Samuel Allen
Major General Arthur Samuel "Tubby" Allen CB CBE DSO VD was an Australian soldier. During World War II he reached the rank of Major General and commanded Allied forces in the Syria-Lebanon and New Guinea campaigns...
, Leslie Morshead
Leslie Morshead
Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian soldier, teacher, businessman, and farmer, with a distinguished military career that spanned both world wars...
and Stanley Savige. He selected Brigadier Edmund Herring
Edmund Herring
Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, ED, QC was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War, Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.A Rhodes scholar, Herring was at New College, Oxford, when the First World...
to command the 6th Division artillery, Colonel Samuel Burston
Samuel Burston
Major General Sir Samuel Roy Burston KBE, CB, DSO, VD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRACP was an Australian soldier, physician, and horse racing identity....
for its medical services, and Lieutenant Colonels Clive Steele
Clive Steele
Major General Sir Clive Selwyn Steele KBE, DSO, MC, VD was an engineer and a senior officer of the Australian Army who served in both World War I and World War II...
and Jack Stevens
Jack Stevens
Major General Sir Jack Edwin Stawell Stevens KBE, CB, DSO, ED was a senior officer in the Australian Army during the Second World War...
its engineers and signals. All except Allen had previously served with Blamey during his time commanding the 3rd Division in Melbourne. For his two most senior staff officers, he chose Colonel Sydney Rowell
Sydney Rowell
Lieutenant General Sir Sydney Fairbairn Rowell, KBE, CB was an Australian soldier who served as Chief of the General Staff from 17 April 1950 to 15 December 1954...
and Lieutenant Colonel George Alan Vasey.
In February 1940, the War Cabinet
War Cabinet
A War Cabinet is a committee formed by a government in a time of war. It is usually a subset of the full executive cabinet of ministers. It is also quite common for a War Cabinet to have senior military officers and opposition politicians as members....
decided to form a second AIF division, the 7th Division
Australian 7th Division
The 7th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1940 to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force...
, and group the 6th and 7th Divisions together as I Corps, with Blamey as its commander. On Blamey's recommendation, Major General Iven Mackay was appointed to succeed him in command of the 6th Division, while Lieutenant General John Lavarack
John Lavarack
Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensland from 1 October 1946 to 4 December 1957, the first Australian-born governor of that state....
assumed command of the 7th Division. Blamey took Brigadier Rowell with him as his chief of staff, and picked Major General Henry Wynter
Henry Wynter
Lieutenant General Henry Douglas Wynter, CB, CMG, DSO was a regular Australian Army officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general during World War II...
as his administrative officer. Blamey flew to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
on a Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
in June 1940. He refused to allow his troops to perform police duties in Palestine, and established warm relations with the Jewish community there, becoming a frequent guest in their homes.
As commander of the AIF, Blamey was answerable directly to the Minister of Defence
Minister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
, rather than to the Military Board. He was given a charter based on that given to Bridges in 1914. Part of his charter required that his forces remain together as cohesive units, and that no Australian forces were to be deployed or engaged without the prior consent of the Australian government. Blamey was not inflexible and permitted Australian units to be detached when there was a genuine military need. Because the situation in the Middle East tended to lurch from crisis to crisis, this resulted in his troops becoming widely scattered at times. When the crises had passed, however, he wanted units returned to their parent formations. This resulted in conflicts with British commanders. The first one occurred in August 1940 when the British Commander in Chief Middle East, General Sir Archibald Wavell and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, ordered the 16th Infantry Brigade forward to Egypt. Blamey refused on the grounds that the brigade was not yet fully equipped, but eventually compromised.
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
on 15 February 1941, but within days Blamey was informed that his troops would be sent to Greece. Blamey has been criticised for allowing Australian troops to be sent on the expedition to Greece
Battle of Greece
The Battle of Greece is the common name for the invasion and conquest of Greece by Nazi Germany in April 1941. Greece was supported by British Commonwealth forces, while the Germans' Axis allies Italy and Bulgaria played secondary roles...
when he knew it was extremely hazardous after he was told that Menzies had approved. Blamey insisted, however, on sending the veteran 6th Division first instead of the 7th Division, resulting in a heated argument with Wavell, which Blamey won. Blamey was under no illusions about the odds of success and immediately prepared plans for an evacuation. His foresight and determination saved many of his men but he lost credibility when he chose his son to fill the one remaining seat on the aircraft carrying him out of Greece. The campaign exposed deficiencies in the Australian Army's training, leadership and staff work that had passed unnoticed or had not been addressed in the Libyan Campaign
Operation Compass
Operation Compass was the first major Allied military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during World War II. British and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces in western Egypt and eastern Libya in December 1940 to February 1941. The attack was a complete success...
. The pressure of the campaign opened a rift between Blamey and Rowell, which was to have important consequences. While Rowell and Brigadier William Bridgeford
William Bridgeford
Lieutenant General Sir William Bridgeford KBE, CB, MC was a senior officer in the Australian Army. He began his military career in 1913 and fought on the Western Front during the First World War, before rising to command the 3rd Infantry Division during the Bougainville campaign in the Second...
were extremely critical of Blamey's performance in Greece, this opinion was not widely held. Wavell reported that "Blamey has shown himself a fine fighting commander in these operations and fitted for high command."
The political fallout from the disastrous Battle of Greece led to Blamey's appointment as Deputy Commander in Chief Middle East in April 1941. However, to ensure that command would not pass to Blamey in the event of something happening to Wavell, the British government promoted Sir Henry Maitland Wilson to general
General (United Kingdom)
General is currently the highest peace-time rank in the British Army and Royal Marines. It is subordinate to the Army rank of Field Marshal, has a NATO-code of OF-9, and is a four-star rank....
in June. Soon afterwards, Wavell was replaced by General Sir Claude Auchinleck
Claude Auchinleck
Field Marshal Sir Claude John Eyre Auchinleck, GCB, GCIE, CSI, DSO, OBE , nicknamed "The Auk", was a British army commander during World War II. He was a career soldier who spent much of his military career in India, where he developed a love of the country and a lasting affinity for the soldiers...
. Blamey was subsequently promoted to the same rank on 24 September 1941, becoming only the fourth Australian to reach this rank, after Monash, Chauvel and White. During the Syrian campaign against the Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, Blamey took decisive action to resolve the command difficulties caused by Wilson's attempt to direct the fighting from the King David Hotel
King David Hotel
The King David Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish Banker. To this day the hotel remains one of the most prominent and prestigious hotels in Israel, and...
in Jerusalem by interposing Lavarack's I Corps headquarters.
During Blamey's absence in Greece, AIF units had become widely scattered, with forces being deployed to Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, and the 9th Division
Australian 9th Division
The 9th Division was a division of the Australian Army that served during World War II. It was the fourth division of the Second Australian Imperial Force and was formed in the United Kingdom in late 1940 from infantry brigades and support units which had been previously raised in Australia and...
and the 18th Infantry Brigade
18th Brigade (Australia)
The 18th Brigade was an infantry brigade of the Australian Army, which served during the Second World War. The brigade was raised on 13 October 1939 and was one of the first three infantry brigades of the Second Australian Imperial Force to be formed. Initially commanded by Brigadier Leslie...
coming under siege in Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
. Blamey would spend the rest of the year attempting to reassemble his forces. This led to a clash with Auchinleck over the relief of Tobruk, where Blamey accepted Burston's advice that the Australian troops there should be relieved on medical grounds. Menzies, and later John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
, backed Blamey, and Auchinleck and Churchill were forced to give way. For his campaigns in the Middle East, Blamey was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1942. He was Mentioned in Despatches for the eighth time, and was awarded the Greek War Cross
Greek War Cross
The War Cross is a military decoration of Greece, awarded for heroism in wartime to both Greeks and foreign allies. There have been two versions of the cross, the 1917 version covering World War I and the 1940 version the Second World War and the Greek Civil War.- 1917 version :- Establishment and...
, First Class.
Papuan campaign
The defence of Australia took on a new urgency in December 1941 with the entry of Japan into the war. Within the Army there was a concern that Bennett or Lavarack would be appointed as Commander in Chief. In March 1942, Vasey, Herring and Steele approached Army Minister Frank FordeFrank Forde
Francis Michael Forde PC was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.-Early life:...
with a proposal that all officers over the age of 50 be immediately retired and Major General Horace Robertson
Horace Robertson
Lieutenant General Sir Horace Clement Hugh Robertson KBE, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War...
be appointed Commander in Chief. This "revolt of the generals" collapsed with the welcome news that Blamey was returning from the Middle East to become Commander in Chief Australian Military Forces
Australian Military Forces
The Australian Military Forces was the official name of the Army of Australia from 1916 to 1980. This encompassed both the "regular army", and the forces, variously known during this period as the Militia, the Citizen Military Forces and the Australian Citizen Military Force .Initially this...
.
General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
arrived in Australia in March 1942 to become Supreme Commander
Supreme Allied Commander
Supreme Allied Commander is the title held by the most senior commander within certain multinational military alliances. It originated as a term used by the Western Allies during World War II, and is currently used only within NATO. Dwight Eisenhower served as Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary...
South West Pacific Area (SWPA). In addition to his duties as Commander in Chief, Blamey became Commander of Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area. In the reorganisation that followed his return to Australia on 23 March, Blamey appointed Lavarack to command the First Army, Mackay to command the Second Army
Second Army (Australia)
The Australian Second Army was a field army of the Australian Army, during World War II. It was created in April 1942, when the commander of Allied land forces in the South West Pacific Area, General Thomas Blamey, gave it responsibility for land forces in the Australia's most populous areas:...
, and Bennett to command the III Corps in Western Australia. Vasey became Deputy Chief of the General Staff (DCGS), while Herring took over Northern Territory Force, and Robertson became commander of the 1st Armoured Division. Blamey's Allied Land Forces Headquarters (LHQ) was established in Melbourne, but after MacArthur's General Headquarters (GHQ) moved to Brisbane in July 1942, Blamey established an Advanced LHQ in St Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia, Queensland
St Lucia is an inner suburb of Brisbane, Australia located 4 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD. The suburb is bordered on three sides by the Brisbane River and is dominated by the main campus of the University of Queensland.-History:...
.
The Allied command structure was soon put under strain by Australian reverses in the Kokoda Track Campaign
Kokoda Track campaign
The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied—primarily Australian—forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua...
. MacArthur was highly critical of the Australian performance, and confided to the Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
, General George Marshall
George Marshall
George Catlett Marshall was an American military leader, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State, and the third Secretary of Defense...
, that "The Australians have proven themselves unable to match the enemy in jungle fighting. Aggressive leadership is lacking." MacArthur told Curtin that Blamey should be sent up to New Guinea to take personal command of the situation. Curtin later confessed that "in my ignorance (of military matters) I thought that the Commander in Chief should be in New Guinea." Jack Beasley
Jack Beasley
John Albert "Jack" Beasley was an Australian politician.-Early life:Beasley was born in Werribee, Victoria, but moved to Sydney with his family as a child. He had a primary education in Catholic schools then became an apprentice electrician...
suggested that Blamey would make a convenient scapegoat: "Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
is going to fall. Send Blamey up there and let him fall with it!"
Blamey felt he had no choice, but his assumption of command of New Guinea Force sat uneasily with Rowell, the commander of I Corps there, who saw it as displaying a lack of confidence in him. A petulant Rowell would not be mollified, and, after a series of disagreements, Blamey relieved Rowell of his command, replacing him with Herring. More reliefs followed. Herring relieved Brigadier Arnold Potts
Arnold Potts
Brigadier Arnold William Potts DSO, OBE, MC was an Australian grazier who served in the First World War and led 21st Brigade of the Second AIF during its defence of the Kokoda Trail during the Second World War...
of the 21st Infantry Brigade
21st Brigade (Australia)
The 21st Brigade was a brigade-sized infantry unit of the Australian Army. Formed in April 1940 as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force, the unit was raised for service during World War II...
, replacing him with Brigadier Ivan Dougherty
Ivan Dougherty
Major General Sir Ivan Noel Dougherty CBE, DSO & Bar, ED was an Australian Army officer during World War II.-Education and early life:...
on 22 October. Five days later, Blamey replaced Allen as the 7th Division's commander with Vasey. Nor were generals the only ones to be removed. Blamey cancelled Chester Wilmot
Chester Wilmot
Reginald William Winchester Wilmot was an Australian war correspondent who reported for the BBC and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation during the Second World War. After the war he continued to work as a broadcast reporter, and wrote a well-appreciated book about the liberation of Europe...
's accreditation as a war correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
in October 1939 for spreading a false rumour that Blamey was taking payments from the laundry contractor at Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal
Puckapunyal is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia.-Description:Puckapunyal is a small restricted-access town inhabited mainly by about 280...
. Wilmot had later been reinstated, but on 1 November 1942, Blamey again terminated Wilmot's accreditation, this time for good.
During a speech to the 21st Infantry Brigade on 9 November 1942:
The implication of cowardice was seen as contrasting with his own inability to stand up to MacArthur and the Prime Minister. Rowell felt that Blamey "had not shown the necessary 'moral courage' to fight the Cabinet on an issue of confidence in me." However, when American troops were checked at in the Battle of Buna-Gona
Battle of Buna-Gona
The Battle of Buna–Gona was a battle in the New Guinea campaign, a major part of the Pacific campaign of World War II. On 16 November 1942, Australian and United States forces attacked the main Japanese beachheads in New Guinea, at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. Both forces were riddled by disease and...
, Blamey turned the tables on MacArthur and "frankly said he would rather send in more Australians, as he knew they would fight... a bitter pill for MacArthur to swallow".
In January 1943, Blamey visited the Buna-Gona battlefield, surprising Vasey at how far forward he went, seemingly unconcerned about his safety. Blamey was impressed by the strength of the Japanese fortifications that had been captured, later telling correspondents that Australian and American troops had performed miracles.
At the Battle of Wau
Battle of Wau
The Battle of Wau, 29–31 January 1943, was a battle in the New Guinea campaign of World War II. Forces of the Empire of Japan sailed from Rabaul and crossed the Solomon Sea and, despite Allied air attacks, successfully reached Lae, where they disembarked...
in January 1943, Blamey won the battle by acting decisively on intelligence, shifting the 17th Infantry Brigade from Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
in time to defeat the Japanese attack. The official historian, Dudley McCarthy, later wrote:
For the Papuan Campaign, MacArthur awarded Blamey the American Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
, and Blamey was created a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire on 28 May 1943. This was unusual as it was the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
's policy not to award knighthoods. Blamey's and Herring's knighthoods would be the last that the Labor government would award to Australian soldiers.
New Guinea Campaign
The relationship between MacArthur and Blamey was generally good, and they had great respect for each other's abilities. MacArthur's main objection was that as Commander in Chief AMF as well as Commander Allied Land Forces, Blamey was not wholly under his command. Gavin LongGavin Long
Gavin Merrick Long OBE was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was the general editor of the Australia in the War of 1939–1945 and the author of three of the 22 volumes in the series....
argued that:
The next operation was MacArthur's Operation Cartwheel
Operation Cartwheel
Operation Cartwheel was a major military strategy for the Allies in the Pacific theater of World War II. Cartwheel was a twin-axis of advance operation, aimed at militarily neutralizing the major Japanese base at Rabaul...
, an advance on the major Japanese base at Rabaul. The Australian Army was tasked with the capture of the Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula
Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...
. Blamey was ordered to again assume personal command of New Guinea Force. His concept, which he developed with Herring and Frank Berryman, who had replaced Vasey as DCGS, was to draw the Japanese forces away from Lae with a demonstration against Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
, and then capture Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
with a double envelopment. Blamey remained a devotee of new technology. His plan called for the use of the landing craft of the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade, and he intended to cross the Markham River
Markham River
The Markham River is a river in eastern Papua New Guinea. It originates in the Finisterre Range and flows for to empty into the Huon Gulf at Lae....
with the aid of paratroops. Supplies would be brought across the river using DUKW
DUKW
The DUKW is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious...
s, a relatively new invention. He also attempted to acquire helicopters, but met resistance from the RAAF, and they were never delivered. MacArthur accepted a number of changes that Blamey made to his strategy, the most notable of which was probably moving the landing on New Britain to before Blamey's attack on Madang
Madang
Madang is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century....
.
The campaign started well, with Lae captured well ahead of schedule. Blamey then handed over command of New Guinea Force to Mackay and returned to Australia. The 7th Division then advanced through the Ramu Valley
Finisterre Range campaign
The Finisterre Range campaign, also known as the Ramu Valley–Finisterre Range campaign, was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign of World War II...
while the 9th Division landed at Finschhafen
Battle of Finschhafen
The Battle of Finschhafen was part of the Huon Peninsula campaign during the Second World War between September and October 1943 between Australian and Japanese forces...
. The campaign then slowed owing to a combination of logistical difficulties and Japanese resistance. Blamey responded to a request from Mackay to relieve Herring, whose chief of staff had been killed in an aircraft accident. He immediately sent Morshead. In February 1944 there was criticism in Parliament of the way that Blamey had "side tracked" various generals, the names of Bennett, Rowell, Mackay, Wynter, Herring, Lavarack, Robertson, Morshead and Clowes being mentioned. Blamey responded that
The Minister for the Army, Frank Forde
Frank Forde
Francis Michael Forde PC was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.-Early life:...
also criticised Blamey for having too many generals. Blamey could only reply that the Australian Army had one general for 15,741 men and women compared to one per 9,090 in the British Army.
Blamey was annoyed by the media campaign run against him by William Dunstan
William Dunstan
William Dunstan VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.-Biography:...
and Keith Murdoch
Keith Murdoch
Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch was an Australian journalist and the father of Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and Chairman of News Corp.-Life and career:Murdoch was born in Melbourne in 1885, the son of Annie and the Rev...
of the The Herald and Weekly Times
The Herald and Weekly Times Ltd
The Herald and Weekly Times Limited is a newspaper publishing company based in Melbourne, Australia. It is owned and operated by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited, who purchased HWT in 1987.-Newspapers:...
newspaper group; but success in New Guinea led to a change of heart at the newspaper, and Blamey even accepted a dinner invitation from Murdoch in 1944. There was another victory, though, far more significant. The Army had taken heavy casualties from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
in the fighting in 1942. Blamey took the advice of Edward Ford
Edward Ford (physician)
Colonel Sir Edward Ford OBE FRACP FRCP was an Australian soldier, academic and physician who played an important role in the anti-malaria campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II, and in preventative medicine in Australia after the war, but is best known for his Bibliography of...
and Neil Hamilton Fairley
Neil Hamilton Fairley
Brigadier Sir Neil Hamilton Fairley KBE CStJ FRACP FRCP FRCPE FRS was an Australian physician, medical scientist, and army officer; who was instrumental in saving thousands of Allied lives from malaria and other diseases....
, and strongly backed their, ultimately successful, efforts to control the disease. To acquaint himself with the issues, Blamey read through Manson's Tropical Diseases, the standard medical textbook on the subject. Blamey also promoted the work of Howard Florey on the development of pennicilin, and wrote to Curtin urging that £200,000 be earmarked for Florey's vision of a national institute for medical research in Canberra, which ultimately became the John Curtin School of Medical Research
John Curtin School of Medical Research
The John Curtin School of Medical Research is a major biomedical research centre in Australia, and part of the Australian National University, Canberra. The school was founded in 1948, as a result of the vision of Australian Nobel Laureate Sir Howard Florey and Prime Minister John Curtin.The Nobel...
.
Blamey was involved in discussions with the government over the size of the Army to be maintained. Now that the danger of invasion of Australia had passed, the government reconsidered how the nation's resources, particularly of manpower, should be distributed. Blamey pressed for a commitment to maintain three AIF divisions, as only they could legally be sent north of the equator where the final campaigns would be fought. He urged that the Empire Air Training Scheme be curtailed, and opposed MacArthur's proposal to use the Australian Army primarily for logistic support and leave combat roles principally to American troops.
Final campaigns
On 5 April 1944, Blamey departed for San Francisco on board USS LurlineSS Lurline
SS Lurline may refer to one of the following Matson Navigation Company ships:, served as USAT Chirikof during World War II, ocean liner, the former SS Monterey; named Lurline, 1963–1970...
for the first leg of a voyage to attend the 1944 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference
For conferences held since 1969 see Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingCommonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference were biennial meetings of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominion members of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Seventeen Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conferences...
in London as part of Curtin's party. The journey was made by sea and rail due to Curtin's fear of flying. Also on board the ship were American military personnel returning to the United States, and some 40 Australian war brides. Blamey "was always attractive to women and attracted by them. Advancing years had not reduced either his taste for amorous adventures or his capacity to enjoy them", and he brought with him several cases of spirits. The rowdy goings-on in Blamey's cabin did not endear him to the Prime Minister, who was a reformed alcoholic. The party travelled by train to Washington, DC, where Blamey was warmly greeted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
, and briefed the Combined Chiefs of Staff
Combined Chiefs of Staff
The Combined Chiefs of Staff was the supreme military command for the western Allies during World War II. It was a body constituted from the British Chiefs of Staff Committee and the American Joint Chiefs of Staff....
on the progress of the war in SWPA. In London Blamey had a series of meetings with the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field Marshal Sir Alan Brooke, and was briefed on Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
by General Sir Bernard Montgomery and Air Chief Marshal
Air Chief Marshal
Air chief marshal is a senior 4-star air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Sir Arthur Tedder. Blamey was disappointed to have to turn down an offer to accompany the invasion as a guest of General Dwight Eisenhower because Curtin feared that the invasion would lead to retaliatory German bombing, and wanted to be far away before it started.
As a matter of policy, Curtin wanted Australian forces to be involved in liberating New Guinea. MacArthur therefore proposed that Australian troops relieve the American garrisons on New Britain, Bougainville and New Guinea
Aitape-Wewak campaign
The Aitape–Wewak campaign was one of the final campaigns of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. Between November 1944 and the end of the war in August 1945, the Australian 6th Division, with air and naval support, fought the Imperial Japanese 18th Army in northern New Guinea...
. However, MacArthur baulked at Blamey's proposal to replace the seven American divisions with just seven Australian brigades, resulting in the 6th Division being employed as well. The larger garrisons permitted offensive operations, and demanded them if the 6th Division was to be freed for employment elsewhere. These operations aroused considerable criticism on the grounds that they were unnecessary, that the troops should have been employed elsewhere, and that the Army's equipment and logistics was inadequate. Blamey vigorously defended his aggressive policy to reduce the bypassed Japanese garrisons and free the civilian population, but some felt that he went too far in putting his case publicly in a national radio broadcast. He was also criticised for not spending enough time in forward areas, although he spent more than half his time outside Australia in 1944, and between April 1944 and April 1945 travelled 65000 miles (104,607.1 km) by air, 7000 miles (11,265.4 km) by sea and 7500 miles (12,070.1 km) by land. Blamey urged that the 7th Division not be sent to Balikpapan
Battle of Balikpapan (1945)
The Battle of Balikpapan was the concluding stage of the Borneo campaign . The landings took place on 1 July 1945. The Australian 7th Division, composed of the 18th, 21st and 25th Infantry Brigades, with support troops, made an amphibious landing, codenamed Operation Oboe Two a few miles north of...
, an operation that he regarded as unnecessary. On this occasion, he was not supported by the government, and the operation went ahead as planned.
Gavin Long
Gavin Long
Gavin Merrick Long OBE was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was the general editor of the Australia in the War of 1939–1945 and the author of three of the 22 volumes in the series....
wrote that:
On 2 September 1945, Blamey was with MacArthur on and signed the Japanese surrender document on behalf of Australia. He then flew to Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
and personally accepted the surrender of the remaining Japanese in the South West Pacific. He insisted that Australia should be represented in the Allied occupation of Japan.
Post-war
MacArthur abolished SWPA on 2 September 1945, and on 15 September Blamey offered to resign. The war was over, and the post of Commander in Chief was now a purely administrative one. His offer was not accepted, but on 14 November, the government abruptly announced that it had accepted his resignation, effective 30 November. A farewell party was held in Melbourne, which was attended by 66 brigadiers and generals. Blamey was given time to write up his despatches, and was formally retired on 31 January 1946. Frank Forde asked Blamey if he wanted anything in way of recognition for his services, and Blamey asked for knighthoods for his generals, but Forde could not arrange this. In the end, Forde decided to gift Blamey his Buick staff car, which had clocked up 50000 miles (80,467 km) in the Middle East and the South West Pacific.Blamey returned to Melbourne, where he devoted himself to business affairs, to writing, and to promoting the welfare of ex-service personnel. In September 1948, Blamey paid a visit to Japan, where he was warmly greeted on arrival at Iwakuni by Horace Robertson, the commander of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...
, who also provided an RAAF honour guard. MacArthur sent his own aircraft, the Bataan to collect Blamey and bring him to Tokyo, where he met Blamey at the airport and gave him another warm greeting. In the late 1940s Blamey became involved with The Association, an organisation similar to the earlier League of National Security, which was established to counter a possible communist coup. He was the head of the organisation until ill health forced him to stand down in favour of Morshead in 1950.
Menzies became prime minister again in December 1949, and he resolved that Blamey should be promoted to the rank of field marshal, something that had been mooted in 1945. The recommendation went via the Governor General, William McKell
William McKell
Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....
, to the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
in London, which replied that a dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
officer could not be promoted to the rank. Menzies pointed out that Jan Smuts
Jan Smuts
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM, CH, ED, KC, FRS, PC was a prominent South African and British Commonwealth statesman, military leader and philosopher. In addition to holding various cabinet posts, he served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948...
already had. The War Office then claimed that Blamey could not be promoted to field marshal because he was a retired officer, which was not true. Menzies then restored Blamey to active duty. Blamey was duly promoted to field marshal in the King's Birthday Honours of 8 June 1950.
A few days afterwards, Blamey became seriously ill and was forced to receive his field marshal's baton from the Governor General, William McKell
William McKell
Sir William John McKell GCMG , Australian politician, was Premier of New South Wales from 1941 to 1947, and was the 12th Governor-General of Australia. He was also the oldest Governor General of Australia, at 93 when he died....
, in his hospital bed at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital. He died there of hypertensive cerebral haemorrhage on 27 May 1951. His body lay in state at the Shrine of Remembrance
Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance, located in Kings Domain on St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Australia was built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I and is now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war...
, where 20,000 people filed past. Crowds estimated at 300,000 lined the streets of Melbourne at his state funeral. Ten of his lieutenant generals served as pallbearers: Frank Berryman
Frank Horton Berryman
Lieutenant General Sir Frank Horton Berryman, KCVO, CB, CBE, DSO was an Australian Army officer who rose to the rank of lieutenant general during the Second World War. The son of an engine driver, he entered Duntroon in 1913. Graduating early due to the First World War, he served on the Western...
, William Bridgeford
William Bridgeford
Lieutenant General Sir William Bridgeford KBE, CB, MC was a senior officer in the Australian Army. He began his military career in 1913 and fought on the Western Front during the First World War, before rising to command the 3rd Infantry Division during the Bougainville campaign in the Second...
, Edmund Herring
Edmund Herring
Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring, KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, KStJ, ED, QC was an Australian Army officer during the Second World War, Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria.A Rhodes scholar, Herring was at New College, Oxford, when the First World...
, Iven Mackay, Leslie Morshead
Leslie Morshead
Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead KCB, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED was an Australian soldier, teacher, businessman, and farmer, with a distinguished military career that spanned both world wars...
, John Northcott
John Northcott
Lieutenant General Sir John Northcott KCMG, KCVO, CB was an Australian Army general who served as Chief of the General Staff during World War II, and commanded the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in the Occupation of Japan...
, Sydney Rowell
Sydney Rowell
Lieutenant General Sir Sydney Fairbairn Rowell, KBE, CB was an Australian soldier who served as Chief of the General Staff from 17 April 1950 to 15 December 1954...
, Stanley Savige
Stanley Savige
Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige, KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was an Australian Army soldier and officer who served in World War I and World War II, rising to the rank of lieutenant general....
, Vernon Sturdee
Vernon Sturdee
Lieutenant General Sir Vernon Ashton Hobart Sturdee KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian Army commander who served two terms as Chief of the General Staff...
and Henry Wells
Henry Wells (general)
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Wells KBE, CB, DSO was a senior officer in the Australian Army. Serving as Chief of the General Staff from 1954 to 1958, Wells' career culminated with his appointment as the first Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, a position marking him as the professional head of...
. His body was cremated at the Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park
Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park
Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park is located in the north western Melbourne suburb of Fawkner, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest cemetery by land size in the state....
.
Legacy
Russell Offices
The Russell Offices is a complex of office buildings located in the Canberra suburb of Russell.Together with Campbell Park, these two complexes are home to the Australian Department of Defence and contain the administrative headquarters of the Australian Defence Force.The Office of National...
headquarters of the Australian Defence Force
Australian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
and Department of Defence
Department of Defence (Australia)
The Australian Department of Defence is a Federal Government Department. It forms part of the Australian Defence Organisation along with the Australian Defence Force . The Defence mission is to defend Australia and its national interests...
in the national capital, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. A statue of Blamey stands in Kings Domain, Melbourne on the corner of Government House Drive and Birdwood Avenue, opposite that of John Monash. It was sculptured from granite and bronze by Raymond B. Ewers and presented to the city in February 1960. Controversially, Blamey is mounted on a jeep instead of the traditional horse. Blamey Barracks at Kapooka
Kapooka
thumb|right|300px|Army Recruit Training Centre entrance signArmy Recruit Training Centre is the official name denoted by the Australian Army Department of Defence since December 1, 1998 for its Recruit Training Centre situated at Kapooka, an outer suburb of Wagga Wagga, in the Riverina region of...
, where the Army Recruit Training Centre is located, is also named in his honour, as is Blamey Street in North Ryde, New South Wales
North Ryde, New South Wales
North Ryde is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. North Ryde is located 15 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde...
. His papers are held in the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, where his field marshal's baton is on display.