Australian Corps
| Australian Corps | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 November 1917–1918 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Size | 5 divisions |
| Part of | British Expeditionary Force |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| November 1917 – May 1918 | Gen. William Birdwood |
| May 1918 – November 1918 | Lt Gen. John Monash |
| November 1918 – May 1919 | Lt Gen. Talbot Hobbs |
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 in France. At its peak the Australian Corps numbered 109,881 men. By 1918 the headquarters consisted of more than 300 personnel of all ranks, including senior staff officers, as well as supporting personnel such as clerks, drivers and batmen. Formed on 1 November 1917, the corps replaced I Anzac Corps while II Anzac Corps, which contained the New Zealand Division, became the British XXII Corps. While its structure varied it usually included 4–5 infantry divisions, corps artillery and heavy artillery, a corps flying squadron and captive balloon sections, anti-aircraft batteries, corps engineers, corps mounted troops (light horse and cyclists), ordnance workshops, medical and dental units, transport, salvage and an employment company.
Following the hard fighting of 1917, where the Australian divisions suffered heavily at Bullecourt, Messines and the Third Battle of Ypres, the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) was facing a manpower crisis. One referendum for conscription had already failed and another would be defeated on 1 December 1917. Voluntary recruitment was declining. Plans to form a 6th Australian Division were scrapped and the incomplete formation was disbanded. To make up the numbers, it was proposed to disband the Australian 4th Division, numerically the weakest, but this was strongly resisted by the members of the AIF.
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