Organisation and structure
Troops of the AIF were organised in a pattern that evolved at the beginning of the War and has been applied consistently since then. The hierarchy is as follows.
Troops of the AIF were organised in a pattern that evolved at the beginning of the War and has been applied consistently since then. The hierarchy is as follows.
Group | Composition | Strength | Under command of... | ||
Section | up to 12 men | Lance Corporal or Corporal | |||
Platoon | 4 Sections | 50 men | 2nd Lieutenant or Lieutenant and Sergeant | ||
Company | 4 Platoons | + HQ | 220 men | Major or Captain and CSM (Company Sergeant Major) | Battalion | 4 Companies | + HQ | 1,000 men | Lieutenant Colonel and RSM (Regimental Sergeant Major) |
Brigade | 4 Battalions | + HQ | 4,000 men | Brigadier | |
Division | 3 Brigades | + HQ | + Divisional Troops | 18,000 men | Major General |
Corps | 2 Divisions | + HQ | + Corps Troops | 38,000 men | Lieutenant General |
Army | 2 Corps | + HQ | + Army Troops | 85,000 men | General or Field Marshall |
Battalions, Brigades and Divisions were identified by unique numbers. Companies were given letters within their battalion. In some cases, roman numerals were used in Battalion records to identify platoons or sections.
Note that the British term Regiment was not used by the Australian forces in 1914-18, except in the title of the RSM.
Note that the British term Regiment was not used by the Australian forces in 1914-18, except in the title of the RSM.
A detailed coverage of the organisation of the army (including changes as the war progressed) is given by the site First AIF Order of Battle maintained by the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Unit colour patches
From 1914, the first troops to leave Australia wore metal badges and identifying numbers to designate their unit. By the time they reached Egypt, so many badges had been "lost" that resupply became impossible and a system of coloured cloth patches was introduced as a replacement. Essentially the same method was used from 1915 until 1949, and then reintroduced in 1975. Even if no other material is available to illustrate your ancestor's military story, you can always add a colourful image of the patch that you can be certain he wore on his uniform.
You can read a general description of The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) badges 1914-1918 on the War Memorial site or a more detailed (but not illustrated) history Australian Army Colour Patches – A Brief History at https://colourpatch.com.au.
The page http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/inf-ww1.htm shows stylised representations of most of the patches used from 1914-18. But the definitive collection is the one included in Volume III of Bean's official history of the war.
From 1914, the first troops to leave Australia wore metal badges and identifying numbers to designate their unit. By the time they reached Egypt, so many badges had been "lost" that resupply became impossible and a system of coloured cloth patches was introduced as a replacement. Essentially the same method was used from 1915 until 1949, and then reintroduced in 1975. Even if no other material is available to illustrate your ancestor's military story, you can always add a colourful image of the patch that you can be certain he wore on his uniform.
You can read a general description of The Australian Imperial Force (AIF) badges 1914-1918 on the War Memorial site or a more detailed (but not illustrated) history Australian Army Colour Patches – A Brief History at https://colourpatch.com.au.
The page http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-badges/patches/inf-ww1.htm shows stylised representations of most of the patches used from 1914-18. But the definitive collection is the one included in Volume III of Bean's official history of the war.