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. The Australian Army Emblem The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ... Field Marshal Viscount Slim in his Field Marshals uniform, holding a marshals baton. ...

Sir Thomas Blamey was the first and only Australian born Field Marshal. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal on the insistence of the then Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Gordon Menzies in 1951. Sir Thomas Blamey was at the time of his promotion seriously ill and mostly bed ridden in the Melbourne repatriation hospital. He was handed his Field Marshal's baton whilst ill in bed by the then Govenor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Lord Gowrie. Sir Thomas Blamey passed away just 3 months later. Memorial statue of Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey in Kings Domain, Melbourne. ...

His baton is on diplay in the Second World War galleries at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. The baton is a spectacular piece of British craftsmanship. It is approximately 40 centimetres long. At it's top it has a golden minature "St. George" mounted on his horse - "St George is battling a dragon with his lance. The minature is approximately 8 centimetres high. The shaft of the baton is covered in scarlet velvet inlaid with a succession of golden "fleur-de-lis" along it's length and around it's circumfrence. The pommel (bottom end) of the baton is ornate solid gold with the details of the presentation to Sir Thomas Blamey engraved on the base.

At the time of his promotion Sir Thomas Blamey was officialy on the Retired List of General Officers and as a result the British Chief of the General Staff (CGS) resisted Prime Minister Menzies' recommendation that Sir Thomas Blamey be promoted. At the time the British CGS was the final authority in the British Commonwealth for such promotions.

Prime Minister Menzies insisted that as the South African Field Marshal Sir Jan Smuts had also previously been promoted whilst he was on the Retired List, then the same ruling must apply for Sir Thomas Blamey. Despite the British General's mindset against another "colonial" being promoted, Prime Minister Menzies acheived the aim of rewarding Sir Thomas for his lifetime of good an loyal service for Australia.

Sir Thomas Blamey served in the First World War in the First Australian Imperial Force from the horrors of trench warfare at the ANZAC postions at Gallipoli to duties as an effective staff officer on the staff of Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, Commander of the Australian Corps in France and Belgium. Sir Thomas Blamey attained the rank of Brigadier-General by wars end.

During the inter-war years he served successfully for many years as Commissioner of the Victorian State Police (State of Victoria, Australia) whilst remaining on the Reserve List of Army Officers. During the 1920's and 30's he remained very much involved in matters of Australian defence and the ramifications on the Australian Military Forces of financial restrictions brought about by the Great Depression.

During the Second World War he was immediately identified by the Australian Government as the most capable General officer of the age and ability to command the Second Australian Imperial Force. He became General Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces and Commander-in-Chief of Allied Land Forces in the South West Pacific Area under the overall command of United States General Douglas MacArthur.

General Blamey attended the ceremonial surrender of Japan aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 3rd 1945. He signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. He later personally accepted the Japanese surrender at Morotai in Borneo. In his address to the surrendering Japanese commander, Sir Thomas Blamey delcared "...In accepting your surrender, I do not recognise you as an honourable foe...". The actual speech written and read by Sir Thomas Blamey is also on display in the Australian War Memorial, Camberra.

The only surviving Field Marshal is HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. However, as husband of Queen Elizabeth the Second, Queen of Australia and the British Commonwealth, the Duke's rank is purley ceremonial and he has no command or control role in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and is not part of the ADF's operational structure. He has never paraded as a Field Marshal with any units or elements of the ADF. The Duke of Edinburgh The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (Philip Mountbatten, formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) (born 10 June 1921, Greece) is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. ...

The only other Field Marshal involved in direct command of Australian Military Forces was British born Field Marshal Birdwood who commanded the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in the First World War. He attained his Field Marshal's rank after the war. Despite his British origins "Birdy" as he was known to the Australian Diggers (soldiers), was a popular and respected commander and his promotion to Field Marshal was seen as reward for his effective command of the AIF.

Only the Govenor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, can appoint officers to the rank of Field Marshal. The Australian Field Marshal's badge of rank is the Royal Crown (St.Edward's) mounted above a crossed sword and baton that are circled by an wreath of oak leaves. Today the most senior rank actually held in the Australian Army is full General, generally known in military parlence as a four star General. The rank of General will only be held by an Australian Army officer who is appointed as Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). Accordingly, there will only ever be one full ranking General serving at a time in the ADF and only when that General is appointed as CDF.

See also

• Australian Army officer rank insignia