General (Australia)
Military rank of Australia
General (abbreviated GEN) 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.
Prior to 1958, Australian generals (and field marshals) were only appointed in exceptional circumstances. In 1958, the position which is currently called Chief of the Defence Force was created, and since 1966, the rank of general has been held when an army officer is appointed to that position.
General is a higher rank than lieutenant general, but is lower than field marshal. General is the equivalent of admiral in the Royal Australian Navy and air chief marshal in the Royal Australian Air Force.
A general's insignia is St Edward's Crown above a star of the Order of the Bath (or 'pip') above a crossed sword and baton, with the word 'Australia' at the bottom.
01Australian generals
This along with the * (asterisk) indicates that the officer was subsequently promoted to field marshal.
This along with the + (plus sign) indicates that the officer was promoted to the honorary rank of general.
The following have held the rank of general in the Australian Army:
| Name | Date promoted | Senior command(s) or appointment(s) in rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir William Birdwood+ | 29 January 1920 | General Officer Commanding Australian Imperial Force (1915-20) | |
| Sir Harry Chauvel | 11 November 1929 | Inspector-in-Chief Volunteer Defence Corps (1940-45), Chief of the General Staff (1923-30) | |
| Sir John Monash | 11 November 1929 | ||
| Sir Brudenell White | 18 March 1940 | Chief of the General Staff (1920-23, 1940) | |
| Sir Thomas Blamey* | 24 September 1941 | Commander of Allied Land Forces, South West Pacific Area (1942-45), General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Australian Military Forces (1942-45), Deputy Commander-in-Chief Middle East Command (1941-1942) | |
| Sir John Wilton | 1 September 1968 | Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (1966-70) | |
| Sir Frank Hassett | 24 November 1975 | Chief of the Defence Force Staff (1976-77), Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (1975-76) | |
| Sir Arthur MacDonald | 21 April 1977 | Chief of the Defence Force Staff (1977-79) | |
| Sir Phillip Bennett | 13 April 1984 | Chief of the Defence Force (1984-87) | |
| Peter Gration | 1987 | Chief of the Defence Force (1987-93) | |
| John Baker | 1995 | Chief of the Defence Force (1995-98) | |
| Sir Peter Cosgrove | 2002 | Chief of the Defence Force (2002-05) | |
| David Hurley | 2011 | Chief of the Defence Force (2011-14) | |
| Angus Campbell | 2018 | Chief of the Defence Force (2018-24) |
In addition, Sir John Northcott held the honorary rank of general while acting as Governor-General of Australia in 1951 and 1956. The Australian-born Sir John Hackett also attained the rank of general in the British Army.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “General (Australia)”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.
