ANZAC Q&A - Who was in overall command of the Anzacs?
Image: A photograph of the MEF commander, Sir Ian Hamilton.
Q. Who was in overall command of the Anzacs?
A. The commander of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (MEF), as the forces on the peninsula were termed, was the British General Sir Ian Hamilton. The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was commanded by Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood, another British Officer. The 1st Australian Division was originally commanded by an Australian officer, Major General (later Sir) William Bridges who, after his mortal wounding on 15 May 1915, was temporarily replaced by a British officer, Brigadier General Walker, and then by an Australian officer, Major General Gordon Legge. The New Zealand and Australian Division was commanded by a British officer, Major General Alexander Godley, pre-war Commandant of the NZ Military Forces. The 2nd Australian Division, which began landing on the peninsula in August 1915, was commanded by Major General Legge, who passed temporary command of 1st Division to Brigadier General Walker, who later relinquished command to an Australian officer, Brigadier Talbot Hobbs.
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