 After the Australian forces moved to the Western Front in 1916 , Blamey returned to the 1st Division as GSO1 . At the Battle of Pozières , he developed the plan of attack which captured the town , for which he received another mention in despatches , and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1917 New Year Honours . He was considered as a possible brigade commander , but he had never commanded a battalion , which was usually regarded as a prerequisite for brigade command . He was therefore appointed to command the 2nd Infantry Battalion on 3 December 1916 . On 28 December , Blamey , as senior ranking battalion commander , took over as acting commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade . On 9 January 1917 , he went on leave , handing over command to Lieutenant Colonel Iven Mackay . However , when General Headquarters ( GHQ ) BEF found out about this use of a staff college graduate , it reminded I ANZAC Corps that " it is inadvisable to release such officers for command of battalions unless they have proved to be unequal to their duties on staff " . 
