 The artillery underwent a significant expansion during the war . When the 1st Division embarked in November 1914 it did so with its 18 @-@ pounder field guns , but Australia had not been able to provide the division with the howitzer batteries or the heavy guns that would otherwise have been included on its establishment , due to a lack of equipment . These shortages were unable to be rectified prior to the landing at Gallipoli where the howitzers would have provided the plunging and high @-@ angled fire that was required due to the rough terrain at Anzac Cove . When the 2nd Division was formed in July 1915 it did so without its complement of artillery . Meanwhile , in December 1915 when the government offered to form another division it did so on the basis that its artillery would be provided by Britain . In time though these shortfalls were overcome , with the Australian field artillery expanding from just three field brigades in 1914 to twenty at the end of 1917 . The majority of the heavy artillery units supporting the Australian divisions were British , although two Australian heavy batteries were raised from the regular Australian Garrison Artillery . These were the 54th Siege Battery , which was equipped with 8 @-@ inch howtizers , and the 55th with 9 @.@ 2 @-@ inch howitzers . 
