 Blamey therefore returned to 1st Division Headquarters . Lieutenant General Sir William Birdwood did , however , promote Blamey to full colonel , backdated to 1 December 1916 , thereby making him technically senior to a number of recently promoted brigadier generals , that rank being only held temporarily . His division commander , Major General H. B. Walker , had Blamey mentioned in despatches for this period of battalion and brigade command , although the battalion had spent most of the time out of the line and there had been no significant engagements . Blamey was also acting commander of the 2nd Brigade during a rest period from 27 August to 4 September 1917 . On 8 September he was hospitalised with vomiting and coughing . He was sent to England where he was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital for treatment for debilitating psoriasis on 22 September , and did not return to duty until 8 November 1917 . He was made a Companion of St Michael and St George in the 1918 New Year 's list , and received another mention in despatches in May 1918 . 
