 Blamey was promoted to captain on 1 December 1910 , and became brigade major of the 12th Brigade Area . He then set his sights on attending staff college . There were two British staff colleges , at Camberley in England and Quetta in India , and from 1908 one position was set aside for the Australian Army at each every year . No Australian officers managed to pass the demanding entrance examinations , but this requirement was waived to allow them to attend . In 1911 , Blamey became the first Australian officer to pass the entrance examination . He commenced his studies at Quetta in 1912 , and performed very well , completing the course in December 1913 . 
