During the early months of 1916 the AIF underwent a period of re-organisation and expansion, and the division's experienced personnel were used to provide cadre staff to the newly formed 4th and 5th Divisions before being brought back up to strength in preparation for deployment to the Western Front. Throughout the course of the war, the division suffered lost around 15,000 men killed and 35,000 wounded,[51] out of the 80,000 men that served in its ranks. Between the start of the war in August 1914 and its end in November 1918, Australia raised a total of seven infantry divisions, one of which – the New Zealand and Australian Division – was also manned by New Zealanders. [62] The division was officially disbanded on 6 April 1945. Australia’s largest and most significant contribution to fighting the war was in the form of land forces. [50] On 11 November, an armistice came into effect, and as hostilities came to an end, the division's personnel were slowly repatriated back to Australia for demobilisation and discharge. [3] Each infantry battalion initially consisted of eight companies, although in January 1915, they were reorganised into the British four-company system. [26] Walker resisted Gough's efforts to throw the 1st Division into battle unprepared, insisting on careful preparation. Together with New Zealand, they formed the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp which served throughout the war. [60] In 1997, the formation's headquarters assumed the additional task of raising a deployable joint force headquarters, tasked with commanding Army, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy assets during large-scale operations. The division consisted of around 18,000 men, organised into three infantry brigades, each of four battalions, and various supporting units including artillery, light horse, engineers and medical personnel. This time they joined the British Fourth Army, holding a sector south of Pozières near the village of Flers. The First World War was the first large-scale conflict to which Australia sent military forces in great numbers. [27], The division's respite was brief as in mid-August, with its battalions restored to about two-thirds strength, it returned to the line on Pozières Ridge, relieving the Australian 4th Division and continuing the slow progress towards Mouquet Farm. The  documents below are a list of Australian Divisions in World War I, including all infantry and mounted divisions prepared by Mr Denis McCarthy, Military Historian and Battle Field Tour Guide from Toowoomba, Queensland. [32] For actions during the fighting at Boursies, Captain James Newland and Sergeant John Whittle, both of the 12th Battalion (3rd Brigade), were awarded the Victoria Cross. [24], After reorganising in Egypt, where it was briefly employed to defend the Suez Canal against an Ottoman attack that never came,[25] the 1st Division was transferred to France in mid-March. The 1st Division's artillery batteries in front of Lagnicourt were overrun and the village was occupied for two hours but counter-attacks from the Australian 9th and 20th Battalions (the latter from the 2nd Division) drove the Germans out. [19] On 7 August, the 6th Battalion from the 2nd Brigade made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the German Officers' Trench as a preliminary operation to other assaults by light horsemen at Quinn's Post and the Nek. While the landing was lightly opposed on the beach by elements of a single Turkish battalion,[8] the Australians were checked short of their objectives as Turkish reinforcements arrived to secure the high ground around Chunuk Bair and Sari Bair.