Page "Keith Murdoch" Paragraph 6

In 1917, while visiting the Western Front as an unofficial war correspondent, Murdoch attempted to conduct negotiations with Field Marshal Douglas Haig in support of the Australian government's policy of the A. I. F.

divisions to be brought together into a united Australian Corps.

Although Murdoch pushed for the appointment of Major General Brudenell White as the new corps ' head while denigrating Major General John Monash, the latter was given command when the combined corps was formed in 1918.

Along with official war correspondent Charles Bean, Murdoch continued to lobby for Monash's demotion by appealing directly to Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes and misleading him into the belief that the A. I. F.

's senior officers were strongly opposed to Monash.

However, when Hughes visited the front just before the Battle of Hamel intending to replace Monash he first consulted the same senior officers and discovered that their support for their commander was strongly positive and that Monash's powers of planning and execution were excellent.

The subsequent outcome of the Hamel assault closed the question of Monash's suitability, but later in the same year Murdoch attempted to again convince Hughes that Monash should not control the repatriation of Australian troops.