The four companies that made up an infantry battalion were led by an officer of the rank of captain or major. A quarter of a company was a platoon, with a normal fighting strength of 25 – 40 men and lead by a lieutenant. Many of the Australian officers who were company and platoon commanders at Gallipoli had served with militia forces back home. A number were graduates from the recently formed Royal Military College at Duntroon, established by General William Bridges.
It was a deliberate AIF policy that Australian officers should live largely among their troops. Officers whose platoons were holding the front line were expected to sleep in the same holes and be constantly with their men. The influence of regimental officers depended on their individual knowledge of the men. Charles Bean notes that "the difference between Australian battalions at their best and at their worst was always due to a difference in their officers".
Many of the officers at the battle of Lone Pine had proven their leadership skills through almost four months of constant combat on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Throughout the battle, the officers were in the thick of the action, taking a leading role and putting their own lives in danger before that of their men. The high casualty rate of officers at Lone Pine is indicative of this commitment.
