In the selection of officers little discretionary power was allowed the Commanding Officer. A Selection Board, appointed by the Minister for Defence, and sitting at Perth, recommended appointments. Very often this was done without a full knowledge of the candidate or of his qualifications. Under such circumstances some friction was bound to occur between the Board and the Commanding Officer. Eventually, however, it was possible, by means of compromise and adjustment, to gather together a reasonably sound team of officers. Major C. R. Davies, an officer of the 84th (Goldfields) Infantry, and a barrister of Boulder, became Second-in-Command. Captains A. W. Leane, L. B. Welch, and J. A. C. Wilson were promoted to the rank of Major and appointed to companies. A fifth major--F. R. Jeffrey--was transferred from Victoria and took "B" Company. This last-named officer, like the Second-in-Command, had seen service in South Africa, and had recently returned from England, whither he had conducted a draft of Imperial Reservists. A number of junior officers were found from the N.C.Os. attending a school of instruction for candidates for commissions. In the following years most of these men did exceedingly well. One of them commanded the Battalion during the major portion of 1917. The selection and appointment of non-commissioned officers was a process of a different kind. With a large body of men unused to military formations and methods, the urgent need was to find other men who had had some slight experience and could teach the raw material routine and system and show it its place in the ranks. It did not, however, follow, that the same men, with their slight experience, were so equipped mentally and physically as to render them efficient leaders and commanders in the field. Another factor to be borne in mind was that from the ranks of the N.C.Os. would, in the future, be drawn the men to fill the gaps caused by casualties in the commissioned ranks. The qualities expected of an officer were personality, moral as well as physical courage, education, health, and a sporting disposition. The education sought was not necessarily academic, but such as indicated a capacity for rapid thought and for expression in speech and writing, together with a knowledge of men and their ways.[C] A high standard was thus set, and this being considered, all wearers of stripes were deemed to hold their rank temporarily--confirmation being dependent on their acquiring efficiency and displaying the desired qualifications. This method of appointment held good until after the Battalion's arrival in Egypt, and resulted in the collection of a most admirable body of subordinate leaders. Many of these same N.C.Os.--as officers--afterwards earned great distinction for themselves and for the unit. They were indeed the "backbone of the army."