1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment

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1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment
Cap badge of the Royal New South Wales Regiment
Active1930–1939
1971–present
Country Australia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeInfantry
SizeOne battalion
Part of5th Brigade, 2nd Division
Garrison/HQHQ at Orange
Motto(s)"Primus Agat Primas" (Let the First Be Foremost)
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 1st/19th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment (1/19 RNSWR) is an

2nd Division. In its present form 1/19 RNSWR was initially raised in 1967 as 19th Battalion The Royal New South Regiment under the Command of LTCOL Thomas Joseph Crawford MBE ED. In 1971 following the reduction of 1st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (Commando) from Battalion strength to Company strength 19th Battalion was amalgamated with 1st Battalion and designated as 1st/19th Battalion RNSWR.These two units were previously linked between 1930 and 1939, although they can trace their lineage back to 1854 with the formation of a number of Volunteer Rifles units as part of the New South Wales colonial defence force.[1] The battalion's headquarters is located in Romani Barracks, Orange, with four rifle companies spread across Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Dubbo, and Canberra.[2]

History

The 1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment was formed in 1971 as part of the

Second World Wars, having been linked on 1 July 1930[3] when the decision was made to amalgamate a number of infantry battalions due to manpower shortages and financial constraints that resulted from the suspension of the compulsory training scheme and the Great Depression.[4] During this time, the battalion was known as the 1st/19th Battalion (City of Sydney's Own Regiment).[1] In 1939, with the prospect of war looming, the Australian government decided to expand the size of the Army, and as a consequence the 1st/19th was split once more and re-raised in their own right.[1]

These two units had previously existed as separate entities with their own lineages that can be traced back to the earliest infantry units raised in

Greece, New Guinea, Malaya and Borneo.[1][5]

1st/19th RNSWR A Company "The Riverina Company" in Wagga Wagga

Following the end of the Second World War, these battalions were disbanded, and although the part-time military force, known as the Citizens Military Force, was re-raised in 1948,

Pentropic divisional establishment into the Australian Army, this battalion was reduced to a company-sized unit in the newly raised 1st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment. The Pentropic establishment did not last long and in 1965, when the Army returned to the previous Tropical establishment, the City of Sydney's Company was re-raised as a battalion in its own right.[1] In 1966, the 19th Battalion was also re-raised as a battalion of the Royal New South Wales Regiment,[1] attached at divisional-level to the Headquarters 2nd Division[7] and taking on the role of a special conditions, or "Bushman's Rifles",[3] battalion of the Citizens Military Force, offering National Servicemen from remote areas flexible training options in order to allow them to complete their service obligations.[8]

In 1971, the decision was made to amalgamate the two battalions once more, and as a consequence the 1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment was formed, being officially established on 1 May 1971.[3][8] In August 1971, the battalion was entrusted with the 1st Battalion's Colours and the following year, on 13 August 1972, 1/19 RNSWR received the Colours of the 19th Battalion, in a ceremony at Holsworthy Barracks, presided over by the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Roden Cutler.[3]

Since formation, 1/19 RNSWR, as part of the

company-sized deployment to New Zealand to take part in exercises with other regional Reserve forces, various ceremonial duties and a continued commitment to contributing to Rifle Company Butterworth in Malaysia.[5]

In May 2010, the battalion provided a

Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. This force returned to Australia in August 2010.[10]

Battle honours

1/19 RNSWR carries the following battle honours, which it inherited from its ancestral units:[3]

  • Suakin 1885.
  • Boer War: South Africa 1899–1902.
  • First World War: Hazebrouck, Amiens, Albert 1918 (Chuignes), Hindenburg Line, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, France and Flanders 1916–1918, ANZAC, Landing at ANZAC, Suvla, Sari Bair–Lone Pine, Somme 1916, Somme 1918, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Lys, Bapaume 1917, Hamel, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Beaurevoir, Suvla, Gallipoli 1915–1916, Egypt 1915–1917, Palestine 1917–1918, Rumani.
  • Second World War: North Africa, Bardia 1941, Capture of Tobruk, Greece 1941, Mount Olympus, Brallos Pass, Middle East 1941–1944, Crete, Retimo, South-West Pacific 1942–1945, Kokoda Trail, Eora Creek–Templeton's Crossing II, Oivi–Gorari, Buna–Gona, Sanananda Road, South-West Pacific 1945, Waitavolo, Liberation of Australian New Guinea, Malaya 1941–1942, Johore, The Muar, Singapore Island.

Commanding officers

The following officers have commanded the battalion:[11]

  • Lieutenant Colonel T.C. Irwin, MBE ED (1 May 71 – 30 Apr 73)
  • Lieutenant Colonel B.J. Falvey (1 May 73 – 21 Aug 75)
  • Lieutenant Colonel K.J. Kirkby, ED (22 Aug 75 – 21 Sep 75)
  • Lieutenant Colonel T.J. Jackson, ED (22 Sep 75 – 31 Mar 78)
  • Lieutenant Colonel R.J. Arthur, ED (1 Apr 78 – 30 Sep 80)
  • Lieutenant Colonel P.E.M. McGuinness, MBE OAM RFD ED (1 Oct 80 – 23 Sep 83)
  • Lieutenant Colonel G.J. Beltrame, RFD (24 Sep 83 – 26 Sep 86)
  • Lieutenant Colonel R.G. Martin, RFD (27 Sep 86 – 21 Sep 89)
  • Lieutenant Colonel G.W.G. Steventon, MBE RFD (22 Sep 89 – 20 Sep 91)
  • Lieutenant Colonel K.B. Templeton, AM RFD (21 Sep 91 – 31 Dec 93)
  • Lieutenant Colonel G.F. Cook, RFD (1 Jan 94 – 31 Dec 96)
  • Lieutenant Colonel B.E. Martyn, RFD (1 Jan 97 – 30 Jun 99)
  • Lieutenant Colonel P.A. Wightman, RFD (1 Jul 99 – Dec 01)
  • Lieutenant Colonel T.R. Thompson, RFD (Jan 02 – Dec 03)
  • Lieutenant Colonel D.D. Littame (Jan 04 – Dec 05)
  • Lieutenant Colonel A.J. Brennan (Jan 06 – Dec 07)
  • Lieutenant Colonel P.J. Morrissey (Jan 08 – Dec 10)
  • Lieutenant Colonel T.J. Betts (Jan 11 – Dec 13)
  • Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Ang (Jan 14 – Dec 15)

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harris, Ted. "Lineage of the Royal New South Wales Regiment". Digger History.org. Archived from the original on 11 September 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  2. ^ "1st/19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "History of the Battalions". 1/19 RNSWR Association. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  4. ^ Keogh 1965, p. 44.
  5. ^ a b c d "1st/19th RNSWR History". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  6. ^ Grey 2008, p. 200.
  7. ^ Tanner, Mark. "Brief History of the 2nd Division" (PDF). Department of Defence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b c Harris, Ted. "Royal New South Wales Regiment Battalions Off Orbat". Digger History.org. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
  9. ^ "Op Acolyte: Images". Department of Defence. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  10. ^ "NSW Soldiers begin journey home from Solomon Islands". Department of Defence. 3 August 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  11. ^ Regimental Standing Orders of the RNSWR Appendix 2 to Annex A to Chapter 6

References

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