2/1st Pioneer Battalion (Australia)

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2/1st Pioneer Battalion
Troops from the 2/1st Pioneers assist 14th Field Regiment gunners to move a 25-pdr gun up the Kokoda Track, September 1942
ActiveMay 1940 – 18 February 1946
Disbanded18 February 1946
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
RolePioneer
SizeBattalion
Part of6th Division
9th Division
7th Division
EngagementsWorld War II
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 2/1st Pioneer Battalion was a

Borneo
in 1945. It was disbanded in early 1946. The battalion undertook both infantry and engineer tasks.

History

Formed in May 1940, the battalion's initial recruits were drawn from

2nd Australian Imperial Force's four infantry divisions.[6] Trained as infantry, the battalion undertook both the infantry and engineer support roles and was organised along conventional infantry lines with a headquarters and four companies – designated 'A' through to 'D'[2] – but was made up of personnel with trade or practical skills and, within the divisional structure, the pioneers were administered as corps troops under the direction of the divisional engineer commander.[6]

After arriving in the Middle East in November 1940, the battalion was assigned to the Australian I Corps, serving in Palestine until early 1941. It then moved to the port of Tobruk, where it was allocated to the 6th Division and worked to repair the port's facilities, construct roads and collect captured engineering equipment.[3] When the 6th Division was transferred to Greece, the 2/1st Pioneers remained in North Africa, supporting the 9th Division. The battalion subsequently took part in the Siege of Tobruk, remaining there for five months before being withdrawn when the bulk of Australian forces were relieved in September 1941.[3][7] Its casualties at Tobruk amounted to 45 killed and 63 wounded; nine personnel were taken prisoner.[8]

In early 1942, the 2/1st returned to Australia as part of the general transfer of Australian ground troops from the Middle East to the Pacific, following Japan's entry into the war. The battalion returned aboard the USS West Point,[9] and subsequently established itself around Ipswich, in Queensland, before being deployed to New Guinea in August aboard the transport Taroona,[10] at the height of the fighting against the Japanese during the Kokoda Track campaign. Initially, the pioneers undertook defensive tasks, with three companies being deployed forward to Owers Corner before moving to Uberi and then on to Imita Ridge, where the Australians sought to make a final stand against the advancing Japanese. There, the battalion occupied the extreme left hand position of a makeshift line alongside the 2/31st, 2/25th, 3rd and 2/33rd Battalions.[11] Later, as the tide of the campaign turned in favour of the Australians, the battalion conducted patrols and portage work along the track from September to November, before being reassigned to carry out mining and labouring work around 9-Mile Quarry, where three companies were deployed. A fourth company was also detached at this time to the Milne Bay area to improve the base's facilities; it remained in New Guinea until October 1943 before returning to Australia for rest and reorganisation aboard the USS Etolin.[12][3]

A long period of training followed on the

Borneo campaign of early July 1945, supporting the 7th Division's landing at Balikpapan. Embarking upon the USS General Anderson, the battalion was transferred to Morotai Island in late May 1945, before embarking upon several Landing Ship, Tanks and landing on Balikpapan on 1 July and later carrying out patrols and defensive tasks across the island.[3][13] On 5 July, the battalion was transported across Balikpapan Bay to Penadjam, to assist the 2/9th Infantry Battalion clear Japanese artillery from the western side of the bay.[14][15] The 2/1st lost 18 men killed or wounded during the brief campaign.[16]

After the end of the war in August, the battalion was slowly demobilised, as men were returned to Australia individually for discharge. In December 1945, the remaining members of the 2/1st were returned to Australia aboard the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Implacable, and the battalion was eventually disbanded on 18 February 1946, at

Mentions in Despatches.[3] The battalion's casualties amounted to 68 killed in action or died on active service, 90 wounded and nine captured.[18]

Battle honours

For its actions during the war, the 2/1st Pioneer Battalion was awarded the following battle honours:[3]

  • Defence of Tobruk, The Salient 1941, North Africa 1941, South-West Pacific 1942–43 and South-West Pacific 1945.

Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the 2/1st Pioneers:[3][19]

  • Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Emmett Macgillycuddy (1940);
  • Lieutenant Colonel Arnold Brown (1941–43);
  • Lieutenant Colonel George John Graham (1943–44);
  • Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Adrian Buckley (1944–45);

References

Citations

  1. ^ Osborn 1988, p. 3.
  2. ^ a b Osborn 1988, p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "2/1st Pioneer Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  4. ^ Osborn 1988, p. 5.
  5. ^ Osborn 1988, p. 11.
  6. ^ a b c Dennis et al 2008, p. 421.
  7. ^ Johnston 2002, p. xiv.
  8. ^ Maughan 1966, p. 401.
  9. ^ Osborn 1988, pp. 78–85.
  10. ^ Osborn 1988, p. 93.
  11. ^ Osborn 1988, pp. 93–100.
  12. ^ Osborn 1988, p. 155.
  13. ^ Osborn 1988, pp. 145–147.
  14. ^ Coulthard-Clark 1998, p. 255.
  15. ^ McKenzie-Smith 2018, p. 2089.
  16. ^ Long 1963, p. 545.
  17. ^ Osborn 1988, pp. 177–178.
  18. ^ Osborn 1988, Appendix B.
  19. ^ Osborn 1988, p. iv.

Bibliography

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