24th Battalion (Australia)
| 24th Battalion | |
|---|---|
 Battalion Headquarters, Broodseinde Ridge, October 1917 | |
| Active | 1915–1919 1921–1946 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line infantry |
| Size | ~800–1,000 men[Note 1] |
| Part of | 6th Brigade 15th Brigade |
| Colours | White over red |
| Engagements | World War I
World War II |
| Insignia | |
Unit colour patch |  |
The 24th Battalion was an
History
World War I
The 24th Battalion was raised in May 1915 at
Organised into four rifle
Following this they returned to Egypt where they took part in the defence of the
In 1918, despite being severely depleted, it played a defensive role during the
Inter war years
In 1921, the decision was made to perpetuate the numerical designations and battle honours of the AIF by re-raising the AIF units as part of the Citizens Forces (later renamed the "Militia").[10] To a large extent most of these units were raised in the areas from where their personnel had been drawn during the war, thus maintaining their regional links in the process. This was achieved by amalgamating the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 24th Infantry Regiment, and subsuming part of the 29th Light Horse Regiment to form a single battalion,[9][11] The 24th Battalion was raised in Victoria with its headquarters in Surrey Hills, with detachments spread out around the area including depots at Camberwell, Box Hill, Upper Hawthorn, Ringwood and Belgrave.[12] In 1927, territorial designations were adopted by the Citizens Forces and the battalion became known as the 24th Battalion (Kooyong Regiment);[12] the battalion's motto – "I Hold Fast" – was also approved at this time.[9]
Initially, the battalion was manned through a mixture of voluntary and compulsory service; however, in 1929 the Scullin Labor government abolished the compulsory service scheme and replaced it with the all-volunteer Militia. As a result of this, the battalion's strength fell significantly, but it was maintained through recruitment drives.[13] In June 1939, the battalion was merged with the 39th Battalion to become the 24th/39th Battalion and was assigned to the 10th Brigade, 3rd Division.[12]
World War II
At the outset of the World War II, due to the provisions of the Defence Act (1903) which prohibited sending the Militia to fight outside of Australian territory,[14][Note 2] the decision was made to raise an all volunteer force to serve overseas—initial operations were conceived to be likely in the Middle East, France and later possibly the United Kingdom—while it was decided that the Militia would be used to defend the Australian mainland and to improve Australia's overall level of readiness through the reinstitution of compulsory military service and extended periods of continuous periods of training.[16]
During this time the 24th/39th Battalion undertook a number of periods of continuous training, firstly in September 1939 when a company-sized element exercised at Trawool for a month. In January 1940, the whole battalion was called up for a three-month training period, again at Trawool as the battalion's strength was increased through the arrival of men called up through the compulsory training scheme.[17] A further camp was undertaken between December 1940 and April 1941, this time at Nagambie Road, near Seymour in central Victoria. This was followed by another between August and October 1941, after which the battalion was called up to full-time service for the duration of the war.[12] During this period, the decision was made to split the 24th/39th Battalion to reform its component units. Following Japan's entry into the war, the 39th Battalion was sent to New Guinea and would go on to play a key role in the Australian defensive actions along the Kokoda Track in July and August 1942.[18]
Meanwhile, in May 1942, the 24th Battalion was moved to Queensland and then, in September, following the disbandment of the 10th Brigade, the 24th was transferred to the 15th Brigade. In 1943, the battalion was deployed to New Guinea aboard the transport Duntroon[19] along with the rest of the 3rd Division, arriving in Port Moresby over the course of three months between February and April. Later, they were transported by air to the Wau Valley and sent to take part in the fighting around Bobdubi Ridge and Mount Tambu[20] before patrolling the Wampit Valley during the Salamaua–Lae campaign. The official war historian, Gavin Long,[21] recognised the fundamental importance of what he called "Wampit Force", largely the 24th Battalion, in the overall prosecution by the Allies of the war in New Guinea, in particular because of its role in protecting the Allied air forces while they gained air superiority in New Guinea.[22]
Later, in September 1943, the battalion attacked Markham Point,
In August 1944, the 24th Battalion was withdrawn back to Australia, embarking aboard the transport Van Heutsz at Madang, for rest and reorganization. Disembarking in Townsville, the soldiers were sent on home leave until early October.[25]
After the soldiers returned from leave, a period of re-organisation and training followed on the
The war ended shortly afterwards, but the 24th Battalion remained on Bougainville until December 1945 when they were brought back to Australia. Following demobilisation, the battalion was disbanded on 19 January 1946. During its active service it lost 85 men killed and 184 wounded.
Commanding officers
The following officers served as commanding officer of the 24th Battalion:
- World War I
- Lieutenant Colonel William Walker Russell Watson;
- Lieutenant Colonel William Edward James.[3]
- Inter-war years
- Lieutenant Colonel Charles Reginald Miles Cox;
- Lieutenant Colonel Aubrey Roy Liddon Wiltshire;
- Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Savige
- Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Walker.[30]
- World War II
- Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Gordon Walker;
- Lieutenant Colonel Allan Spowers;
- Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hugh Falconer;
- Lieutenant Colonel George Frederick Smith;
- Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Jeffery Anderson.[12][31]
Battle honours
For its service during World War I and World War II, the 24th Battalion received the following
- World War I: Beaurevoir, France and Flanders 1916–18.[3]
- World War II:
Notes
- Footnotes
- ^ During World War I the size of an infantry battalion was 1,023 men all ranks.[1] During World War II, following the reorganisation of the 3rd Division along the jungle establishment, the size dropped to 803 men all ranks.[2]
- ^ This stipulation also applied to the 2,800 strong Permanent Military Force also.[14] Of the 32 Militia battalions that saw active service during the war, all but three were given AIF status. Essentially this meant that as more than 65 per cent of their wartime establishment had volunteered for service overseas, the battalion could be sent anywhere, including outside of Australian territory. The 24th Battalion was one of the 29 battalions to receive this status.[15]
- Citations
- ^ a b Kuring 2004, p. 47.
- ^ Palazzo 2004, p. 94.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "24th Battalion". First World War, 1914–1918 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ Roberts 2013, p. 8.
- ^ Cameron 2011, p. 174.
- ^ Cameron 2011, p. 150.
- ^ Grey 2008, pp. 99–100.
- ^ "No. 31108". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 January 1919. pp. 306–307.
- ^ a b c d Festberg 1972, p. 84.
- ^ Grey 2008, p. 125.
- ^ Christensen 1982, p. 2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "24th Battalion (Kooyong Regiment)". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ Christensen 1982, p. 3.
- ^ a b Johnston 2007, p. 5.
- ^ Johnston 2007, p. 9.
- ^ Grey 2008, pp. 145–147.
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 5–10.
- ^ Austin 1988, pp. 1–6.
- ^ Christensen 1982, p. 26.
- ^ Maitland 1999, pp. 72–74.
- Government of Australia. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ Long (1973)
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 104–116.
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 134–155.
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 167–170.
- ^ Long 1963, p. 178.
- ^ "Ogorata River". War history. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 249 & 268.
- ^ "Mivo Ford". War history. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ^ Christensen 1982, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Pratten 2009, pp. 317–318.
References
- Austin, Victor (1988). To Kokoda And Beyond – The Story of the 39th Battalion 1941–1943. Carlton, Victoria: Melbourne University Press. ISBN 0-522-84374-3.
- Cameron, David (2011). Gallipoli: The Final Battles and Evacuation of Anzac. Newport, New South Wales: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9808140-9-5.
- Christensen, George (1982). That's the Way it Was: The History of the 24th Australian Infantry Battalion (A.I.F) 1939–1945. Melbourne, Victoria: 24th Battalion (A.I.F.) Association. ISBN 978-0-9593369-0-0.
- Festberg, Alfred (1972). The Lineage of the Australian Army. Melbourne, Victoria: Allara Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85887-024-6.
- ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
- ISBN 978-1-84603-123-6.
- Kuring, Ian (2004). Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788–2001. Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military History Publications. ISBN 1-876439-99-8.
- OCLC 1297619.
- Long, Gavin (1973). The six years war : a concise history of Australia in the 1939-45 war (1st ed.). Canberra: Australian War Memorial and the Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0642993750.
- Maitland, Gordon (1999). The Second World War and its Australian Army Battle Honours. East Roseville, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0-86417-975-8.
- Palazzo, Albert (2004). "Organising for Jungle Warfare". In Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey (eds.). The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943–1944. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Army History Unit. pp. 86–101. ISBN 978-0-646-43590-9. Archived from the originalon 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-521-76345-5.
- Roberts, Chris (2013). The Landing at Anzac 1915. Australian Army Campaigns Series # 12. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Army History Unit. ISBN 978-1-92213-220-8.
Further reading
- Harvey, W.J. (1920). The Red and White Diamond: Authorised History of the Twenty-fourth Battalion A.I.F. Melbourne, Victoria: 24th Battalion Association. OCLC 29847766.