29th Battalion (Australia)

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For other uses, see 2/29th Battalion (Australia).

29th Battalion
First World War
Unit colour patch

The 29th Battalion was an

New Britain
.

History

First World War

The 29th Battalion was originally formed during the

Gallipoli,[7] and as a result they were initially used to undertake defensive duties to protect the Suez Canal from Ottoman forces. They also undertook a comprehensive training program and by the time their orders arrived to transfer to Europe in June 1916, they had reached their peak.[8] They subsequently embarked the troopship HMT Tunisian in Alexandria, bound for France on 14 June.[9] Upon the battalion's arrival in Egypt, the 8th Brigade had been unattached at divisional level, but in early 1916, it was assigned to the 5th Division, after a reorganisation that saw the AIF expanded from two infantry divisions to five.[10][11]

The battalion arrived at

Marseilles on 23 June and afterwards was transported by rail to Hazebrouck.[12] On 8 July the 5th Division was called up to the front from training behind lines in order to replace the battalions of the Australian 4th Division which were being transferred to the Somme. The 29th Battalion undertook a difficult two-day 29-mile (47 km) approach march over cobbled roads with loads of up to 70–75 pounds (32–34 kg) before arriving at the front on the night of 10/11 July.[13][14] Taking up a position between Boutillerie and Condonerrie in the Bois Grenier, they relieved the 13th Battalion and on 19 July subsequently took part in an attack against the German positions around the "Delangre Farm" which was being held by the 21st Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment.[15] Following the attack, the battalion held the line for another 11 days, beating off a particularly heavy German counterattack on 20 July, before they were eventually relieved. During their introduction to trench warfare, the 29th Battalion lost 52 men killed in action, and another 164 men wounded.[16]

A platoon commander from the 29th Battalion addresses his troops, 8 August 1918

For the next two and half years they fought in a number of major battles in the trenches along the

US 117th Infantry Regiment, with the 32nd Battalion in support. The attack proved highly successful and 59 prisoners were captured along with four field guns and a quantity of German small arms. Against this the battalion lost 17 men killed and 63 wounded.[18]

Following this, they were withdrawn from the front line.[4] By this time casualties amongst the Australian Corps had reached critical level and as a result many battalions—from an authorised strength of over 1,000 men[19]—were only able to field between 300 and 400. As a result, the decision was made to reduce the number of infantry battalions in each brigade from four to three by disbanding one battalion and using its personnel to reinforce the others.[20] The 29th Battalion was one of those chosen to be broken up and as a result on 19 October 1918, the 29th Battalion was disbanded.[4] The majority of the battalion's personnel—29 officers and 517 other ranks—were transferred to the 32nd Battalion as reinforcements.[20]

During its service on the Western Front, the battalion suffered 485 men killed and another 1,399 men wounded.

Mentions in Despatches and five awards from other Allied nations.[Note 2][4] The 29th Battalion was bestowed 19 battle honours in 1927 for its involvement in the war.[22]

Inter-war years

The battalion was re-raised in 1921 as part the re-organisation of the Australian military that took place at that time,

Melbourne, the battalion was brought up to its authorised strength of around 1,000 men through the compulsory training scheme.[27] The following year, however, the Army's budget was cut in half and the scope of the scheme reduced following the resolution of the Washington Naval Treaty which arguably improved Australia's strategic outlook. As a result of this, the battalion's authorised strength was reduced to just 409 men of all ranks and training and recruitment were scaled back significantly.[28]

In 1927, territorial titles were introduced into the Australian Army and the battalion adopted the title of the "East Melbourne Regiment".

29th/22nd Battalion, although they were later split again in August 1939 and the 29th re-raised in its own right.[24][33]

Second World War and beyond

Following the outbreak of the

cadre of trained officers and non-commissioned officers drawn from the Militia, the Militia's main role at this time was to provide training to the men called up as part of the compulsory training scheme that was readopted in early 1940.[34] Throughout 1940–41 the battalion undertook a number of short periods of continuous training, however, following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and invasion of Malaya in December 1941, it was mobilised for war service.[24]

In March 1942, the 4th Brigade was sent to

New Britain.[24] After the war, following the demobilisation of the wartime Army, Australia's part-time military was re-formed in 1948,[36] but the 29th Battalion was not re-raised at the time. In 1961, although the battalion was in a state of suspended animation, it was entrusted with the four battle honours awarded to the 2/29th Battalion for its service in Malaya during World War II and the three earned by the 29th/46th Battalion.[22]

Battle honours

The 29th Battalion received the following battle honours (including those inherited from the 2/29th):

Alliances

Notes

Footnotes
  1. ^ During the First World War, the authorised establishment of an Australian infantry battalion was 1,023 men. By the start of the Second World War, the normal size of an Australian infantry battalion was 910 men all ranks.[1][2]
  2. Officer of the Order of the British Empire, 22 MCs, 17 DCMs, 97 MMs and four Bars, three MSMs, 22 MIDs, and eight foreign awards.[21]
  3. ^ Austin lists the battalion's battle honours as: Somme 1916–18, Bullecourt, Menin Road, Poelcappelle, Ancre 1918, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, France, Egypt, Bapaume 1917, Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, Amiens, Mont St Quentin, St Quentin Canal, Flanders.[37]
Citations
  1. ^ Kuring 2004, pp. 47 and 176.
  2. ^ Palazzo 2004, p. 94.
  3. ^ Austin 1997, p. 1.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "29th Battalion". First World War, 1914–1918 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  5. ^ Austin 1997, p. 6.
  6. ^ Austin 1997, pp. 9–10.
  7. ^ Austin 1997, p. 12.
  8. ^ Austin 1997, p. 25.
  9. ^ Austin 1997, p. 26.
  10. ^ Bean 1941, p. 42.
  11. ^ Grey 2008, pp. 99–100.
  12. ^ Austin 1997, pp. 28–29.
  13. ^ Austin 1997, pp. 30–31.
  14. ^ Bean 1941, pp. 334–335.
  15. ^ Bean 1941, pp. 336 and 351.
  16. ^ Austin 1997, p. 42.
  17. ^ Austin 1997, pp. 141–144.
  18. ^ Austin 1997, p. 158.
  19. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 47.
  20. ^ a b Austin 1997, p. 162.
  21. ^ Austin 1997, pp. 180–182.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Festberg 1972, p. 89.
  23. ^ a b Grey 2008, p. 125.
  24. ^ a b c d e f "29th/46th Battalion (East Melbourne Regiment/Brighton Rifles)". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  25. ^ Palazzo 2002, p. 63.
  26. ^ a b Mills, T.F. "29th Battalion (The East Melbourne Regiment)". Land Forces of Britain, The Empire and Commonwealth. Regiments.org (archived). Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  27. ^ Palazzo 2002, p. 64.
  28. ^ Palazzo 2002, pp. 65–67.
  29. ^ Stanley, Peter. "Broken Lineage: The Australian Army's Heritage of Discontinuity" (PDF). A Century of Service. Army History Unit. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  30. ^ Grey 2008, p. 138.
  31. ^ Palazzo 2001, p. 110.
  32. ^ Keogh 1965, p. 44.
  33. ^ "22nd Battalion (South Gippsland Regiment)". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 November 2010.
  34. ^ a b Grey 2008, p. 146.
  35. ^ Grey 2008, p. 184.
  36. ^ Grey 2008, p. 200.
  37. ^ Austin 1997, p. 169.

References

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