35th Battalion (Australia)

35th Battalion
35th Battalion
	First World War Western Front; Second World War Huon Peninsula campaign;
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 35th Battalion was an

Second World War. Following this the battalion undertook garrison duties in Australia before being deployed to New Guinea where they took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign

. After the end of the war, the 35th Battalion was disbanded in early 1946.

History

First World War

The 35th Battalion was originally raised during the

divisions to five following the Gallipoli campaign.^[3] Raised in Newcastle, New South Wales, from volunteers drawn mainly from the local area, the battalion adopted the unofficial title of "Newcastle's Own". Upon formation, the battalion was assigned to the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, and following an initial period of training it proceeded overseas. Sailing from Sydney on 1 May 1916, they arrived in the United Kingdom in early July and undertook further training before being transferred to France in November 1916 along with the rest of the 3rd Division. On 26 November 1916, they took up positions in the trenches along the Western Front for the first time.^[2]

A harsh winter followed in which the battalion was engaged in a relatively quiet sector. Subsequently, it was not until June 1917 that they were involved in a major battle.[2] On 7 June 1917, the 35th Battalion took part in the fighting around Messines. During the First Battle of Passchendaele the battalion was committed to the attack on 12 October 1917 and suffered heavy casualties as the attack foundered in the mud of the rain soaked battlefield. Of the 508 men that had been fit at the start, only 90 remained at the end.^[2] As a result of these losses, the battalion was withdrawn from the front line and placed in reserve for the next five months as they were brought back up to strength.^[2]

The German spring offensive in early 1918 saw them gain a considerable amount of ground as the Allies were forced back. During this time, the 35th Battalion was dispatched to defend the town of Amiens, taking up positions around Villers-Bretonneux. As the German onslaught began to run out of steam, the Australians launched a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on 30 March 1918. On 4 April, the Germans made another attempt at taking Villers-Bretonneux, and the 35th Battalion was heavily engaged in turning this back. Casualties during this time were heavy, consisting of an estimated 70 per cent of the battalion's strength.^[2] In early May, the battalion took part in the Second Battle of Morlancourt.^[4] On 8 August 1918, the Allies launched their own offensive, the Hundred Days Offensive, and the 35th was again committed to the fighting around Amiens. Following this they were involved in several engagements as Allied forces advanced towards the defences of the Hindenburg Line. Their final involvement in the war came in September when the battalion was called upon to provide reinforcements for the joint Australian–American operations to breach the German line.^[2]

Following this, the battalions of the

Mentions in Despatches and four foreign awards.^[2] The 35th Battalion was awarded 14 battle honours for its service during the war in 1927.^[7]

Inter-war years

In 1921, the decision was made to reorganise the Australian Army to perpetuate the numerical designations and battle honours of the AIF units that had fought during the First World War. This was done by redesignating the units of the

The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment).^[10]

Second World War

Because of the provisions of the Defence Act (1903) which precluded deploying the Militia outside of Australian territory, following the outbreak of the

cadre staff for the 2nd AIF, as well as managing the training of conscripts that were called up as part of the compulsory training scheme which was re-established in early 1940.^[14] During this time the Militia were called up in cohorts for periods of continuous training, however, it was not until early 1942, as the strategic situation in the Pacific deteriorated, that the 35th Battalion was required for full-time service.^[9] At this time they were used to man defensive positions around St Ives, in Sydney.^[9]

In June 1942, the 35th Battalion was assigned to the

Geraldton.^[9] They remained there until late 1943 when they were moved across the country to Gordonvale, Queensland, to begin training for a possible deployment overseas.^[9]

The 8th Brigade was subsequently transferred from the

Alexishafen off balance, the battalion moved to Megiar Harbour and began to move along the coast, reaching Kronprinz Harbour and then Suara Bay by the start of June 1944.^[9] The battalion was subsequently relieved by the 4th Battalion, which continued the advance.^[15]

Following this the battalion remained with the 8th Brigade in New Guinea undertaking garrison duties, based around the Madang–

Mentions in Despatches.^[9] For its service during the war, the 35th was awarded three battle honours in 1961.^[7]

Battle honours

The 35th Battalion received the following battle honours:

First World War:
St Quentin Canal, and France and Flanders 1916–18.^[2]

Second World War: Sio–Sepik River, South-West Pacific 1944–45, Liberation of Australian New Guinea.^[9]

Commanding officers

The following officers served as commanding officers of the 35th Battalion:

First World War:
- Lieutenant Colonel
  Grantley Andrew Holborrow;
- Lieutenant Colonel Henry Arthur Goddard;
- Lieutenant Colonel Harold Fletcher White.^[2]
Second World War:
- Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Henry Montgomery Armstrong;
- Lieutenant Colonel Eugene William Egan;
- Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Frank Rae.^[9]

Notes

Footnotes

^ During the First World War the authorised strength of Australian infantry battalions was 1,023. During the Second World War it dropped to 803 men.^[1]
^ At this time it was also decided to change the name of the force, with the title of "Militia" being adopted as it was felt that it implied voluntary service rather than forced.^[12]

Citations

^ Kuring 2004, pp. 47 & 176.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k "35th Battalion". First World War, 1914–1918 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
^ Grey 2008, p. 99.
^ Bean 1942, pp. 61–108.
^ Grey 2008, p. 108.
^ ^a ^b Grey 2008, p. 109.
^ ^a ^b ^c Festberg 1972, p. 94.
^ Grey 2008, p. 125.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l "35th Battalion (Newcastle's Own Regiment)". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
^ ^a ^b Festberg 1972, p. 95.
^ Keogh 1965, p. 44.
^ Palazzo 2001, p. 110.
^ "35 Infantry Battalion". Orders of Battle.com. Retrieved 16 October 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b Grey 2008, p. 146.
^ Dexter 1961, p. 808.
^ "AWM52, Item 8/3/74: 35th Battalion War Diary, Second World War". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
^ Keogh 1965, p. 398.

Infantry formations of the First Australian Imperial Force
1st Division	1st Bde 1st Bn 2nd Bn 3rd Bn 4th Bn 2nd Bde 5th Bn 6th Bn 7th Bn 8th Bn 3rd Bde 9th Bn 10th Bn 11th Bn 12th Bn
2nd Division	5th Bde 17th Bn 18th Bn 19th Bn 20th Bn 6th Bde 21st Bn 22nd Bn 23rd Bn 24th Bn 7th Bde 25th Bn 26th Bn 27th Bn 28th Bn
3rd Division	9th Bde 33rd Bn 34th Bn 35th Bn 36th Bn 10th Bde 37th Bn 38th Bn 39th Bn 40th Bn 11th Bde 41st Bn 42nd Bn 43rd Bn 44th Bn
4th Division	4th Bde 13th Bn 14th Bn 15th Bn 16th Bn 12th Bde 45th Bn 46th Bn 47th Bn 48th Bn 13th Bde 49th Bn 50th Bn 51st Bn 52nd Bn
5th Division	8th Bde 29th Bn 30th Bn 31st Bn 32nd Bn 14th Bde 53rd Bn 54th Bn 55th Bn 56th Bn 15th Bde 57th Bn 58th Bn 59th Bn 60th Bn
Machine Gun Battalions	1st Machine Gun Bn 2nd Machine Gun Bn 3rd Machine Gun Bn 4th Machine Gun Bn 5th Machine Gun Bn
Pioneer Battalions	1st Pioneer Bn 2nd Pioneer Bn 3rd Pioneer Bn 4th Pioneer Bn 5th Pioneer Bn
Other units	1st Anzac Entrenching Battalion