Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Extract from the 1/19th Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment Home page (see link)

Genesis

The 2nd/1st Australian Infantry Battalion was raised at Victoria Barracks, Sydney, on 16 October 1939 as part of the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division.

It drew its lineage direct from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade 1st Division of the AIF in WW1 as is evident from its colour patch , reflecting 2nd AIF practice of embedding the antedent unit's AIF colour patch on a background of light grey.

The 2nd/1st Battalion was one of the first Infantry Battalions raised as part of the all- volunteer Australian Imperial Force [often referred to as the Second Australian Imperial Force] at the start of World War II. The Battalion's first Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Eather, a former Militia officer.

After formation, a brief period of basic training was undertaken at Ingleburn, New South Wales, before the Battalion embarked for overseas service aboard the SS Orford on 10 January 1940.

After sailing via the Suez Canal, the 2nd/1st Battalion arrived in Egypt on 13 February 1940 and then moved to Palestine where it concentrated with the rest of the 16th Brigade at Julis near Gaza.

In August 1940 16th Brigade moved to Egypt for active service with 6th Australian Division.  

North Africa 

2nd/1st Battalion's first campaign of World War II was the advance from Egypt into eastern Libya in January and February 1941. On 3 January 1941, 2nd/1st Battalion took part in the first Australian ground action of the war, spearheading the 6th Division's attack to capture the Italian held stronghold of Bardia.

Striking from the west, the 16th Brigade attacked just after dawn supported by artillery, armour and aircraft. Breaching the wire defences in front of the Italian positions the 2nd/1st Battalion quickly established a bridgehead for the remainder of 16th Brigade to exploit.

Later in the month, 2nd/1st Battalion was once again in the vanguard when the 16th Brigade led the 6th Division's assault on the Italian-held port of Tobruk. Following its capture, 2nd/1st Battalion was left to garrison Tobruk as the Allied advance continued. 

Greece 

2nd/1st Battalion left Tobruk on 7 March, ultimately bound for Greece with the rest of 6th Australian Division, amidst concerns of a German invasion.  The 2nd/1st Battalion arrived in Greece on 22 March and was quickly deployed to the north of the country to resist the anticipated German attack. The Battalion took up positions at Veria on 7 April but, the Allied forces were quickly overwhelmed and were forced to withdraw south on 12 April, eventually being evacuated by sea from Megara on 25 April.

Instead of returning to Egypt, the 2nd/1st Battalion was landed on the island of Crete, arriving on the 26 April where with the 2nd/11th Battalion it was tasked with the defence of the airfield at Retimo, On 20 May, the Germans launched an air-borne invasion of Crete. Two Battalions of German parachute troops attacked the airfield and the 2nd/1st Battalion, now commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Ian Campbell, was heavily engaged as they put up a strong defence during the Battle of Retimo.

Against increasing and overwhelming German forces the Allied evacuation of Crete began on 28 May, but the message to withdraw did not get through to 2nd/1st and 2/11th Battalions holding the airfield, and they continued to hold until 30 May. At that point, though, they were overcome as the Germans, having been victorious elsewhere on the island, were able to bring in reinforcements – including armour and artillery – and concentrate their efforts against the two Australian Battalions holding Retimo. As food and ammunition ran out, the two Battalions were forced to surrender. Most of the survivors became prisoners of war.

The fighting on Crete cost 2nd/1st Battalion heavily, with 43 killed, 64 wounded and 511 captured. The losses on Crete represented the vast majority of the Battalion's personnel, but by June there were about 70 men from the 2nd/1st in Palestine, some of whom had managed to escape after the fall of Crete and some who had been brought back there after the evacuation from Greece instead of landing on Crete.

The decision was subsequently made to re-form the Battalion, rather than disband it. This was done by transferring 200 experienced men from the 16th Brigade's other two Battalions - the 2/2nd and 2/3rd Battalions – and bringing in 500 newly arrived reinforcements. In October 1941, after 2nd/1st Battalion had been reformed, it was allocated to garrison duties, taking up defensive positions in northern Syria, which had been captured from the Vichy French during the Syria–Lebanon Campaign that had been fought earlier in the year.

Return to Australia

Japan's entry into the war in December 1941 resulted in plans to bring the 6th Division back to Australia to help bolster the country's defences and on 10 March 1942 2nd/1st Battalion embarked for home. During the voyage, the Battalion was diverted to Ceylon to defend it from a possible Japanese invasion. The invasion never came and the Battalion finally arrived in Melbourne on 7 August 1942.

New Guinea

After a period of home leave 2nd/1st Battalion was deployed to New Guinea, arriving there in September 1942. When the Japanese advance was halted at Imita Ridge the tide of the Kokoda Track campaign began to turn back in the favour of the Allies. 2nd/1st Battalion subsequently joined the Allied pursuit of the withdrawing Japanese north towards their beachheads around Buna–Gona, and during the counter-offensive the 2nd/1st Battalion were involved in the battles at Eora Creek, Gorari and Sanananda between October and late November 1942. Heavy casualties were suffered by the Battalion during the campaign, with over 60 percent being killed, wounded or evacuated sick.

Subsequent to the Kokoda campaign, the 2nd/1st Battalion returned to Australia to be reinforced, reequipped and retrained. At this time they received a large batch of reinforcements from the 49th Battalion, a Militia Battalion that had fought around Sanananda before being disbanded. During this time of reorganisation the Battalion was reduced to the jungle warfare establishment, which saw its authorised strength fall from around 900 men to just over 800.

In December 1944, 16th Brigade including 2nd/1st Battalion was sent back to New Guinea to take part in operations against an estimated 35,000 Japanese in the Aitape-Wewak region. The campaign lasted until the war ended and saw the 2nd/1st Battalion join the Allied advance along the coast towards the main Japanese base at Wewak along with the rest of the 16th Brigade.

The Battalion was finally disbanded in December 1945.

Commanding Officers

Eather, Kenneth William

Campbell, Ian Ross

White, Tom Warren

Cullen, Paul Alfred

Decorations

Members of the Battlion received the following awards during their service with the Battalion: 3 DSO, 1 bar; 15 MC; 7 DCM; 28 MM; 68 MID

Sources

1. Royal New South Wales Regiment website 

2. E.C. Givney (ed.), 'The First at War': the story of the 2nd/1st Australian Infantry Battalion, 1939-45, the City of Sydney Regiment  (Earlwood: The Association of First Infantry Battalions, 1987).

3. AWM52/8/3/1: 2nd/1st Battalion war diary

Initially compiled by Steve Larkins Jan 2015.  Updated Dec 2020.

We would particularly like to encourage individual historians researchers or members of unit associations to contribute to the development of a more detailed history and photographs pertaining to this unit and its members.

Please contact [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])  for details on how to contribute.