53rd Battalion (Australia)
| 53rd Battalion | |
|---|---|
Members of the Australian 53rd Battalion on 19 July 1916 before the Battle of Fromelles.
|
|
| Active | 1916–19 1921–37 1941–42 |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~800–1,000 |
| Part of |
14th Brigade, 5th Division 30th Brigade |
| Nickname(s) | West Sydney Regiment |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
The 53rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in 1916 for service during World War I the battalion served on the Western Front until the end of the war, before being briefly amalgamated with the 55th Battalion and then eventually disbanded in 1919. In 1921, the 53rd Battalion was re-raised and in 1927 adopted the title of the "West Sydney Regiment"; however, in 1937 they were once again amalgamated with the 55th, forming the 55th/53rd Battalion (New South Wales Rifle/West Sydney Regiment). In October 1941, during World War II, the two battalions were delinked and the 53rd was later deployed to New Guinea, where they took part in the Kokoda Track campaign. Poorly prepared and trained, and lacking up to date equipment, they did not perform well and were amalgamated with the 55th once more in October 1942, with whom they subsequently took part in further campaigns in New Guinea and Bougainville before being disbanded in May 1946.
The 53rd Battalion was initially raised in mid-February 1916 as part of the expansion of the all-volunteer First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) that took place in Egypt during World War I. Formed from reinforcements sent from Australia and experienced men drawn from the 1st Battalion, the 53rd was assigned to the 14th Brigade, 5th Division. Upon formation they took part in the defence of the Suez Canal against forces of the Ottoman Empire, for which they received their first theatre honour, that of "Egypt 1916", although they did not take part in any actual fighting. The battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Ignatius Bertram Norris.
...
Wikipedia