The policy related
to the wearing of colour patches by members of linked light horse
regiments and infantry battalions is ill-defined, and differed according
to three distinct periods.
The reduction in the number of active cavalry and infantry units of the
Citizen Forces actually began on 31.12.1925, with the disbandment of the
50th Battalion, ( Amendment to
Tables of Composition, Organization and Distribution of the Australian
Military Forces, 1925-26, promulgated as AAO 580/1925, 5.12.1925; AAO
109/1926, Training Areas Changes in Designations and Localities,
abolishing Areas 50A and 50B w.e.f the 1. 1. 1926.)
drawn from Port Pirie and Broken Hill in the 4th Military District, and
was followed on 30.6.1926 by the disbandment of the 16th Battalion,
( AAO 329/1926, 19.6.1926.) another remote
country unit drawn from Kalgoorlie and Boulder in 5th Military District.
In both cases no attempt was made to perpetuate their lineage other than
to continue publishing the unit designation and battle honours in the
Army List. It was not until January 1930 that the designations of these
two battalions were linked with those of metropolitan battalions in
their respective military districts.
On 30.6.1929, a further five battalions and two light horse regiments
were disbanded. ( 7th, 21st, 33rd,
41st and 54th Battalions, 19th and 21st Light Horse Regiments. AAO
353/1929. The training centres occupied by these
units were closed, and personnel drawn from the recruiting areas of
these units ceased to be liable for compulsory military service under
Part XII of the Defence Act. In order to perpetuate the lineage of these
units, their designation was immediately linked with that of a
neighbouring battalion or light horse regiment. In a few cases,
including those of the 16th and 50th Battalions, the issue of colour
patches of the disbanded units was suspended, all linked units
continuing to wear the patch of the active component of the link.
Following the reorganization of the Citizen Forces onto a voluntary
basis in November 1929 it became necessary to further reduce the number
of active units of the AMF. This was accomplished on 1.7.1930 by linking
four light horse regiments to form two, and eighteen infantry battalions
to form nine. AAO
351/1930,2.8.1930.) In each case the new
linked units covered all, or part of , the recruiting areas occupied by
both former units. For example the 25th Battalion was located at
Toowoomba, Queensland; the 49th Battalion at Kelvin Grove, with
detachments at Sherwood and Ipswich.
Following reorganization as the
25th/49th Battalion on 1.7.1930 the composition was battalion
headquarters and two companies at Kelvin Grove, with a detachment at
Ipswich, and two companies at Toowoomba. In August 1930, the Military
Board directed that personnel of these linked units would continue to
wear the colour patches and regimental badges of the unit in which they
were serving immediately prior to the linking of that unit.
( ibid, Para. 2.) New
members enlisted into the linked battalion were issued colour patches
dependent on the former unit area from which they were recruited, the
Minister for Defence stating in March 1939 that the normal procedure was
for the same colour patch to be issued at a training centre after the
linking as before. Secretary,
Military Board, Memo No. 8802, dated 22.3.1939. AA(Vic): CRS B1535, item
716/2/470. Thus, to use the previous example of
the 25th/49th Battalion, those companies drawn from Toowoomba, 'B' and 'E'(MG),
continued to be issued the former 25th Battalion patch, while the
Brisbane based element, BHQ, 'A' and 'D'(MG) Companies, was issued the
49th Battalion patch.
Therefore battalions and regiments linked after
30.6.1930 continued to wear, with certain exceptions, the colour patches
of both former units, while units linked before this date wore only the
colour patch of the active unit of the link. In all cases linked units
carried the Colours or Guidons of both former units, AHQ placing a
greater priority on this than the display of both unit colour patches,
although this was not always appreciated, particularly by former AEF
unit associations which were disturbed that their battalion colour patch
was no longer on issue.
The exceptions to the normal procedure during the
1930 to 1942 period generally occurred as a result of changes to
existing recruiting area boundaries, the establishment of new recruiting
areas, or in one case, the transfer of a unit's designation to a
different Military District. Ibis often resulted in the closure of
training centres occupied by one portion of a linked unit, or their
transfer to another battalion. The affect of changes to recruiting area
boundaries are best exemplified by the l5th Battalion, which was linked
with the 9th Battalion as the 9th/15th Battalion in 1930.
Following a reorganization of
11th Mixed Brigade in late 1934, this link was dissolved and the l5th
Battalion was linked with the 26th Battalion as the 15th/26th Battalion.
In this case no former l5th Battalion training centres were transferred
to the new battalion. Former members of the l5th Battalion who
transferred to the 15th/26th Battalion retained their l5th Battalion
colour patches, however all new personnel enlisted into the 15th/26th
Battalion after its formation were issued the colour patch of the 26th
Battalion. In May 1939 the Military Board advised that this was the
common procedure followed throughout the AMF for all linked battalions.(
ibid, Secretary, Military Board, Memo No. 16452, dated 22.5.1939. HQ
11th Mixed Brigade advised the Military Board on 15.12.1938 that, with
the exception of a few officers, there were no longer any former 15th
Battalion personnel serving with the 15th/26th Battalion.)
An example of the procedure followed on the
establishment of a new recruiting area is provided by the 33rd/41st
Battalion. On 1.1.1934 the 33rd Battalion was re-established in the
Tamworth area of NSW and linked with the 41st Battalion to form the
33rd/41st Battalion. Both these battalions had been disbanded as
part of the 1929 reorganization. The 33rd
Battalion was considered to be the active component of the link and
therefore only their colour patch was issued to personnel of this
battalion. The only unit affected by the transfer to another military
district of its designation was the 50th Battalion, disbanded at the end
of 1925. Its designation was transferred to 6th Military District in
late 1936 and linked with that of the 12th Battalion to form the
12th/50th Battalion. This battalion retained its original 12th Battalion
colour patch, and the patch of the 50th Battalion was in fact never
issued after its initial disbandment.
A number of other units were affected by circumstances similar to those
of the 15th/26th and 33rd/41st Battalions, although a perusal of the
Army Lists and Organization and Location of Units, Australian Military
Forces, for this period suggests that most linked units continued to
recruit from the former areas of both units. Where changes have been
noted they are registered with the details of that colour patch in Part
II of this book. Following the commencement of full scale mobilization
of the Citizen Forces in late 1941, all linked light horse regiments and
all but three linked infantry battalions were unlinked. The exceptions
comprised the 12th/50th, 23rd/21st and 57th/60th Battalions, the two
former wearing only one patch, the latter, two patches.
By mid 1942 the manpower shortage facing the Services and the munitions
industry forced a reduction in the number of infantry battalions on the
Order of Battle of the AMF. In September 1942 seven battalions were
disbanded, followed by an eighth in October. ( 32nd, 33rd, 45th,
46th, 48th, 52nd and 59th in September, 53rd in October. The latter was
actually serving on operations in New Guinea at that point, the
remainder being in Australia.) In each case the
designation of the affected battalion was linked with that of an active
battalion raised from the same state or territorial area, however only
those personnel required to complete the War Establishment of the active
battalion were transferred from the disbanded unit. ( in at least
one case, the 48th Battalion, no members were transferred to the
10th/48th Battalion, although it had originally been intended to
transfer fifteen officers from the 48th Battalion to maintain a
semblance of the link.) The remainder served as
reinforcements for existing units, or in most cases formed new ones of
the RAA(AA). Such is the case of the 48th Aust. Infantry Battalion, one
company of which was transferred to the 19th Aust. Machine Gun
Battalion, the remainder, some seven hundred all ranks, formed the 108th
Aust. Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment RAA.
It would appear that official policy at this point, although no specific
authority has been located, was that the linked battalions would wear
only one colour patch, that of the active component of the link. An
internal AWM memo dated 25.2.1951 ( From the Director, AWM,
presumably J. Treloar, recounting a conversation with a Mr Mathews who
was writing the history of the 58di/59th Battalion, in regard to the
colour patch worn by this battalion after its linking. He also refers to
a statement by Mr Mathews that he could recall an order relating to the
wearing of one colour patch by linked battalions appearing in 1943 or
1944. This memo is held in the AWM colour patch file card register.) provides
a statement that the colour patch worn by the 58th/59th Aust. Infantry
Battalion was that of the 58th Battalion, although former members of the
59th Battalion continued to wear their original colour patches for a
considerable period after the linking.
The historian of the 52nd
Battalion records that the members of this unit who marched into the
37th/52nd Aust. Infantry Battalion were immediately ordered to replace
their colour patches with those of the 37th Battalion. ( The
Gippsland Regiment, Blair, p.203.) It is at this
point also that the 57th/60th Aust. Infantry Battalion Association
states that the 60th Battalion colour patch ceased to be worn (
Telephone conversation with the Association Secretary, Mr George
Phillips, on 30.5.1996.32) and the 14th/32nd Aust.
Infantry Battalion Association have advised that the colour patch worn
immediately following linking was that of the 14th Battalion. Telephone
conversation with the Association Secretary, Mr Alban Howells, on
30.5.1996.) Photographic evidence shows that an
identical policy was followed by the 13th/33rd and 29th/46th Aust.
Infantry Battalions. While such a move was foreshadowed by the statement
of the Secretary of the Military Board in May 1939, it was possibly also
a deliberate policy by LHQ to ensure the assimilation of members of the
disbanded battalion into the linked battalion.
A further five linked battalions were formed prior
to the end of the Second World War, although it became general policy
from mid 1943 to simply disband battalions as they were no longer
required without any attempt to maintain their lineage. Two of these
linked battalions, the 20th/34th and 41st/2nd, formed in December 1943,
appear to have adhered to the policy outlined in the previous paragraph,
wearing the patches of the 20th and 2nd Battalions respectively.
A different course was
undertaken by the 3 1st/51 st Aust. Infantry Battalion, formed in April
1943. Personnel on the strength of either of the two original battalions
prior to amalgamation continued to wear their original colour patches;
reinforcements drawn from within the territorial areas of the two
battalions, Townsville and Cairns, respectively, were allotted the
colour patch of the appropriate battalion, while reinforcements drawn
from outside these territorial areas were allotted the patches of the
two original units on an equal basis. This was apparently official
policy originating from within LHQ as a result of a request for
direction in the matter by HQ First Aust. Army in August 1943.(
HQ 1 st Aust. Army Memo A368/30, dated 6.8.1943; LHQ(MGO) Memo No.
148749 of 31.8.1943 in reply. Actual procedure was outlined by the
Adjutant of the 3 1st/51 st Aust. Inf. Bn in an order dated 24.9.1943,
appended to a Bn War Diary entry of the same date. Extract of same is
held in the AWM colour patch file card register.
In March 1943 the 3rd Aust. Infantry Battalion,
which had absorbed survivors and reinforcements of the 2nd/22nd Aust.
Infantry Battalion, was redesignated the 3rd/22nd Aust. Infantry
Battalion. It is understood that the members of both battalions retained
their original colour patches in this case, particularly as the former
was a CMF battalion and the latter an AIF unit.
The final battalion was the 12th/40th, formed in
May 1945 by the linking of the 12th/50th and 40th Aust. Infantry
Battalions. This unit retained the colour patches of both former
battalions, possibly as a result of the political attention created
following the decision to disband one of the only two completely
Tasmanian raised battalions still on the Order of Battle, neither of
which had served outside Australia at that stage. A former member of the
battalion was more blunt in his assessment of the reasoning behind the
retention of both colour patches, stating that the 12th/50th Battalion
had been raised predominantly from northern Tasmania, the 40th Battalion
from the south, and any attempt to force one part of the battalion to
relinquish their colour patch and wear that of the other component of
the battalion would have led to a riot.
Very little use was made by arms and services
other than infantry and light horse to perpetuate the designations of
units by linking. In two of the three cases known, the 21st/22nd Aust.
Field Regiment RAA, and the 3rd/14th Aust. Field Ambulance AAMC, the
colour patch worn was that allotted to the RAA and AAMC of the
formations to which they were allotted. ( 3rd Aust. Armoured
Division and 3rd Aust. Division respectively.) The
final case is the 1st/54th Aust. Anti-Aircraft Company RAE, which was
formed from the 1st AASL Cadre RAE(P) and the 54th AA Company RAE(M) and
served under this title in the Northern Territory from August 1940 to
early 1943. Personnel of this unit continued to wear the colour patch of
the RAE(P) or the RAE(M)(AASL) according to the enlistment status of
each member.
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