| The 2/25th Battalion was
formally raised in Brisbane on 1 July 1940. Recruited in Queensland, it
began assembling at Grovely Camp on 15 July, and subsequently trained at
Grovely (15 July–15 October) and around Darwin (23 October 1940–1
February 1941). It returned to Brisbane to complete its preparations for
overseas service, and embarked at Sydney on 7 April 1941.
On 3 May 1941, the 2/25th landed in
Egypt and moved out into the desert to join the 25th Brigade of the 7th
Australian Division that was manning defences along the Egypt–Libya
frontier against an expected German attack. The 2/25th occupied
positions at Mersa Matruh throughout much of April and May 1941, before
returning to Palestine in preparation for its first offensive operation
– the invasion of Syria and Lebanon, which began on 8 June.
The 2/25th initially constituted the
25th Brigade’s reserve for its drive into eastern Lebanon, and its
companies were widely scattered. Reunited, the battalion fought its only
major battle of the campaign at the inland town of Merdjayoun on 19
June. Given inadequate time to prepare, and confronted by Vichy French
tanks, the 2/25th failed to capture Merdjayoun, which had previously
been occupied by Australian forces but lost to a counter offensive. The
battalion suffered heavy casualties, including over 50 men taken
prisoner.
- On 25 June the 2/25th was
temporarily placed under the command
of the 21st Brigade
to secure a route from the coast to the inland town
of Beit ed Dine against the possibility of a Vichy French counter
attack. It was still thus engaged when the armistice came into effect on
12 July, and remained in Lebanon as part of the Allied garrison until
13 January 1942.
After sailing from Egypt on 9 February
1942, the 2/25th disembarked in Adelaide on 10 March. It trained in
Australia until August and on 9 September arrived in Port Moresby to
reinforce the battered Australian units on the Kokoda Trail. Joining the
fray at Ioribaiwa on 15 September, the battalion participated in the
last Australian withdrawal on the trail – to Imita Ridge. It
subsequently participated in the advance that followed the Japanese
withdrawal, fighting major battles near Templeton’s Crossing (13–21
October) and at Gorari (7–11 November). The 2/25th was briefly
involved in the operations at Gona between 23 November and 4 December,
before returning to Port Moresby by air on 13 December and eventually
sailing back to Australia in early January 1943.
The 2/25th returned to Port Moresby on
22 July in preparation for the 25th Brigade’s next operation – the
advance on the Japanese base at Lae, in New Guinea. The brigade flew
into Nadzab on 7 September, commenced its advance on the 11th and Lae
was in its hands by the 16th – the 2/25th was the first battalion to
enter the town. On 29 September the 2/25th was flown from Nadzab to
Kaipit and spent the rest of the year principally engaged in patrol
actions in the Ramu Valley and the foothills of the Finisterre Range.
The battalion returned to Australia on 16 February 1944.
Like most of the AIF battalions, the
2/25th spent over a year training in Australia prior to its final
operation of the war. It departed Australia on 2 June 1945 and landed at
Balikpapan in Borneo on 2 July. The 2/25th’s operations were
concentrated around the Milford Highway, the site of the most determined
Japanese resistance at Balikpapan. It was still involved in active
operations when the war ended on 15 August. Drafts of long-service
personnel began returning home from October, and what was left of the
battalion disembarked in Brisbane on 4 February 1946. It disbanded there
on 7 March 1946.
Battle honours
Casualties
Decorations
- 1 VC
- 2 DSO
- 1 MBE
- 4 MC and one bar
- 1 DCM
- 8 MM
- 33 MID
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