38th Battalion
The 38th Battalion was formed on 1
March 1916 at a camp established on the Epsom Racecourse at Bendigo in
Victoria. Early training was disrupted by a severe outbreak of cerebro-spinal
meningitis in the camp, as a result of which the healthy members were
transferred to a camp at Campbellfield, where the Battalion had to be
rebuilt from fresh reinforcements.
After training in both Australia and
Britain, the 38th Battalion crossed to France in late November 1916 and
moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 1
December. During the harsh winter of 1916–17 the 3rd Division was
heavily involved in raiding the German trenches. In February 1917 the
38th Battalion provided 400 troops, with a similar party from the 37th
Battalion, to form a special raiding “battalion”. After several
weeks of training this force staged a single 35-minute raid on the night
of 27 February and was then disbanded.
The 38th fought in its first major
battle at Messines, in Belgium, between 7–9 June 1917. It fought in
another two major attacks in this sector – the battle of Broodseinde
on 4 October, and the battle of Passchendaele on 12 October. Broodseinde
was a success, reflecting careful planning and preparation, but the 38th
still suffered 29 per cent casualties. Passchendaele, however, was a
disaster, executed in haste amidst horrendous conditions brought on by
torrential rain. It was the 38th’s most costly operation of the war,
resulting in 62 per cent casualties.
Belgium remained the focus of the 38th
Battalion’s activities for the next five months, until it was rushed
south to France in late March 1918 to meet the German Army’s Spring
Offensive. The Allies launched their own offensive on 8 August 1918, but
the 38th was in reserve on this day and did not play an active role. It
was involved, however, in an ill-conceived attack that failed to capture
the village of Proyart on 10 August. Undaunted, the battalion continued
to play an active role throughout August and early September in the 3rd
Division’s advance along the Somme Valley.
The 38th participated in its last
major action of the war between 29 September and 2 October 1918 as part
of the Australian-American operation that breached the formidable
defences of the Hindenburg Line along the St Quentin Canal. It was
disbanded in April 1919. Text from AWM
- 499 killed, 1478 wounded (including
gassed)
-
Decorations
- 2 DSO
- 21 MC, 3 bars
- 9 DCM
- 76 MM, 4 bars
- 5 MSM
- 28 MID
- 9 foreign awards
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