54th Battalion
The 54th Battalion was raised in Egypt
on 16 February 1916 as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Half of
its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 2nd Battalion, and the
other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the
composition of the 2nd, the 54th was predominantly composed of men from
New South Wales. The battalion became part of the 14th Brigade of the
5th Australian Division.
Moving to France in June 1916, the
54th fought its first major battle on the Western Front at Fromelles, on
19 July. It was a disaster. The 54th was part of the initial assault and
suffered casualties equivalent to 65 per cent of its fighting strength.
Casualty rates among the rest of the 5th Division were similarly high,
but despite these losses it continued to man the front in the Fromelles
sector for a further two months.
After a freezing winter manning
trenches in the Somme Valley, in early 1917 the 54th Battalion
participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the
Hindenburg Line. It was spared the assault but did, however, defend
gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt. Later in the year,
the AIF’s focus of operations switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium.
The 54th’s major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September.
With the collapse of Russia in October
1917, a major German offensive on the Western Front was expected in
early 1918. This came in late March and the 5th Division moved to defend
the sector around Corbie. The 14th Brigade took up positions to the
north of Villers-Bretonneux and held these even when the village fell,
threatening their flanks.
Once the German offensive had been
defeated, the Allies launched their own offensive in August 1918. The
14th Brigade did not play a major role in these operations until late in
the month, but its actions, including those of the 54th Battalion at
Anvil Wood, were critical to the capture of Péronne, which fell on 2
September.
Heavy casualties throughout 1918 and
declining enlistments in Australia resulted in a decision in
mid-September 1918 to disband several Australian battalions to reinforce
others; in the 14th Brigade this battalion was to be the 54th. The men
mutinied in response, which resulted in a temporary postponement of the
order. The 54th fought its last major battle of the war, St Quentin
Canal, between 29 September and 2 October 1918. On 11 October it ceased
to exist as a separate entity when it was merged with the 56th Battalion
to form the 54/56th Battalion. Text from AWM
- 544 killed, 1592 wounded (including
gassed)
-
Decorations
- 2 VC
- 2 DSO, 1 1st bar, 1 2nd bar
- 1 MBE
- 14 MC and 5 bars
- 16 DCM and 1 bar
- 49 MM, 3 1st bars, 1 2nd bar
- 5 MSM
- 13 MID
- 4 foreign awards
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