10th Battalion (Australia)

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=Australian 10th Battalion


caption=Lines of the 9th and 10th Battalions at Mena Camp, looking towards the Pyramids. The soldier in the foreground is playing with a kangaroo, the regimental mascot.
dates= 1914-1919
country= Australia
allegiance=
branch= Australian Army
type= Infantry
role= Line Infantry
size=
command_structure= Australian 3rd Brigade
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=The Fighting 10th
patron=
motto=
colors= Dark Blue over Light Blue
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles= World War I
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours= Somme, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Ypres, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Lys, Hazebrouck, Kemmel, Amiens, Albert, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, France and Flanders 1916-1918, ANZAC, Landing at ANZAC, Defence at ANZAC, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli, Egypt

The 10th Battalion was a battalion of the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. The battalion was completely recruited from South Australia and formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. It served at Gallipoli from April to December 1915, before being transferred to the Western Front in March 1916 where it took part in bitter trench warfare until the armistice in 1918.

Gallipoli

The battalion was raised within two weeks of the declaration of war and left Australia two months later. After briefly stopping in Fremantle, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December.

At around 4.30 am on April 25, 1915, the battalion was one of the first units ashore at Anzac Cove as part of the covering force for the main Anzac landing. Troops from the battalion are believed to have penetrated further inland than any other Australian unit. The battalion served at Gallipoli until the evacuation in December.

Western Front

After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the battalion returned to Egypt. In March 1916, it sailed to France and deployed to the Somme. The battalion's first major action in France was at Pozières in July 1916. During the battle Private Arthur Blackburn was awarded the Victoria Cross,. Later the battalion fought at Ypres, in Belgium, before returning to the Somme in winter. In 1917, the battalion returned to Belgium to take part the Third Battle of Ypres. For his valorous actions at Polygon Wood, Private Roy Inwood was awarded the Victoria Cross.

In 1918 the battalion helped to stop the German spring offensive in March and April. The battalion subsequently participated in the greatest Allied offensive of 1918, launched near Amiens on 8 August 1918. In June, during an attack near Merris in France, Corporal Philip Davey became the third member of the battalion to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The battalion continued operations to late September 1918.

The battalion began returning to Australia in November. The final troops from the battalion arrived at Adelaide in September 1919, aboard the transport Takada.

On 5 February 1919, the 9th and 10th Battalions were amalgamated.

References

[http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_11197.asp 10th Battalion: Australian War Memorial]