45th Battalion
From Our Contribution
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 Men from 45th Battalion near Zonnebeke 27 Sep 1917 AWM E00825 | |
Contents
Brief History
Raised on 2 Mar 1916 as part of the expansion of the AIF in Egypt, becoming part of the 12h brigade, 4th Division. as part of this process it received experienced troops from the 13th Battalion. Men came primarily from New South Wales.
Following training in Egypt they transferred to France in mid 1916. Their first entry into battle took place at Poziéres in August where they were required to hold ground previously won by the 2nd Division. On their withdrawl they wintered in the Ypres salient before moving south again in support of the attack on Bullecourt in April 1917.
During the Battle of Messines they suffered very heavy casualties, as they did also in the Battle of Passchendaele. In 1918, during the German spring offensive they repelled repeated attacks by the Germans near Dernancourt. Later, with the launch of the Hundred Days Offensive, the 45th Battalion was very active, with its last major action being the Battle of the Hindenburg Line on 18 Sep 1918. During the course of the war the battalion lost 688 men killed and 1,707 wounded.
Battalion Personnel
- Frederick William Scott 29 Sep - 15 Oct 1916
Battle Honours
- Egypt 1916
- Somme 1916-1918
- Poziéres
- Bullecourt
- Messines 1917
- Ypres 1917
- Menin Road
- Polygon Wood
- Passchendaele
- Ancre 1918
- Hamel
- Amiens
- Albert 1918
- Hindenburg Line
- Epéhy
- France and Flanders 1916-18
Individual Honours
- 4 Distinguished Service Orders with one Bar
- 1 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- 28 Military Crosses with one Bar
- 14 Distinguished Conduct Medals
- 140 Military Medals with seven Bars
- 6 Meritorious Service Medals
- 37 Mentions in Despatches, and
- 5 foreign awards.
Notes
Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of Wikipedia and the Australian War Memorial websites.
For further information concerning this battalion's role in the war, see:
- The Chronicle of the 45th Battalion AIF by Maj J.E. Lee
- Somme Mud - The Experiences of an Infantryman in France 1916 - 1919 E.P.F. Lynch, edited by Will Davies. Also published as In the Footsteps of Private Lynch by Will Davies