46th Battalion
From Our Contribution
 Shoulder patch | |
 Wire protection to Hindenburg Line near Bellenglise. AWM photo E03367 | |
Contents
Brief History
Originally formed on 24 Feb 1916 as part of the expansion of the AIF in Egypt. Most of its experienced men were Victorians from the 14th Battalion, and they were joined by reinforcements from New South Wales and Western Australia. It was part of the 12th Brigade, 4th Division. On 2 Jun 1916 it received orders to relocated to France.
Their first major battle was at Poziéres in August in support of the 2nd Division's attack, and later to hold the ground won by the 2nd Division. It then spent the winter of 1916-17 alternating in and out of the line before participating in the 1st Battle of Bullecourt where they suffered their greatest losses of the war. They then spent the rest of 1917 in Belgium where they participated in the major actions at Messines and Passchendaele.
In 1918 they were part of the major relocation of Australian troops that were rushed south to the Somme to help halt the German advance on Amiens at Dernancourt in April. It then, along with al other Australian nits participated in the major advance up the Somme Valley until mid September where after an attack on the Hindenburg line outposts it was sent for a rest. During its service throughout the war, the battalion lost 590 men killed and 1,939 wounded.
Battalion Personnel
- † George Mouatt Dow 21 Jun - 16 Jul 1917 (KIA Hill 63)
- William Percival Nairn 21 Jul 1917 - 28 Mar 1918 (WIA)
- Nicholas Joseph Rosekelly 29 Sep - 12 Nov 1917
- Francis William Swann 1 Sep 1917 - 19 Nov 1918
- † Arthur Werndly 21 Jun 1917 - 18 Sep 1918
Battle Honours
- Egypt 1915-1916
- 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 details of this battalion's participation in the war, see:
- We Were The 46th - The History of the 46th Battalion In The Great War of 1914 - 1918 by Ian Polanski