13th Battalion (Australia)

13th Battalion
Men of the 13th Battalion at Le Verguier, France, where Sergeant Buckley earned the Victoria Cross in 1918
Active	1914–19 1921–42 1948–60
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~1,000 officers and men
Part of	4th Brigade, New Zealand and Australian Division (later 4th Australian Division)
Motto(s)	Vigor in Arduis (Energy amid hardship)
Colours	Light blue over dark blue
Engagements	First World War Gallipoli campaign Western Front
Commanders
Notable commanders	James Murdoch Archer Durrant
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch

First World War

The 13th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised for the 1st Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, it was formed just six weeks after the start of the war. Along with the 14th, 15th and 16th Battalions which were recruited from New South Wales, it formed the 4th Brigade. The battalion saw service initially at Gallipoli before being transferred to France in 1916. For the next two years it fought in the trenches of the Western Front, earning numerous battle honours in the process.

Following the end of the war, the 13th Battalion was demobilised in early 1919. It was re-raised in 1921 as a unit of the part-time Citizens Force, based around Maitland, New South Wales. During the Second World War the battalion undertook garrison duties before being amalgamated with the 33rd Battalion in October 1942. It was re-raised for a third and final time sometime after 1948 and remained on the order of battle until 1960 when it was subsumed into the Royal New South Wales Regiment.

Following the outbreak of war, the Australian government announced the decision to raise an all volunteer force for overseas service known as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Recruitment for this force began quickly and the 13th Battalion was among some of the first battalions to be raised, doing so in late September 1914, only six weeks after the declaration of war. Drawing its manpower from the state of New South Wales, it undertook training at the ANZAC Rifle Range in Long Bay, Sydney and Broadmeadows and Williamstown in Melbourne. It left Australia from Albany in late December and arrived in Egypt in February 1915.