1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
| 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 12 October 1945 – present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Part of | 3rd Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Townsville |
| Nickname(s) | Big Blue One |
| Motto(s) | Duty First |
| March | Waltzing Matilda (Band) |
| Mascot(s) | Shetland Pony "Septimus" |
| Engagements |
East Timor Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Decorations | Meritorious Unit Commendation (United States) |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps) |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion in 1945 and since then has been deployed on active service during the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, the Vietnam War and more recently in Somalia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, the battalion has deployed on peacekeeping operations to a number of countries including Japan, East Timor and the Solomon Islands. In 2006, 1 RAR was one of the Australian Army's most heavily deployed units sending detachments to Iraq as part of SECDET, Tonga, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste. The battalion is currently based at Townsville, Queensland, where it forms part of the 3rd Brigade.
With the conclusion of the war in the Pacific in 1945, Australia was committed to provide troops for occupation duties in Japan. This commitment led to the formation of the 34th Australian Infantry Brigade. The brigade was made up of three battalions: the 65th, 66th and 67th Australian Infantry Battalions. On 12 October 1945 the 65th Battalion, later the 1st Battalion was formed out of 7th Division at Balikpapan and quickly sailed to Morotai from where they undertook training prior to being sent to Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.
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