35th Battalion (Australia)

35th Battalion
The 35th Battalion's position near Lena Wood, 8 August 1918
Active	1915–19 1921–29 1939–46
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~800–1,000 men
Nickname(s)	"Newcastle's Own Regiment"
Motto(s)	Fidelis Et Paratus
Colours	Brown over Green
Engagements	First World War Western Front Second World War Huon Peninsula campaign
Insignia
Unit Colour Patch

First World War

Second World War

The 35th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised in late 1915 for service during the First World War, the battalion saw service on the Western Front in France and Belgium before being disbanded in 1919. In 1921, it was re-raised in the Newcastle region of New South Wales as a unit of the Citizens Force (later known as the "Militia"). It was subsequently amalgamated a number of times during the inter-war years following the Great Depression, firstly with the 33rd Battalion and then the 2nd Battalion, before being re-raised in its own right upon the outbreak of the Second World War. Following this the battalion undertook garrison duties in Australia before being deployed to New Guinea where they took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign. After the end of the war, the 35th Battalion was disbanded in early 1946.

The 35th Battalion was originally raised during the First World War in December 1915 as part of efforts to expand the size of the Australian Imperial Force from two infantry divisions to five following the Gallipoli campaign. Raised in Newcastle, New South Wales, from volunteers drawn mainly from the local area, the battalion adopted the unofficial title of "Newcastle's Own". Upon formation, the battalion was assigned to the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, and following an initial period of training it proceeded overseas. Sailing from Sydney on 1 May 1916, they arrived in the United Kingdom in early July and undertook further training before being transferred to France in November 1916 along with the rest of the 3rd Division. On 26 November 1916, they took up positions in the trenches along the Western Front for the first time.