52nd Battalion (Australia)
| 52nd Battalion (Australia) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1916–18 1921–30 1936–42 |
| Country |
 Australia
|
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~900–1,000 officers and men |
| Part of |
13th Brigade, 4th Division 10th Brigade, 3rd Division |
| Engagements |
World War I World War II |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
World War I
The 52nd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium, before being disbanded in mid-1918 to provide reinforcements for other depleted units. After the war, the battalion was re-raised as a part-time unit in Victoria in 1921 and served until 1930 when it was amalgamated with the 37th Battalion to become the 37th/52nd Battalion. In 1936, the battalion was re-formed and during the early part of World War II it undertook garrison duties in Australia before being merged once again with the 37th Battalion in 1942.
The 52nd Battalion was originally raised in Egypt on 1 March 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the AIF following the Gallipoli campaign. This was achieved by transferring cadres of experienced personnel predominately from the 1st Division to the newly formed battalions and combining them with recently recruited personnel who had been dispatched as reinforcements from Australia. With an authorised strength of just over 1,000 men of all ranks, the unit's first intake of personnel were drawn from men originating from South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, some of whom had already served with the 12th Battalion. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Miles Fitzroy Beevor, the veterans were bolstered by a large number of new recruits, who were mainly drawn from Queensland. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade attached to the 4th Australian Division.
An intense period of training followed, but in mid-1916 the AIF's infantry units were sent to Europe to fighting on the Western Front. Sailing on the transport ship HMT Ivernia, the battalion departed Alexandria and landed in Marseilles on 11 June 1916, and was then moved by rail to northern France where they undertook gas training and received new equipment to prepare them for trench warfare. A period of acclimatisation followed in a "nursery sector" around Petillon before, in mid-August the battalion played a support role in the initial fighting during the Battle of Mouquet Farm, before being committed to the fighting for the first time, launching an attack in early September during which they suffered heavy casualties, losing nine officers and 170 other ranks.
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