Australian 2nd Division (World War I)
| 2nd Division | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1915–1919 1921–1944 1948–present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army Reserve |
| Type | Reserve division |
| Size |
6 Brigades ~10,000 soldiers |
| March | 'Pozieres' (arr Allis) |
| Engagements |
World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Major General Stephen Porter |
| Notable commanders |
Major General Iven Mackay Major General Herbert Lloyd |
6 Brigades
World War I
The 2nd Division commands all the reserve brigades in Australia. These are the 4th in Victoria, the 5th and 8th in New South Wales, the 9th in South Australia and Tasmania, the 11th in Queensland and the 13th in Western Australia. The division is also responsible for the security of Australia's northern borders through its Regional Force Surveillance Units.
The division was first formed in 1915 during World War I as part of the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF), and served in the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front. Apart from a period from 1960 to 1965, the division has existed in one form or another.
The Australian 2nd Division was formed from reinforcements training in Egypt on 10 July 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force to fight in World War I. It fought at Gallipoli during the latter stages of the campaign and then traversed to the Western Front in France where it was the last Australian division to see combat. After the war ended and the AIF was demobilised, the 2nd Division name was revived and assigned to a Citizens Military Forces (reserve) unit.
The Australian 2nd Division was formed in July 1915 from a collection of brigades that had been raised independently in Australia (in February and April 1915), and sent to Egypt (in May and June 1915) for further training. Initially, it was intended that the division's commander would be James McCay, but he was wounded on 11 July, and invalided back to Australia and so, the command of the division went to Lieutenant-General James Legge.
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Wikipedia