18th Battalion (Australia)

18th Battalion
Members of the 18th Battalion in France, c. 1916–1918
Active1915–1919
1921–1935
1936–1944
CountryAustralia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeInfantry
Size~800–1,000 men[Note 1]
Part of5th Brigade, 2nd Division
ColoursPurple over green
EngagementsWorld War I
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Evan Alexander Wisdom
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 18th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. During World War I, the battalion was raised in 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force, attached to the 5th Brigade, of the 2nd Division. It was sent initially to Gallipoli, where it suffered many casualties before it was withdrawn from the line and sent to France and Belgium, where it served at the Western Front as part of the Australian Corps and took part in most of the major battles between 1916 and 1918. The battalion's last engagement of the war was at Montbrehain in October 1918 and it was disbanded in April 1919.

After the war, the battalion was re-raised as a part-time force in the Sydney area. It was briefly amalgamated with the 51st Battalion in 1935–1936, but the two units were later unlinked and re-raised as separate units. During World War II, the battalion served in a garrison role in Australia and was disbanded in 1944 without having seen active service overseas.

  1. ^ Kuring 2004, p. 47.
  2. ^ Palazzo 2004, p. 94.


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