8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment

8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment
Active1854–Present
CountryAustralia Australia
BranchAustralian Army
TypeInfantry
RoleLine infantry
Part of4th Brigade, 2nd Division
Garrison/HQRanger Barracks, Ballarat
Motto(s)Swift and bold, yield to none
Anniversaries9 August 1858 (battalion birthday)
EngagementsSecond Boer War, World War I World War II
Battle honoursBoer War: South Africa 1899–1902
World War I: Landing at Anzac Cove, Somme 1916–1918, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Polygon Wood, Ameins, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line.
World War II: Bardia 1941, Capture of Tobruk, El Alamein, Greece 1941, South West Pacific 1942–1945, Bobdubi, Finisterres, Hari River, Borneo.
Commanders
Current
commander
LTCOL Derek Sonogan
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 8th/7th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (8/7 RVR) is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It is one of two battalions that make up the Royal Victoria Regiment (RVR), along with its sister unit the 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment. Its history is traced back to 1854, with the battalion existing and maintaining an unbroken record of service ever since, albeit in varying forms and under various names.[1] The present day unit traces its lineage from a number of previous units, including 8th Battalion (City of Ballarat Regiment), 59th Battalion (The Hume Regiment), 7th Battalion (The North and West Murray Regiment), and the 38th Battalion (The Northern Victoria Regiment).[1] Today the battalion is part of the 4th Brigade and is responsible for most of the rural areas of Victoria. The battalion has served Victorian communities in Operation Bushfire Assist 19/20, and Operation COVID-19 Assist. The battalion maintains an affiliation with the 5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, with whom many members of 8/7 RVR have undertaken periods of full-time service in recent times.

  1. ^ a b Department of Defence 1999, p. 2.