Colours of the 17th Battalion in 1918, listing its battle honours from the First World War.

The Australian Army and its forerunners have been awarded 248 battle and theatre honours since its formation. The first honour given to an Australian unit came prior to Federation and was awarded to forces from the colony of New South Wales, which contributed a small contingent consisting of an infantry battalion, with artillery and support units to take part in the short-lived British campaign against the Dervish revolt in the eastern Sudan in 1885 following the death of General Charles Gordon at Khartoum.[1][2]

The next conflict that saw Australian units receive battle or theatre honours was the Second Boer War. Between 1899 and 1901, forces from the six Australian colonies fought alongside each other before being replaced in 1901 by forces of the newly established Australian Army following Federation.[3] A total of five theatre honours were awarded for service in South Africa, being bestowed upon successor units in the form of honorary banners and distinctions presented in 1904, 1908 and 1911.[4][5] Since then, the Australian Army has received honours for fighting during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, with the Royal Australian Regiment last being awarded a battle honour in 1994 for the First Battle of Maryang San in Korea.[6] In 2013, units of Special Operations Command were awarded the battle honour Eastern Shah Wali Kot for their actions in Afghanistan in May and June 2010.[7] A theatre honour for peacekeeping in East Timor in 1999–2003 was awarded to the Army on its 119th birthday in March 2020.[8] The most highly decorated unit in the Australian Army are The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers, with 21 battle honours. They are an active Australian Army Reserve Cavalry regiment. It celebrated its centenary in 1985. The regiment has its headquarters at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Lancer Barracks is the oldest Military Barracks on mainland Australia and dates from 1819.[9]

Sudan (1885)

South Africa (1899–1902)

First World War (1914–18)

German New Guinea

Gallipoli

Egypt

Palestine

Western Front

Second World War (1939–45)

North Africa

Greece

Middle East

Syria

Malaya

South West Pacific

Korea (1950–53)

Malaya (1955–63)

Malaysia (Confrontation) (1964–66)

Vietnam (1962–72)

East Timor (1999–2003)

Afghanistan (07/08/2001 – 30/08/2021)

Iraq (20 March 2003 – 15 December 2011)

See also

Notes

Footnotes

  1. ^ The 13th Light Horse Regiment was awarded the battle honour "Amiens 1918" in 1927. This appears to be unique, with all other British and Dominion units involved in the battle receiving the honour "Amiens".[21]
  2. ^ The correct spelling is "Jivevaneng"; however, when the battle honour was awarded in 1961 by the Australian Army it appears to have been misspelt as "Jivenaneng".[34][35]

Citations

  1. ^ Grey 2008, pp. 48–49.
  2. ^ Wilcox 2009, p. 72.
  3. ^ Dennis et al 1995, p. 107.
  4. ^ Festberg 1972, p. 14.
  5. ^ Jobson 2009, pp. 58–59.
  6. ^ "Kowang-San". The Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Special Operations Units Awarded Battle Honour". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 March 2013. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
  8. ^ a b "East Timor Theatre Honour for Army on its 119th birthday". Minister of Defence. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  9. ^ https://lancers.org.au/
  10. ^ a b "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: First Sudan War, Second Boer War" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  11. ^ Rodger 2003, p. 62.
  12. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 66–72.
  13. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: The Great War: Australasia" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  14. ^ Rodger 2003, p. 91.
  15. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: The Great War: The Dardanelles" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  16. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 180–185.
  17. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: The Great War: Egypt" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  18. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 185–186.
  19. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: The Great War: Palestine" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  20. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 189–196.
  21. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 154–156.
  22. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: The Great War: France and Belgium" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  23. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 112–176.
  24. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: North Africa" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  25. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 274–296.
  26. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: Greece" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  27. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 334–335.
  28. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: Middle East" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  29. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 337–338.
  30. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: Syria" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  31. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 271–273.
  32. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: Malaya" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  33. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 340–341.
  34. ^ 2/17 Battalion History Committee 1998, p. iii.
  35. ^ Rodger 2003, p. 361.
  36. ^ "Battle Honours of the Australian Army: World War Two: South West Pacific" (PDF). Australian Army. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  37. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 358–368.
  38. ^ Rodger 2003, pp. 372–374.
  39. ^ "Defence Image Gallery". Department of Defence. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  40. ^ Rodger 2003, p. 394.
  41. ^ "Army's Birthday and New Banner Presentation". Australian Army. Retrieved 13 November 2020.

References

  • 2/17 Battalion History Committee (1998) [1990]. What We Have We Hold: A History of the 2/17 Australian Infantry Battalion, 1940–1945 (Revised ed.). Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military History Publications. ISBN 1-876439-36-X.((cite book)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Connor, John (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (1st ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
  • Festberg, Alfred (1972). The Lineage of the Australian Army. Melbourne, Victoria: Allara Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85887-024-6.
  • Grey, Jeffrey (2008). A Military History of Australia (3rd ed.). Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-69791-0.
  • Jobson, Christopher (2009). Looking Forward, Looking Back: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army. Wavell Heights, Queensland: Big Sky Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9803251-6-4.
  • Rodger, Alexander (2003). Battle Honours of the British Empire and Commonwealth Land Forces 1662–1991. Marlborough, United Kingdom: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1861266375.
  • Wilcox, Craig (2009). Red Coat Dreaming: How Colonial Australia Embraced the British Army. Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-19360-3.

Further reading

  • Baker, Allan (1986). Battle Honours of the British and Commonwealth Armies. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0711016003.
  • Maitland, Gordon (1999). The Second World War and its Australian Army Battle Honours. Roseville, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 0864179758.
  • Pears, Maurie (2007). Battlefield Korea: The Korean Battle Honours of the Royal Australian Regiment, 1950–1953. Loftus, New South Wales: Australian Military History Publications. ISBN 9780980379600.

External links

Australian Army
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