49th Australian Infantry Battalion Memorial

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Ornate marble and bronze Honour Board, displaying dedication elements of: enameled Unit badges, enamel crossed Australian-Union Jack flags, large bronze Rising Sun, WWI Battle Honours and a deciation to the 49th Battalion during the Second World War. There is an extensive Roll of Honour surrounding the main plaque, with an example shown in the additonal images. Additional Information The 49th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 27 February 1916 as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Approximately half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 9th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 9th, the 49th was predominantly composed of men from Queensland. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division. Arriving in France on 12 June 1916, the 49th moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 21 June. It fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm in August and suffered heavily, particularly in the assault launched on 3 September. The battalion saw out the rest of the year alternating between front-line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. Major Battle Honoursof the war included: Somme 1916, Somme 1918, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, Ancre 1918, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel Amiens, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, France and Flanders 1916-1918, Egypt 1915-1917 The 49th Battalion was disbanded on 9 May 1919. After the First World War the defence of the Australian mainland lay with the part-time soldiers of the Citizens Military Force, also known as the Militia. The Militia units were distributed in the same areas in which the original AIF units were raised. Queensland's 49th Infantry Battalion was the "Stanley Regiment". The 49th was raised in 1921, with its headquarters and a company in Kelvin Grove and companies in Toowong, Ipswich, and Ipswich-Lowood. A new 49th was raised for "tropical service" in February 1941 and served with the following Batle Honours: South-West Pacific 1942-43, Buna-Gona, Sanananda Road. The Unit was disbanded in 1943. (Source: Australian War Memorial www.awm.gov.au)