46th Battalion (Australia)

The 46th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised in 1916 for service during the First World War, the battalion served on the Western Front before being disbanded in 1919. It was re-raised as a part-time unit of the Citizens Forces in 1921 and in 1927 adopted the title of the Brighton Rifles, before becoming part of the Militia in 1929. During the Second World War the 46th served in a garrison role before being amalgamated with the 29th Battalion in August 1942 to form the 29th/46th Battalion.

First World War
The 46th Battalion was originally formed on 24 February 1916, during the First World War, as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) which occurred in Egypt at that time. The battalion drew most of its experienced personnel from the 14th Battalion, a Victorian unit that had served at Gallipoli in 1915, while new recruits came mainly from New South Wales and Western Australia.

On 2 June 1916, the battalion received orders to proceed to France where for the next two and a half years it took part in the fighting along the Western Front. Over this period, the 46th Battalion fought major battles at Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines and Passchendaele. It was at Bullecourt, on 11 April 1917, that the battalion suffered its worst losses. In early 1918 it was involved in turning back the German Spring Offensive before taking part in the final Allied offensive that began around Amiens in August 1918. By September 1918 the battalion was withdrawn from the front for training and remained out of the line until the armistice in November 1918. Following the end of hostilities, the battalion was disbanded in April 1919.

During its service throughout the war, the battalion lost 590 men killed and 1,939 wounded. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: four Distinguished Service Orders with one bar, one Officer of the Order of the British Empire, 28 Military Crosses with one bar, 14 Distinguished Conduct Medals, 140 Military Medals with seven bars, six Meritorious Service Medals, 37 Mentions in Despatches and five foreign awards.

Inter war years
In 1921, the Australian government decided perpetuate the battle honours and traditions of the AIF by reorganising the part-time units of the Citizens Forces to adopt the numerical designations of the AIF. As a result in May 1921 the 46th Battalion was re-raised in Victoria and attached to the 4th Brigade. In 1927, territorial designations were adopted and the battalion took on the designation of the "Brighton Rifles" due to its association with Brighton, Victoria.

In 1929, the compulsory training scheme was suspended by the Scullin Labor government, and a voluntary system introduced in its place. In order to break with the previous system, the decision was made to adopt the name of the “Militia” in order to emphasise the voluntary nature of service. These changes, along with the economic downturn of the Great Depression which limited training opportunities, greatly affected the availability of manpower at the time and as a result a number of units were amalgamated at this time, although the 46th Battalion was not one of those selected for this fate and it remained on the order of battle, albeit with limited personnel, until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Second World War
Following the commencement of hostilities, the Australian government announced that it would raise an all volunteer force, known as the Second Australian Imperial Force, for service overseas because the provisions of the Defence Act (1903) prohibited sending the units of the Militia outside of Australian territory to fight. The Militia was to provide the base upon which this force would be raised, while at the same time improve the nation’s overall preparedness for war by undertaking defensive duties at strategic locations around Australia and providing training to conscripts following the re-commencement of the compulsory training scheme in early 1940.

Following this, the 46th Battalion undertook a number of training camps as the Militia were called up for periods of continuous training throughout 1940 and 1941. Following Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941, however, the tempo was increased and in March 1942 the battalion was moved to Queensland along with the rest of the 4th Brigade to conduct garrison duties. In mid-1942, however, amid concerns about the ability of the Australian economy to continue to meet the demands being placed upon it by the war effort, the decision was made by the government to reduce the size of the Australian military forces and return manpower to industry by disbanding or amalgamating a number of Militia units. The 46th Battalion was one of those units chosen to be amalgamated and, as a result, in August 1942, the 46th Battalion was amalgamated with the 29th Battalion to form the 29th/46th Battalion.

The 29th/46th would later go on to serve in New Guinea during the Huon Peninsula campaign in 1943–1944 and then the New Britain campaign in 1945, before being disbanded in 1946.

Battle honours
The 46th received the following battle honours for its service during the First World War:
 * Somme 1916, Somme 1918, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines 1917, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Passchendaele, Ancre 1918, Hamel, Amiens, Albert 1918, Hindenburg Line, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, France and Flanders 1916–1918, Egypt 1915–1917.