9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment
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| 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment | |
|---|---|
 Cap badge of the Royal Queensland Regiment |
|
| Active | July 1, 1960- |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Light Infantry |
| Part of | Australian 7th Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera |
| Nickname | The Fighting Ninth |
| Motto | First Ashore |
| Colors | Black over blue |
| March | Brass Band - El Abinico Pipe Band – The Frog Hollow Rangers |
| Battles/wars | Boer War World War I World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lt-Col Chris Austin |
| Ceremonial chief | HM The Queen (RAINC) |
9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (9RQR) is a Reserve light infantry battalion of the Australian Army, raised and based in the state of Queensland. It is part of the Royal Queensland Regiment and together with the 6th Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) and the 25th/49th Battalion The Royal Queensland Regiment (25/49RQR) makes up the 7th Brigade of the 1st Division. 9 RQR can trace its history as far back as 1867 with the establishment Queensland Volunteer Rifle Brigade while the name 9 Battalion was first used in 1911. The battalion has served Australia in multiple conflicts including' The Boer War, World War I and World War II. The 9th Battalion today is made up of the following companies.
- A Company, at Caboolture and Yandina
- B Company, at Enoggera
- C Company, at Loganlea
- D Company, at Bundaberg, Maryborough and Gympie
- Administration Company, at Enoggera
Battalion Headquarters is located at Enoggera. 9RQR no longer has a Support Company, which was disbanded in 2002.
The current (2006) commander of 9RQR is Lt-Col Chris Austin.
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[edit] History
The 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment can trace its history as far back as 1867.
[edit] Pre World War I
In March 1867 the Fortitude Valley and Spring Hill Volunteer Rifle Corps (usually referred to as the Frog Hollow Rangers) was formed under the command of Charles Lilley the future Premier of Queensland. The men of the Volunteer Rifle Corps received no remunerations for their service, instead they received land grants. These grants were made available following 5 years service.
In 1876 the Queensland Defence Force Infantry was created, this force was created in response to a build up of French and Russian Naval vessels in Pacific Ocean. This force consisted of two regiments the First and the Second. The First Regiment was based in Brisbane and consisted of four companies, this regiment became known as The First Queenslanders. The Second Regiment had troops in Ipswich, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Warwick and also fielded artillery and engineering units.
In 1889 many members of the Queensland Defence Force Infantry deployed to South Africa to take part in the Second Boer War. In total 9 contingents left from Queensland to fight. Following Federation all the state defence forces were combinded into the Australian Army, all senior units were numbered 1 to 12 and the First Queenslanders became The 9th Australian Infantry Regiment (9AIR). In 1911 Under the Universal Training Scheme the unit was renamed the 9th Battalion The Moreton Regiment.
[edit] World War I
| Australian 9th Battalion | |
|---|---|
 Lines of the 9th and 10th Battalions at Mena Camp, looking towards the Pyramids. The soldier in the foreground is playing with a kangaroo, the regimental mascot. |
|
| Active | 1914-1919 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Line Infantry |
| Part of | Australian 3rd Brigade |
| Colors | Black over blue |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
The 9th Battalion was raised for the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. the battalion was completely recruited from Queensland and formed the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division.
The battalion was raised within two weeks of the declaration of war and departed Australia on 22 September 1914 on boarded the SS Omrah (HMAT A5). While enroute to Egypt members of the battalion provided a guard for 44 survivors of the SMS Emden, the battalion finally arrived in Egypt on 2 December 1914. The 3rd Brigade was the covering force for the Anzac landing on 25 April 1915, and went ashore at around 4.30 am. The battalion served at Gallipoli until the evacuation in December.
After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the battalion returned to Egypt. The battalion was split to help form the 49th Battalion and was later bought up to strength with reinforcements. In March 1916, it sailed to France and deployed to the Somme. The battalion's first major action in France was at Pozières in July 1916, it was during this action that Private John Leak won the battalion's only Victoria Cross during the war. Later the battalion fought at Ypres, in Belgium, before returning to the Somme in winter.
In 1918 the battalion helped to stop the German spring offensive in March and April. The battalion subsequently participated in the greatest Allied offensive of 1918, launched near Amiens on 8 August 1918. The battalion returned to Australia in November on 5 February 1919, the 9th and 10th Battalions were amalgamated.
[edit] Between the wars
Following the end of World War I the 9th Infantry Regiment (The Moreton Regiment) was formed, of which the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment was formed from the 9th Battalion, AIF. In 1919 the Army Council Instruction number. 444 which ordered that all Australian Military Forces would in future carry AIF Battle Honours. That same year the Battalion provided a Royal Guard to King George V. In 1921 the 9th Infantry Regiment became the 9th Battalion (The Moreton Regiment). In 1930, the Battalion linked with the 15th Battalion of the Oxley Regiment, becoming the 9th/15th Battalion until 1934 and then linking with the 49th Battalion, becoming the 9th/49th Battalion until the outbreak of the Second World War.
[edit] World War II
Following Australia's declaration of war on September 1939 the 9th/49th Battalion as it was then known was immediately separated into two independent battalions. The 9th Battalion was placed into the 7th Brigade, 3rd Division. Due to Australia's ban on conscripts serving overseas a Second Australian Imperial Force (2AIF) was formed. This battalions of this force were largely drawn out of the militia battalions, the units of 2AIF were identified from their militia counterparts by adding a 2/ in place of the numeral. The 2nd/9th Australian Infantry Battalion was created out of the 9th Battalion, this battalion was independent from the militia unit, the 2nd/9th was a part of 18th Brigade. The 2nd/9th was disbanded at the end of the war, its battle honours live in 9RQR.
9th Battalion AMF as it became commonly known performed garrison duty in Australia from 1939 until 1942 where as part of the 7th Brigade, they moved to the Milne Bay area of New Guinea in response to a perceived threat of a Japanese landing. The battalion was involved in heavy fighting with Japanese forces during the Battle of Milne Bay. From late 1943 to early 1944 the 9th Battalion was in the Donadabu area and later that year moved to Bougainville and was involved in heavy fighting at Artillery Ridge, Little George Hill and Pearl Ridge and later at Mosiegetta, Hongorai River and Puriata River until the Japanese surrender. The 9th Battalion was demobilised at the end of the war.
[edit] Post World War II
The 9th Battalion, The Moreton Regiment was recreated in 1848 under the Voluntary Training Scheme and in 1954 the battalion again provided a Royal Guard this time for Queen Elizabeth II. In 1960 the old regiment system was changed to a state based regimental system, in Queensland it was known as the The Royal Queensland Regiment. Initially all existing Queensland Battalions were grouped into the 1st Battalion, based in the Southern Queensland and the 2nd Battalion, in the Northern Queensland. For three years the 9th Battalion was known as 1RQR, this was changed and the battalions were reinstated with their original numerals. In ore recent times members of the battalion have deployed to East Timor and Bougainville as UN peacekeepers, to RAAF Butterworth on rotation as Rifle Company Butterworth.
[edit] Battle Honours
The following list is the Battle Honous earned by the 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment. The battle honours of 2nd/9th Australian Infantry Battalion are also carried by the battalion.
- The Boer War - South Africa 1899-1902
- World War 1 - Somme 1916-18; Pozieres; Baupaume 1917; Bullecourt; Messines 1917; Ypres 1917; Menin Road; Polygon Wood; Broonseinde; Poelcappelle; Passchendaele; Ancre 1918; Villers Bretonneux; Lys; Hazebrouck; Kemmel; Hamel; Amiens; Albert 1918; Mont St Quentin; Hindenburg Line; Epehy; St Quentin Canal; Beaurevoir; France and Flanders 1916-18; Anzac; Landing at Anzac; Defence of Anzac; Suvla; Sari Bair; Gallipoli 1915; Egypt 1915-16.
- World War 2 - North Africa 1941; Giarabub; Defence of Tobruk; The Salient 1941; Syria 1941; Syrian Frontier; Merjayun; Jezzine; Chehim and Rharife; Damour; Mazraat Ach Chouf; Hill 1069; Badarene; South West Pacific 1042-45; Kokoda Trail; Ioribaiwa; Eora Creek- Templeton’s CrossingII; Oivi-Gorara; Buna –Gona; Gona; Cape Endiaadere-Sinemi Creek; Sanananda-Cape Killerton; Milne Bay; Mount Tembu; Tembu Bay; Komistum; Lae-Nadzab; Lae Road; Liberation of Australian New Guinea; Ramu Valley; Shaggy Ridge; Finisterres; Tsimba Ridge; Bonis-Porton; Artillery Hill; Pearl Ridge; Mawaraka; Mosiegetta; Puriata River; Darara; Slaters Knoll; Hongorai River; Mivo Ford; Borneo; Balikpapan; Milford Highway.
