Australian 10th Battalion

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Australian 10th 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
Nickname	The Fighting 10th
Colors	Dark Blue over Light Blue
Battles/wars	World War I
Battle honours	Somme, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Ypres, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Lys, Hazebrouck, Kemmel, Amiens, Albert, Hindenburg Line, Epehy, France and Flanders 1916-1918, ANZAC, Landing at ANZAC, Defence at ANZAC, Suvla, Sari Bair, Gallipoli, Egypt

The 10th Battalion was raised for the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. The battalion was completely recruited from South Australia and formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division.

The battalion was raised within two weeks of the declaration of war and left Australia two months later. After briefly stopping in Fremantle, the battalion proceeded to Egypt, arriving on 2 December. 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. 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, during the battle of Pozieres Private Arthur Blackburn was awarded the Victoria Cross,. Later the battalion fought at Ypres, in Belgium, before returning to the Somme in winter. In 1917, the battalion returned to Belgium to take part the Third Battle of Ypres. For his valorous actions at Polygon Wood, Private Roy Inwood was awarded the Victoria Cross.

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. In June, during an attack near Merris in France, Corporal Philip Davey became the third member of the battalion to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The battalion continued operations to late September 1918.

The battalion returned to Australia in November on 5 February 1919, the 9th and 10th Battalions were amalgamated.