| 48th Battalion (Australia) | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1916–1919 1921–1930 1930–1942 (43rd/48th Battalion) 1942–1945 (10th/48th Battalion) 1948–1952 1952–1960 (43rd/48th Battalion) |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~800–1,000 officers and men |
| Part of | 12th Brigade 4th Division |
| Engagements | World War I |
The 48th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1916 for service during World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium, before being disbanded in early 1919.
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The 48th Battalion was originally raised in Egypt on 16 March 1916 as part of the reorganisation and expansion of the AIF following the Gallipoli campaign.[1] This was achieved by transferring cadres of experienced personnel predominately from the 1st Division to the newly formed battalions and combining them with recently recruited personnel who had been dispatched as reinforcements from Australia.[2] The unit's first intake of personnel were drawn from men originating from South Australia and Western Australia, many of whom had already served with the 16th Battalion. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe, the battalion became part of the 12th Brigade attached to the 4th Australian Division.[3]
After arriving in France in 1916, the battalion was committed to the fighting, taking part in the Battle of Pozières during July and August, suffering 598 casualties.[3] Following this, it saw service during the battles of Bullecourt and the Passchendaele in 1917.[3] In early 1918, it assisted in the repulse of the major German offensive on the Western Front following the collapse of Russia.[3] The 48th Battalion was disbanded on 31 March 1919.[3]
During the fighting, it suffered lost 843 killed in action or died on active service and 1,628 wounded.
The battalion appears to have been reformed in 1921 and was known as The Torrens Regiment. In 1930, amidst the austerity of the Great Depression and following the election of the Scullin Labor government and the subsequent suspension of the compulsory training scheme, the decision was made to amalgamate the battalion due to a decline in the numbers of volunteers. At this time it was merged with the 43rd Battalion, to become the 43rd/48th Battalion.[4][5]
These battalions remained linked until 27 August 1942,[4] when the 43rd/48th Battalion was split. The battalion was then amalgamated with the 10th Battalion as the 10th/48th Battalion.[4] The 10th/48th Battalion was disbanded on 8 August 1945.[4]
The battalion was apparently re-raised in 1948 as part of the Citizens Military Force (CMF) and was amalgamated with the 43rd Battalion again in August 1952 as the 43rd/48th Infantry Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment).[4] On 1 July 1960, when a widespread re-organisation of the CMF saw the creation of six State-based multi-battalion regiments as the smaller, regional regiments of the past were consolidated. As a result, the 43rd/48th Battalion became subsumed into the Pentropic 1st Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment, providing one company: 'C' (The Mid North Company).[6]