2/29th Battalion (Australia)
| 2/29th Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1940–194? |
| Country |
 Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | ~800–900 personnel[Note 1] |
| Part of | 27th Brigade, 8th Division |
| Engagements | |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |
 |
The 2/29th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army, which served during the Second World War. Formed in October 1940, the battalion served in Malaya as part of the 27th Brigade, which was assigned to the 8th Division. Recruited mainly from volunteers drawn from the state of Victoria, after completing its training around Bonegilla and then Bathurst, the 2/29th Battalion was sent to Malaya in August 1941 along with the rest of the 27th Brigade to bolster the Australian force there and subsequently fought in the Malayan Campaign following the Japanese attack in December 1941. The battalion fought several delaying actions along the west coast, including fighting around Bakri and Muar, and in Johore, before Allied forces withdrew across the Causeway to Singapore. The battalion later took part in the defence of Singapore in February 1942, but was captured after the garrison capitulated on 15 February.[2] They spent the remainder of the war as prisoners of war. A total of 582 personnel from the 2/29th were killed in action or died in captivity.[3]
Battle honours
The 2/29th Battalion received the following battle honours:
- Malaya 1941–1942, Johore, The Muar, Singapore Island.[3]
Commanding officers
The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2/29th:[3]
- Samuel Austin Frank Pond
- John Charles Robertson †
Notes
- Footnotes
- Citations
- ↑ Palazzo 2003, p. 6.
- ↑ Morgan 2013, pp. 4–14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "2/29th Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
References
- Palazzo, Albert (2003). "Organising for Jungle Warfare". In Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey. The Foundations of Victory: The Pacific War 1943–1944 (PDF). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Army History Unit. ISBN 978-0-646-43590-9. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
- Morgan, Joseph (2013). "A Burning Legacy: The Broken 8th Division". Sabretache (Military Historical Society of Australia). Volume LIV (No. 3, September): 4–14. ISSN 0048-8933.
Further reading
- Christie, Robert W.; Christie, Robert; 2/29 Battalion AIF Association (1983). A History of the 2/29 Battalion, 8th Australian Division AIF. 2/29 Battalion AIF Association. ISBN 978-0-9592465-0-6.