17th Infantry Battalion Memorial AreaPrint Page 
An area within the church has been set aside to commemorate those who have served in the 17th Infantry Battalion in the various conflicts in which Australia has been involved.
The area contains a cross that was erected on the battlefield of Pozieres in France in World War One to members of the Battalion who were killed in action in the campaign.
The 17th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Although its numerical designation was bestowed upon it during World War One, the 17th Battalion can trace its lineage back to 1860, when a unit of the New South Wales Volunteer Rifles was raised in St Leonards, New South Wales. This unit has since been disbanded and reformed a number times. Through its links with the units of the colonial New South Wales defence force, the battalion's history includes service in the Sudan and South Africa.
During World War One, the 17th Battalion was raised for overseas service as part of the Australian Imperial Force. Attached to the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, , the battalion was raised in 1915 and sent to Egypt initially, before taking part in the fighting at Gallipoli against the Turks. Later the battalion was sent to the Western Front in France and Belgium, where it served in the trenches as part of the Australian Corps. Throughout the course of the war, the battalion won numerous battle honours and its members received many individual awards, however, at the end of the war the battalion was disbanded in April 1919.
In 1921, the battalion was reformed as a militia unit known as the 17th Battalion (North Sydney Regiment), before being disbanded in 1944. The battalion was reformed in 1948 as an amalgamated unit known as the 17th/18th Battalion (The North Shore Regiment), before being reduced to a company-sized element in the 2nd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment in 1960. In 1965, the battalion was reformed again as the 17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment, before being amalgamated to form the 2nd/17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment in 1987.
Location
| Address: | Church Street, St Thomas` Anglican Church, North Sydney, 2060 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.833612 Long: 151.205635 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Structure |
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| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | Multiple |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 11th November, 1984 |
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Plaque :
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF THE
OFFICERS, N.C.O.s AND MEN OF THE
17th BATTALION A.I.F.
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR
1914 - 1918
THEN ARE THEY GLAD BECAUSE THEY ARE AT REST.
Plaque :
IN MEMORY OF
THOSE MEMBERS OF
2 / 17th AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
1939 1945
Plaque :
THE POZIÈRES` CROSS
This Wooden Cross Erected In France In February 1917
Marked The Temporary Resting Place At Pozieres Of All
Ranks Of The 17th Battalion A.I.F. Who Fell During The
Battle In 1916.
In 1932 The Cross Was Recovered And Erected In Its
Present Site By The 17th Battalion North Sydney Regiment.
Damage Due To Earlier Exposure And Age Was Repaired
By The 2 / 17th Battalion A.I.F. Association In 1982.
The Cross Bears The Inscription :
"In Proud And Loving Memory Of Officers,
N.C.O.`s & Men Of The 17th Battalion
A.I.F. Who Fell In Action At Pozieres, July 25th
To Aug 5th & Aug 21st To Aug 26th 1916.
Then Are They Glad Because They Are At Rest."
The Memorial Area Dedicated 11 November 1984.
17th BATTALION
THIS DEDICATED AREA HALLOWS THE
MEMORY OF ALL WHO IN WAR AND PEACE
SERVED THE INFANTRY
TRADITION OF 17TH BATTALION.
