2nd / 1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion Print Page

The plaque commemorates the 2nd / 1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion which served in World War Two.

The plaque location is indicated by a red poppy in the second image. 

When it was formed on 14 December 1939, its component companies were spread across several Australian states, but it was later concentrated at Ingleburn, New South Wales, where it completed basic training in the early months of the war. In mid-1940, the Battalion embarked for overseas, bound initially for the Middle East, but following the Fall of France it was diverted to the United Kingdom. Along with a larger contingent of Australians, it helped to bolster the island's garrison, undertaking defensive duties during a period when it was expected that the Germans might launch a cross-Channel invasion.

The Battalion was transferred to the Middle East in late 1940, after the threat of invasion had passed. It underwent further training in Egypt, before taking part in fighting against the Germans in Greece and on Crete in mid-1941. Having lost most of its equipment and suffering heavy casualties, it was rebuilt in Palestine before undertaking garrison duties in Syria in 1941–1942.

The battalion was withdrawn to Australia as a result of Japan's entry into the war in December 1941. During 1943, it fought a defensive role in the New Guinea campaign. Following its withdrawal to Australia in early 1944, the Battalion was re-organised on the Atherton Tablelands and reassigned to the 7th Division. It was committed to its final campaign in mid-1945, during the Borneo campaign. After the war, the battalion was disbanded in early 1946. 

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