2/26th Battalion (Australia)

Infantry battalion of the Australian Army 26th Battalion (Australia) October 2026 January 2017 2/26th Battalion AWM 009249 01 Australian 2-26 Inf Bn in Malaya August 1941.jpg 250 Troops from the 2/26th shortly after arrival in Malaya 1940–45 Australia Army Infantry ~900 menKuring 2004 47 27th Brigade, 8th Division The GallopersMagarry 1994 5 Second World War Malayan campaign 100px Unit colour patch The 2/26th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in late 1940 for service during the Second World War, the battalion undertook garrison duties in Malaya and Singapore prior to the start of the Pacific War. In 1941–42, following the Japanese invasion of Malaya, the battalion fought during the Malayan campaign. After the fall of the island, however, many of its soldiers became prisoners of war, remaining in captivity until being liberated at the end of the war in 1945. The battalion was never re-raised. History Formed as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force for service during the Second World War, the 2/26th Battalion was raised in November 1940 at Grovely in Brisbane, Queensland. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Boyes, the battalion formed part of the 27th Brigade along with the 2/29th and 2/30th Battalions.Morgan 2013 4 Attached to the 8th Division, the 27th Brigade was the last AIF brigade raised during the war.https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U56069 2/26th Battalion Second World War, 1939–1945 units Australian War Memorial 31 March 2010 The colours chosen for the battalion's unit colour patch (UCP) were the same as those of the 26th Battalion, a unit which had served during World War I before being raised as a Militia formation in 1921. These colours were purple over blue, in a diamond shape, although a border of gray in an oval shape was added to the UCP to distinguish the battalion from its Militia counterpart; the oval border denoted that the battalion was an 8th Division unit.Long 1952 321–323 With an authorised strength of around 900 personnel,Kuring 2004 47 like other Australian infantry battalions of the time, the battalion was formed around a nucleus of four rifle companies – designated 'A' through to 'D' – each consisting of three platoons.Long 1952 52 The majority of the 2/26th's personnel were drawn from Queensland and northern New South Wales, and arrived at the battalion in December 1940 after having completed basic training elsewhere, while the officers were hand-picked by Boyes.Magarry 1994 3 In early 1941, the battalion moved to Redbank where further training was undertaken in preparation for joining the rest of the 27th Brigade. In February the 2/26th was transported to Bathurst where they joined the other two battalions assigned to the brigade along with the artillery, anti-tank and engineer units.Magarry 1994 7 Brigade-level exercises were conducted and the battalion paraded through the town of Bathurst before finally they received orders for embarkation.Magarry 1994 25 On 29 July the final movement order was received and the battalion entrained for Melbourne.Magarry 1994 26 Although initially it had been intended that the 2/26th, and indeed the entire 8th Division, would be sent to the Middle East to join the 7th and 9th Divisions in the campaign against the Germans and Italians,Morgan 2013 6–7 concerns about Japanese intentions in the Pacific led to the decision to deploy them in Southeast-Asia instead.Wigmore 1957 59 Embarking upon the Marnix Van St Aldegonde, a Dutch ship of approximately 20,000 tons displacement, their ultimate destination was Singapore.Wigmore 1957 84 Sailing via Fremantle,Magarry 1994 27 they arrived in Singapore on 15 August 1941. Upon landing they moved to Camp Wavell at Changi where they settled in to serve as a garrison force.Magarry 1994 30 As the possibility of war with Japan grew, the battalion deployed over the Strait of Johore onto the mainland, to build up defences and carry out jungle training, and undertake patrols onto the peninsula to check the accuracy of maps and locate tracks.Magarry 1994 39 During this time they were based at Kota Tinggi and Jasin. On 6 December 1941, the battalion received the code word to adopt battle stations and adopted a defensive position to the north of Kota Tinggi. In the early hours of 8 December, fighting began as the Japanese launched their invasion of Malaya, by landing troops at Kota Bharu.Magarry 1994 54Wigmore 1957 138 Nevertheless, the battalion saw no action in the first month of the fighting and on 10 January 1942 it was moved to Johore, where the 27th Brigade took up a position in the Segamat sector as part of "Westforce", alongside British and Indian troops. The 2/26th Battalion was located at the Paya Lang Estate between Gemas and Batu Anam.Wigmore 1957 211 As the Japanese attempted to outflank the Allied positions west of Gemas at Muar, after the 2/30th Battalion conducted a successful ambush, Westforce began the withdrawal back to Singapore Island, during which the 2/26th Battalion took part in a number of rearguard actions. Actions were fought at the Namazi Estate, Forty-Mile Peg and the Thirty-One Mile Peg. Of these, perhaps the most significant came at the Thirty-One Mile Peg, where 16 Platoon, under Lieutenant William Magarry, conducted a bayonet charge near Ayer Hitam.Magarry 1994 118–120 They crossed the Strait on 30 January and along with the rest of the 27th Brigade took up positions in the defence of the Causeway in anticipation of the Japanese assault which came a week later on 8 February 1942. thumb|The position occupied by 'B' Company on Singapore in late January and early February 1942. After being subjected to heavy aerial and artillery bombardment, the following day the battalion's commanding officer, Arthur Boyes, handed over command to Lieutenant Colonel Roland Oakes,Magarry 1994 130 formerly the second in command of the 2/19th Battalion. Boyes was called away to help organise the island's rear area defence and was subsequently given command of 'X' Battalion, a composite unit made up of reinforcements that had been separated from their units. Shortly after taking up this appointment, however, Boyes was killed along with a number of his men when the battalion was ambushed while attempting to fill a gap in the lines that had resulted from a Japanese breakthrough.Magarry 1994 131 On 10 February, the 2/26th Battalion moved into position on 4000 yd m frontage between Bukit Mandai and Bukit Panjang, with each of its companies on top of a high feature, separated by 1000 yd m gaps of dense bush.Wigmore 1957 338 Over the course of the next week, the 2/26th fought to defend the island, however, by 15 February, the Allied defence had crumbled and Lieutenant General Arthur Percival, the general officer in command of British Empire troops in Malaya, announced that the garrison would surrender. Following this, men from the 2/26th Battalion were detained at Changi Prison until May 1942 when they were dispersed to different locations throughout the Pacific—Burma, Thailand, Borneo and Japan—where they were used as slave labour by the Japanese.Magarry 1994 157 They spent the next three and a half years as prisoners of war until the war came to an end, when they were liberated and repatriated back to Australia. Casualties included 432 men killed in action or died in captivity, 136 wounded and 1,157 prisoners of war. Members of the battalion received the following decorations: one Military Cross, one Distinguished Conduct Medal and 15 Mentions in Despatches. Battle honours For its service during the Second World War, the 2/26th Battalion was awarded the following battle honours: Malaya 1941–1942, Johore and Singapore Island. Commanding officers The following officers commanded the 2/26th during the war: Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Harold 'Sapper' Boyes Major Charles Patrick Tracey Notes 3 References Kuring Ian Redcoats to Cams: A History of Australian Infantry 1788–2001 2004 Australian Military History Publications Loftus, New South Wales 1-876439-99-8 Long Gavin Gavin Long To Benghazi 1952 Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 1 – Army I 1st Australian War Memorial Canberra, Australian Capital Territory https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070200/ 22 December 2015 18400892 Magarry William R. The Battalion Story: 2/26th Infantry Battalion, 8th Division, AIF 1994 W.R. Magarry Jindalee, Queensland 38358236 Morgan Joseph A Burning Legacy: The Broken 8th Division Sabretache Military Historical Society of Australia LIV 3, September 2013 4–14 0048-8933 Wigmore Lionel The Japanese Thrust Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 1—Army. Volume IV 1957 1st Australian War Memorial Canberra https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG1070203/ 3134219 collapsed Category:Australian World War II battalions Category:Military units and formations established in 1940 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 B