22nd Battalion

22nd Battalion

Shoulder patch

22nd Bn arrive at Anzac, going into line, south part of Lone Pine. AWM photo A00847

Brief History

The 22nd Battalion was raised at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria, on 26 March 1915. The battalion was assigned to the 6th Brigade, which formed part of the 2nd Division. After completing rudimentary training, the main part of the battalion left Australia on 8 May 1915, sailing for Egypt where they were to complete their training.

In September 1915, the 2nd Division was dispatched to the Gallipoli Peninsula as reinforcements, and after this the battalion saw their first action after relieving elements of the 2nd Brigade holding positions north of Anzac Cove, allowing them to be withdrawn for rest. The 22nd remained at Gallipoli until the final evacuation took place in December 1915, primarily undertaking defensive duties.

After landing in France the 22nd Battalion entered the front line around Fleurbaix in April. Its first major action came a few months later during the Battle of Poziéres, which was part of the wider Battle of the Somme. The battle proved a very costly introduction to the Western Front for the 22nd Battalion, with their losses between 25 July and 7 August 1916 totaling 27 officers and 656 other ranks killed or wounded. After this, the battalion spent the next two-and-a-half years rotating through the trenches in France and Belgium.

According to the Australian War Memorial, the 22nd Battalion's casualties during the war amounted to 854 killed and 2,378 wounded.

Battalion Personnel

• Ivor Trehane Birtwistle 13 Feb 1915 - 28 Jul 1916

Battle Honours

• Gallipoli 1915
• Egypt 1915–16
• Somme 1916 - 1918
• Poziéres
• Bapaume 1917
• Bullecourt
• Ypres 1917
• Menin Road
• Polygon Wood
• Broodseinde
• Poelcappelle
• Passchendaele
• Hamel
• Amiens
• Albert 1918
• Mont St. Quentin
• Hindenburg Line
• Beaurevoir
• France and Flanders 1916–18

Individual Honours

• 1 Victoria Cross (Sgt William Ruthven)
• 1 Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
• 4 Distinguished Service Orders
• 37 Military Crosses and 1 bar
• 29 Distinguished Conduct Medals and 1 bar
• 7 Meritorious Service Medals
• 170 Military Medals and 11 bars
• 39 Mentioned in Despatches and
• 10 foreign awards

Notes

Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of Wikipedia and the Australian War Memorial websites.

Further information can be found in :

• With The Twenty-Second - A History of the 22nd Battalion AIF by Capt E. Gorman MC, revised Johnson Edition