8th Battalion
From Our Contribution
 Shoulder patch | |
 8th Battalion survivors at Passchendaele - Imperial War Museum E(Aus) 1071 | |
Contents
Brief History
The 8th Battalion was raised within two weeks of the war commencing with the majority of its men from country Victoria. Attached to the 2nd Brigade, it sailed from Australia after only basic training with the 1st convoy. Arriving in Egypt on 2 Dec 1914 they completed their training while defending the Suez Canal and then in Apr 1915 were part of the Gallipoli Campaign, going ashore as part of the second wave.
The days after the landing they were involved with another landing, this time at Cape Helles in support of the attack on Krithia. Back at Gallipoli they were involved in the Battle of Lone Pine and then took up a defensive roll until the evacuation in December 1915.
In Egypt again, they provided the nucleus of trained men to establish the 60th Battalion, before backfilling with new men recently arrived from Australia. Transferring to France in March 1916, their first action came with the attack on Poziéres in July. Later that year they fought at Ypres before returning to the Somme for the winter of 1916-17. IN 1917 they took part in operations against the Hindenburg Line before taking part in the 3rd Battle of Ypres.
With the rapid German advance in he spring of 1918, they took part in defensive operations to halt their attack short of Amiens, and then with the Allies counter attack from 8th August until late September 1918. Following the Armisice , as men began to return to Australia and numbers fell they were amalgamated wit the 5th Battalion and then later the 6th and 7th Battalions. Throughout the course of the war, the 8th Battalion suffered 877 killed and 2,410 wounded.
Battalion Personnel
- Edward Dudley Mann 10 Sep 1916 - 16 Mar 1919
Battle Honours
- ANZAC
- Landing at ANZAC
- Helles
- Krithia
- Defence at ANZAC
- Suvla
- Somme 1916_1918
- Pozieres
- Bullecourt
- Ypres 1917
- Menin Road
- Polygon Wood
- Broodseinde
- Poelcappelle
- Passchendaele
- Lys
- Hazebrouck
- Amiens
- Albert 1918
- Hindenburg Line
- Epehy
- France and Flanders 1916–1918
Individual Honours
- 3 Victoria Crosses (Pte Thomas Cooke, Lt William Joynt, and Pte Robert Matthew Beatham.)
- 10 Distinguished Service Orders and one Bar
- 33 Military Crosses and six Bars
- 43 Distinguished Conduct Medals
- 32 Military Medals and one Bar
- 4 Meritorious Service Medals
- 45 Mentions in Despatches and
- 9 foreign awards
Notes
Content for the history and honours sections has come from a combination of Wikipedia and the Australian War Memorial websites.
For further details see:
- Cobbers in Khaki - 8th Battalion AIF 1914 - 1919 by Ron Austin