Early origins Like many Australian infantry battalions, the 19th Battalion's lineage is a complex one. As a result of a series of re-organisations, the battalion can trace its origins to 1860 when a corps of volunteers was raised in the southern suburbs of Sydney becoming known as "South Sydney's Own", a part of the military forces of the
New South Wales colonial defence force. In 1903, following the
Federation of Australia, this unit became part of the Commonwealth Military Forces and was subsumed into the 1st Australian Infantry Regiment. This scheme greatly expanded the army, however, when World War I began, due to the provisions of the
Defence Act (1903) which precluded sending conscripts overseas to fight, it became necessary to raise an all volunteer force, separate to the home military force – the
Citizens Forces – for service in the Middle East and Europe.
World War I This force was known as the
Australian Imperial Force (AIF). As a part of this, the 19th Battalion was raised in March 1915, in
Liverpool, New South Wales, drawing some of its personnel from men who had already served with the
Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force. Upon establishment the battalion was assigned to the
5th Brigade, which was part of the
2nd Division. After completing basic training in Australia, the battalion was dispatched to Egypt where further training was undertaken. Later, the battalion was sent to
Anzac Cove as part of a wave of reinforcements that were sent to the peninsula following the initial landing, arriving there on 21 August 1915. After this, the battalion was mainly employed in the defence of Pope's Hill, until it was withdrawn on 19 December 1915. It returned to Egypt and was involved in the defence of the
Suez Canal zone in the early months of 1916. The battalion was then sent to France. During the war, the battalion suffered 2,903 casualties. There are 874 names of 19th Battalion personnel killed in action recorded on the Australian War Memorial (AWM) Roll of Honour. For its war service, the battalion was awarded 20 battle honours. this saw the multi-battalion regiments disbanded and single battalions being formed. As a result, the 2nd Battalion, 19th Infantry Regiment, a unit that could trace its lineage back to 1860, was reformed as the 19th Battalion, perpetuating both the lineage of its predecessor Citizens Forces units and that of its associated AIF unit. In 1927, the unit adopted the territorial designation of "The South Sydney Regiment". The battalion was assigned to the
9th Brigade,
2nd Division, upon its re-establishment. Initially, the Citizens Force was maintained through a system of
compulsory service, however, in 1929–30, after the election of the
Scullin Labor government, the Citizens Force was reorganised as the "Militia", and was maintained on a volunteer only basis. Throughout the 1930s, as a result of manpower shortages and the austerity measures that resulted from the economic hardships of the
Great Depression, the unit was amalgamated with the
1st Battalion. In 1939, these two battalions were delinked, however, the 19th was further amalgamated with the
20th Battalion to form the 20th/19th Battalion, adopting the territorial designation of the "Parramatta and Blue Mountains Regiment". in Sydney before part of it was sent to
Darwin to serve as a garrison force in 1941. The machine gunners later formed part of the
6th Machine Gun Battalion. Meanwhile, Darwin's regular garrison – the
Darwin Mobile Force – was disbanded and as a consequence the battalion received a cadre of experience regular former non-commissioned officers who were subsequently commissioned. During their time as part of the Darwin garrison, the 19th provided a significant part of the Army's contribution to the defence of the town against Japanese attacks; they remained there until September 1942 when they were relieved by troops from the
10th/48th Battalion, which had been transferred from the New South Wales south coast. After their relief, the 19th was transported to
Mt Isa and then flown back to
Narellan where the troops were given a long period of leave. Upon reconstitution in October, the battalion was re-equipped and a period of training around the
Nepean River followed. Consisting of about 750 personnel, the 19th was reassigned to the
28th Brigade, along with the 20th and
34th Battalions. In November, the 19th moved to a training camp near Newcastle where they received amphibious training alongside US personnel to become a demonstration unit for the Joint Overseas Operational Training School. Afterwards, the battalion moved to
Woodford, Queensland, where jungle training was undertaken. In April 1943, the 19th Battalion moved to
Gordonvale and was reassigned to the
6th Brigade. In July it deployed to the
Buna area in New Guinea where it was used on defensive duties carrying out patrols and providing labour for work parties. In late May 1944, the battalion was transported aboard the
Duntroon to Lae, establishing itself around Buolo. In December 1944, the battalion was sent to
New Britain, embarking upon the transport
Francis J. Parkman, and over the course of the next five months they undertook a campaign of harassment operations to keep the large number of Japanese forces stationed there off balance. Using barges to advance up the coast towards the
Gazelle Peninsula, the 19th Battalion relieved the
14th/32nd Battalion and on 28 February 1945 crossed the Mevelo River, whereupon they began advancing towards the Wulwut River. At this point they came up against the forward Japanese defensive positions that had been dug-in along the Waitavalo ridge, After this, the 19th subsequently captured a number of Japanese positions before moving on to Bacon Hill, the crest of the ridge where the main Japanese defensive position was located. At this point they were relieved by the 14th/32nd Battalion. After the 14th/32nd captured Bacon Hill further patrols were sent inland and towards Jammer Bay via the coast. The Australians subsequently secured a position along a line between
Wide Bay and Open Bay, As a result, the battalion took no further part in major offensive operations. Throughout the fighting on New Britain, the 19th Battalion suffered 64 battle casualties, which consisted of seven officers and 57 other ranks. In April 1945, the battalion was brought back to Australia to prepare for further operations. In July, however, as it became clear that the war was about to end the 19th was disbanded as it became surplus to Australia's military requirements. the battalion was not re-raised at the time. The CMF had been reformed on a restricted establishment and as a result the unit remained off the order of battle until 1966 when the 19th Battalion was re-raised as the 19th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment, a special conditions battalion, assigned at divisional level to provide training for national servicemen and volunteers who were unable to meet their training obligations due to their residence in isolated areas. an
Australian Army Reserve unit that remains in existence today and perpetuates the honours and traditions of both the 1st and 19th Battalions and their predecessor units. ==Battle honours==