Formation Raised in
Brisbane, Queensland on 1 July 1940 as part of the
Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF), the 2/25th Battalion formed at
Grovely in the western outskirts of the city with its first personnel marching into the unit a fortnight later. Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Norman Marshall, a veteran of the
First World War who had served in the
Militia prior to joining the 2/25th. Consisting of a battalion headquarters, four rifle companies designated 'A' to 'D' and one training and reinforcement company (known as 'E' Company), the battalion conducted initial training at Grovely before moving to
Darwin in October, where they relieved the
2/15th Battalion as part of the town's defensive garrison. Forming part of the
24th Brigade it was initially assigned to the
8th Division, before being transferred to the
9th Division in November 1940. In February 1941, the battalion returned to Brisbane aboard HMAT
Zealandia, arriving in Brisbane after a nine-day voyage. For the next two months they were stationed at Redbank before they finally departed for overseas service in April 1941, moving to Sydney, by rail where they embarked upon the
RMS Queen Mary bound for
Egypt. They remained there for roughly a week, undertaking further training as they received the rest of their equipment and weapons—sub machine guns, anti-tank rifles and mortars—before the men entrained again and moved to
Mersa Matruh on the coast, whereupon they were transferred to the
25th Brigade, swapping with the
2/32nd Battalion. Amidst concerns of a German attack along the Egypt–Libya border, the battalion carried out the tasks of building and manning defences of the brigade's inner perimeter. On 25 May they entrained once again, with the original plan of joining the garrison at
Tobruk. These plans were changed, however, and the 2/25th along with the rest of the 25th Brigade moved to
Palestine instead where they were transferred to the
7th Division, with whom they would remain for the rest of the war. which saw the battalion's companies split up as they were detached to the other three battalions of the brigade as required. Later they were reunited and on 19 June, after carrying out a grueling approach march over difficult terrain, the 2/25th launched its only major attack of the campaign in an effort to retake the town of
Merdjayoun after a Vichy counterattack had recaptured it a few days earlier. Encountering a force of French tanks, however, the battalion's attack was ultimately unsuccessful and they suffered heavy casualties, as well as losing over 50 men captured. Most of the losses had come from 'B' Company and so it became necessary to merge the company with a platoon from 'A' Company. A few days later, on 25 June, the battalion was temporarily attached to the
21st Brigade and together they carried out a series of advances inland due to concerns of a possible French counterattack around
Beit ed Dine, capturing a number of towns and villages along the way before an
armistice came into effect on 12 July 1941. After this the battalion carried out garrison duties in
Lebanon before being brought back to Australia in February 1942 to meet the growing threats in the Pacific following Japan's entry into the war in December 1941. Following this they undertook training at
Woodside Camp before moving north to
Caboolture, Queensland in May. Undertaking marksmanship training at the rifle range at
Enoggera in Brisbane and specific jungle training in July, later in early August the battalion carried out amphibious landing training, undertaking practice assaults on
Bribie Island, before carrying out further marksmanship and physical fitness training as they prepared for the order to proceed overseas as the situation in
New Guinea became quite serious. This order finally came on 31 August, following a brigade-level demonstration exercise that was viewed by General
Douglas MacArthur the previous day. Embarking on the SS
Van De Lijn and
Katoomba on 1 September 1942, the battalion proceeded to
Port Moresby, via
Townsville. The voyage was not without incident, as the
Van De Lijn was involved in a collision with the troopship
Perthshire, resulting in the death of one member of the 2/25th Battalion and injuries to five others. Nevertheless, they arrived in Port Moresby on 9 September, after having put into Townsville for a couple of days before proceeding on to New Guinea. Arriving there on 15 September, they took part in the last Australian withdrawal of the campaign, falling back on Imita Ridge, They returned to New Guinea, however, arriving at Port Moresby on 22 July, aboard the troopship
Duntroon in advance of the 25th Brigade's advance on
Lae. Billeted at the Six Mile Valley camp under canvas, they carried out a number of sub-unit level exercises which culminated in a brigade-level exercise in late August and early September before being flown to Nadzab on 7 September. From there they took part in the
Salamaua–Lae campaign, which saw the 7th Division to which the battalion was attached drive on Lae through the Markham Valley. Advancing through the plantations that lined the Markham Road, they encountered only light resistance It was during the fighting at Heath's Plantation on 13 September 1943 that
Richard Kelliher, from 'B' Company performed the deeds that later led to him receiving the
Victoria Cross. In January 1944, the battalion handed over their area of responsibility to the
24th Battalion and was withdrawn back to Port Moresby. From there, it embarked for Australia in February 1944. On 19 July 1944, while at Strathpine, they celebrated their fourth anniversary. After sixteen months of re-organisation and training, the battalion finally received orders to proceed overseas again, embarking on the USS
Cape Mendacino at
Townsville they departed Australia on 2 June 1945 to take part in one of the last Australian campaigns of the war—
Borneo. Landing at
Balikpapan on 2 July, the battalion took part in the last major Allied amphibious operation of the war and the subsequent fighting that followed as the Australians moved inland. The fighting took place mainly around Manggar airstrip as the defending Japanese employed delaying tactics of ambushes and booby traps, however, within three weeks the fighting was largely over. Nevertheless, it was involved in a number of significant engagements throughout July as patrols came into contact with pockets of resistance and small Japanese force's attacked the battalion's observation posts before orders to cease aggressive actions came down from higher command in early August. Following that the battalion was involved in reconnaissance patrols as the war came to an end.
Disbandment Following the end of the war the battalion remained in
Borneo where they carried out various garrison duties, rounding up and guarding Japanese prisoners of war, collecting enemy equipment and stores, gathering evidence of war crimes and generally keeping the peace. As the process of
demobilisation began some of its longer serving personnel who possessed over 150 points were returned to Australia, while other men were transferred to the
65th Infantry Battalion that was being formed to carry out occupation duties as part of the
34th Infantry Brigade, attached to the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force. In February 1946, the battalion finally returned to Australia, arriving in Brisbane. It was subsequently disbanded on 7 March 1946. of whom 176 were killed or died and 365 wounded. ==Battle honours==