First World War Formed as part of the
Australian Imperial Force for overseas service during the First World War, the 25th Battalion was formed at
Enoggera in March 1915 from volunteers from the state of
Queensland, and was assigned to the
7th Brigade. In early 1916, after returning to Egypt the AIF was reorganised and expanded, and the 25th Battalion was returned to the 2nd Division, with which it subsequently served on the
Western Front after being transferred to Europe. Its first significant battle there came at
Pozières on 28 July 1916 where the battalion suffered heavily during a night-time attack on the heights, losing 12 officers and 350 other ranks killed or wounded, many of whom were caught in thick wire obstacles that had been left intact by the pre-attack artillery bombardment. A follow-up attack on 4 August added more casualties, bringing the total loss for the 25th in its first battle on the Western Front to 785. within the
1st Military District, once again assigned to the 7th Brigade. Territorial designations were introduced in 1927, at which point the battalion adopted the title of the "Darling Downs Regiment" and the motto
Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum. In 1930, the 25th and
49th Battalions were amalgamated due to manpower shortages following the end of the
compulsory training scheme. They were split again in 1934 and the 25th Battalion was re-raised in its own right. in 1945. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the 25th Battalion undertook periods of continuous training in the greater Brisbane area as part of efforts to improve the nation's readiness. As the prospect of war in the Pacific grew, this training gained in intensity, and when Japan entered the war in late 1941, the 25th Battalion was mobilised for full-time service. Initially it undertook defensive duty on the coast around
Caloundra, but as the Japanese advanced within the Pacific the 25th was moved north to
Townsville in May 1942 and then deployed to
New Guinea in July. For its service during the war, the 25th Battalion was awarded eight battle honours in 1961; at the same time it was also entrusted with the battle honours earned by the
2/25th Battalion. Besides Rattey's Victoria Cross, other individual decorations awarded included three DSOs, three MCs, 13 MMs and 16 MIDs. when the Pentropic system was abolished. After this, 25 RQR remained in existence until 1997 when it was once again merged with the 49th Battalion, to form the
25th/49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment, following the end of the Ready Reserve Scheme. ==Battle honours==