First World War Following the outbreak of the First World War, the decision was made to raise an all volunteer force outside of the existing
Citizens Force units for overseas service known as the
Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The 6th Battalion was completely recruited from
Victoria, drawing from Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs to the north where four Citizens Force battalions—the 55th, 56th, 63rd and 64th Infantry—were headquartered. Raising was complete within a fortnight of the outbreak of the war in August 1914 and less than two months later the battalion embarked for overseas on the troop transport
Hororata, forming part of the
2nd Brigade,
1st Division. The battalion arrived in
Egypt on 2 December 1914. After a period of training it took part in the
Landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, where it went ashore as part of the second wave. Shortly after the landing the 2nd Brigade was transferred from
Anzac Cove to
Cape Helles to assist in the attack on
Krithia. During the unsuccessful attack, the 6th Battalion suffered heavy casualties, losing 133 men killed or died of wounds. Its commanding officer
Walter McNicoll was badly wounded in the abdomen and invalided home. Afterwards, they returned to Anzac Cove, arriving there on 17 May, to take part in defending the beachhead that had been established. In August, when the Allies
attempted a break out, the battalion took part in the attack on
Lone Pine. In September they were withdrawn for a period of rest to
Lemnos. They returned in November and resumed defensive duties. By that time, due to the failure of August Offensive, the campaign evolved into a stalemate. They remained in the line December, when the Allies carried out a successful evacuation. the battalion adopted the title of 6th Battalion, City of Melbourne Regiment. It also adopted the motto
Semper Parartus at this time. In 1929, following the election of the
Scullin Labor government, the
compulsory training scheme was abolished and in its place a new system was introduced whereby the Citizens Forces would be maintained on a part-time, voluntary basis only. It was also renamed the "Militia" at this time. The decision to suspend compulsory training, coupled with the economic downturn of the
Great Depression meant that the manpower of many Militia units dropped considerably and as a result the decision was made to amalgamate a number of units. Nevertheless, the 6th Battalion was not affected by this decision and in 1931 it formed an alliance with the
Royal Fusiliers. In 1935, the battalion was re-designated as the "Royal Melbourne Regiment". This title was officially approved on King George V's jubilee and was a unique honour, as the battalion was at the time the only Australian infantry unit to carry the Royal prefix.
Second World War At the outset of the Second World War, due to the provisions of the
Defence Act (1903) which prohibited sending the Militia to fight outside of Australian territory, The decision was made to raise an all volunteer force to serve overseas—initial operations were conceived to be likely in the Middle East, France and later possibly England—while it was decided that the Militia would be used to defend the Australian mainland and to improve Australia's overall level of readiness through the reinstitution of compulsory military service and extended periods of continuous periods of training. During this time the 6th Battalion was called up for a number of periods of continuous service in order to bolster their readiness and undertook garrison duties in Australia. In 1944, however, the decision was made to disband the unit, as the Australian government sought to reallocate resources to the economy and began the demobilisation process early. Later, in January 1945, the battalion's parent unit, the 2nd Brigade was also disbanded.
Post Second World War In 1948, with the completion of the demobilisation process, the Citizens Force was re-raised as the Citizens Military Force (CMF), which was established on a restricted establishment of two divisions. As a part of this force, it was announced on 1 May 1948 that the 6th Battalion, Royal Melbourne Regiment would be re-raised. Two companies were formed in Melbourne along with battalion headquarters, while depots were located at Carlton and Preston. It was also decided that the battalion would perpetuate the battle honours of the
2/6th Battalion, which had fought in North Africa, Greece and New Guinea during the war.
Waltzing Matilda was approved as the battalion's regimental march in 1953. In mid-1960, the Australian Army adopted the
Pentropic divisional structure, which was based on the establishment of five-company battalions. The result of this was a reduction in the number of CMF units, many of which were merged to form new units on the Pentropic establishment. At the same time, it was decided to amalgamate the old local and regional regiments that had existed into six new multi-battalion state-based regiments, such as the
Royal Victoria Regiment. As a result of these changes, in July the 6th Battalion was merged with the 5th Battalion and the 58th/32nd Battalion to form the 1st Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (1 RVR); within this organisation the 6th Battalion's identity was maintained by 'C' (Melbourne) Company. Prior to this, in March, the battalion had received the
Freedom of the City from the City of Melbourne. In 1965, the Pentropic system was abandoned and a further re-organisation of the CMF was undertaken as existing battalions were reduced and additional battalions were raised in the more populous areas, namely in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. At the same time, the concerns about the regional identity of these units were addressed by reintroducing the old numerical designations. As a result, the large Pentropic battalions were split up once again and the 6th Battalion once again was raised as a full battalion, known as the 6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment. In July 1975, due to declining troop numbers further reorganisation resulted in the amalgamation of the 5th and 6th Battalions once more, albeit under the guise of the 1st Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (1 RVR). This lasted until August 1982 when due to concerns about the strategic situation following the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the Australian government announced the expansion of the CMF and decided to raise another battalion in Victoria. This battalion was the
5th/6th Battalion, Royal Victoria Regiment (5/6 RVR) and by mid-1981, 1 RVR had reached peak strength and the following year the battalion was split to form the new 5/6 RVR, a unit which remains in existence today and maintains the battle honours and traditions of its predecessor AIF and Militia units. ==Alliances==