Category: 1st Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force, World War I

The 1st Australian Infantry Battalion was the first infantry unit recruited for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in New South Wales during the First World War. Together with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battalions, it formed part the 1st Brigade. The battalion was raised within a fortnight of the declaration of war in August 1914 and embarked just two months later, proceeding to Egypt and arriving on 2nd December. The battalion formed part of the 1st Brigade. The battalion took part in the Gallipoli landing on 25th April 1915 as part of the second and third waves. Its most notable engagement at Gallipoli was the battle of Lone Pine in August. Two members of the battalion, Captain Alfred Shout and Lieutenant Leonard Keyzor were awarded the Victoria Cross for their valour at Lone Pine, Captain Shout posthumously. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915, the battalion returned to Egypt. In March 1916, it sailed for France and the Western Front. From then until 1918 the battalion took part in operations against the German Army, principally in the Somme Valley in France and around Ypres in Belgium. At Bullecourt in May 1917, Corporal George Howell became the third member of the battalion to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The battalion participated in the battle of Amiens on 8th August 1918 and continued operations until late September 1918. Between November 1918 and May 1919 the men of the 1st Battalion returned to Australia for demobilisation and discharge. Commanding officers of the 1st Battalion were: Leonard Dobbin, Alfred Bennett (1915), William Rowland, James 'Cast Iron Jimmy' Heane, and Bertie Stacy.

Members of the Battalion received the following awards: three Victoria Crosses (VC); seven Companions of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), and one bar; 40 Military Crosses (MC), and one bar; 29 Distinguished Conduct Medals (DCM); 131 Military Medals (MM); 57 Mentioned in Despatches.

Australian War Memorial: 1st Australian Infantry Battalion.

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Person Profiles (112)

A

Gordon Alford 18 Feb 1885 Toowoomba, Queensland (Australia) - 12 Aug 1916

Percy Allen 1883 Cumberland, New South Wales, Australia - 11 Aug 1915

Andre Auprince 1892 Randwick, New South Wales, Australia - 02 Dec 1950

Edwin Ayling 21 Jun 1893 Park Avenue, Queensland, Australia - 03 Feb 1917

B

Harold (Bailey) Mercer 22 Feb 1882 Kelvin Grove, Queensland (Australia) - 13 Jun 1952

Charles Barry 1889 Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia - 22 Jul 1916

Frederick Bate 1889 Plymouth, Devon, England - 17 Jul 1928

Alfred Bennett 10 Jan 1865 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales (Australia) - 01 Aug 1946

Beryl Bertram 1895 Malvern, Victoria, Australia - 20 Jul 1928

Stanley Best 26 Nov 1896 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - 26 Apr 1918

Leslie Birkin 1891 Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia - 17 Apr 1950

Colin Boase 1889 Gympie, Queensland (Australia) - 06 Aug 1915

Henry Borig 1895 St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia - 22 Jul 1916

Richard Boyer 24 Aug 1891 Taree, New South Wales (Australia) - 05 Jun 1961

Frederick Brennan 18 Oct 1897 Canonbar, New South Wales, Australia - 03 Feb 1973

Herbert Brotherton 21 May 1894 Maharatta, New South Wales, Australia - 29 Oct 1916

John Brotherton abt 1895 Maharatta, New South Wales.

William Brotherton 15 Feb 1898 Rocky Hall, New South Wales, Australia - 21 Sep 1918

Alfred Burgess 25 May 1891 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia - 26 Mar 1954

Austral Burns 30 May 1893 Manly, New South Wales, Australia - 19 Jul 1916

C

Julius Calman 28 Mar 1896 Inverell, , New South Wales, Australia - 13 Oct 1917

Roy Carr abt 1892 Newtown, New South Wales, Australia - 03 Oct 1917

Benjamin Champion 28 Mar 1897 Stanmore, New South Wales, Australia - 14 Nov 1978

Horace Clarke 02 Dec 1896 Burragorang, Colony of New South Wales - 26 Jun 1967

Thomas Clauson 05 Jan 1894 Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia - 27 May 1918

Edgar Clough 1891 Eaglehawk, Victoria, Australia - 02 Sep 1918

William Cossey abt 1891 Elsternwick, Victoria, Australia - 10 Apr 1944

James Costelloe 12 Aug 1897 Currabubula, Colony of New South Wales - 07 Nov 1917

Noel Cunningham 28 Dec 1894 Taralga, New South Wales, Australia - 14 Sep 1943

D

Raymond Denmead 1890 Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia - 04 Oct 1917

Cyril De Winton 1882 Australia - 12 Oct 1916

Leonard Dobbin 29 Apr 1868 Armagh, County Armagh, Ireland - 06 Jan 1942

William Donaldson 10 Oct 1892 - 14 Feb 1940

Tasman Douglass 1893 Adaminaby, New South Wales, Australia - 12 Feb 1975

William Duchesne 28 May 1894 Waverley, New South Wales (Australia) - 25 Apr 1915

E

Frank Eather 1883 Gunnedah, New South Wales - 05 May 1917

Ambrose Edwards 31 Jul 1891 Dorrigo, New South Wales, Australia - 04 Oct 1917

Ethelbert Ellis 05 Jan 1893 Devonport, Tasmania. - 08 Sep 1963

F

Albert Farrands 1886 Numurkah, Victoria (Australia) - 1967

Henry Flindt 01 Oct 1885 Nyborg, Denmark - 1959

G

Leonard Graham 10 Oct 1899 Katamatite, Victoria, Australia - 07 Dec 1987

Herbert Graystone 26 Apr 1898 Mildura, Victoria, Australia - 17 Sep 1981

James Green 14 Oct 1864 Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England - 06 Nov 1948

H

Hubert Hall 1887 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia - 19 Mar 1926

William Hart 20 Apr 1885 Parramatta, New South Wales (Australia) - 29 Jul 1943

John Hawley 1890 Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia - 13 Jun 1963

Edward Heane 1878 Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia - 1940

James Heane 29 Dec 1874 Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) - 20 Aug 1954

Harold Heppell 07 Jun 1893 Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia - 05 Mar 1968

Harold Holmes 29 Sep 1867 Redfern, New South Wales, Australia - 16 Apr 1941

Harold Holmes 13 Apr 1896 Paddington, New South Wales, Australia - 03 Oct 1917

Gordon Horsley 11 Oct 1899 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia - 1949

Alfred Howarth 1892 Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia - abt 22 Jul 1916

Henry Howarth 1895 Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia - 19 May 1915

George Howell 19 Nov 1893 Enfield, New South Wales (Australia) - 23 Dec 1964

Philip Howell-Price 11 Sep 1894 Mount Wilson, New South Wales (Australia) - 04 Oct 1917

Richmond Howell-Price 1896 Richmond, New South Wales (Australia) - 04 May 1917

Francis Hughes 22 Jan 1891 Pyramid Hill, Victoria, Australia - 18 Dec 1969

J

Austral Jacka 1887 Hay, New South Wales, Australia - 27 Dec 1950

Reginald Jackson 02 Nov 1894 Bega, New South Wales, Australia - 06 May 1943

George Jeffs 1884 Yass, New South Wales, Australia - 1943

Claud (Johnson) Johnson-Windsor 27 Jun 1883 Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia - 10 Feb 1952

K

William Kane abt 1892 Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia - 27 Oct 1954

Charles Kelleway 25 Apr 1886 Lismore, New South Wales - 16 Nov 1944

Carrington Killalea abt 1886 Tumut, New South Wales, Australia - 22 Jul 1916

Leonard (Kyezor) Keysor 03 Nov 1885 Maida Vale, London, England, United Kingdom - 12 Oct 1951

L

Frederick Levett abt 1881 Young, New South Wales, Australia - abt 12 Oct 1958

Donald Ley 1887 Carapook, Colony of Victoria - 1954

Burnett Littler 06 Aug 1896 Port Frederick, Tasmania, Australia - 16 Jan 1967

Cecil Lott bef Dec 1887 West Town near Bristol, Somerset, England, United Kingdom - 02 Oct 1917

M

William Maher abt 1882 Echuca, Victoria, Australia - 11 Jan 1917

Albert Maynard abt 08 Dec 1896 Wombeyan Caves, New South Wales, Australia - 24 Dec 1916

Stanley McCallum 1893 Jung, Victoria, Australia - 23 Jul 1971

Frank McDonagh 13 Sep 1897 Albert Park, Victoria, Australia - 28 May 1975

Ernest (McDonald) MacDonald 29 Mar 1898 Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia - 10 Jan 1954

M cont.

Donald McGlynn 08 Dec 1891 Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia - 14 Apr 1917

Victor McKell 1887 Cobar, New South Wales, Australia - 04 Oct 1917

Hugh McMahon 1895 Captains Flat, Braidwood, New South Wales (Australia) - 12 Nov 1916

Harold Moxham 23 Jul 1890 Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia - 22 Jul 1916

John Murray 26 Apr 1892 Sydney, New South Wales (Australia) - 08 Sep 1951

N

Albert Nelson 1893 Nambucca, New South Wales - Aug 1915

Paul Northrop 1892 Cootamundra, New South Wales (Australia) - 19 Dec 1937

O

William Orchard 09 Aug 1888 Geelong, Victoria, Australia - 22 Jul 1965

P

Cobden Parkes 02 Aug 1892 Balmain, New South Wales - 15 Aug 1978

Howard Parkinson 1895 Bendigo, Victoria, Australia - 10 May 1917

George Pettit 1893 Morpeth, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom - 02 Oct 1956

Harold Pike 1902 Perth, Western Australia, Australia - 27 Apr 1971

Phillip Portsmouth Knight 17 May 1894 Echuca, Victoria, Australia - abt 18 Jun 1918

R

Harold Ragg 1893 Kew, Victoria, Australia - 12 Aug 1918

Robert Ramsay 06 Sep 1891 Germanton, New South Wales (Australia)

William Rowland abt 1880

Reginald Rowley 1879 Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia - 04 Oct 1917

Harley Rudd 1882 Hay, NSW Australia - 1960

S

Karl Schneider 30 Dec 1895 Balmain, New South Wales, Australia - 04 Sep 1979

Alfred Shout 07 Aug 1881 Wellington, New Zealand - 11 Aug 1915

William Skipper 1892 Bombala, New South Wales. - 18 Sep 1918

Albert Smith 07 Apr 1894 Waterloo, New South Wales, Australia - 19 Jul 1916

Ronald Smith 15 May 1897 Laurieton, New South Wales, Australia - 17 May 1937

Bertie Stacy 07 Dec 1886 Mudgee, New South Wales (Australia) - 06 Dec 1971

Dudley Steele 14 Jul 1887 Brewarrina, New South Wales, Australia - 16 Apr 1943

Geoffrey Street 21 Jan 1894 Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia - 13 Aug 1940

Stuart Sunderland 05 May 1898 Jenkins St, North Sydney, NSW, Australia - 04 Oct 1917

Thomas Symes 28 Sep 1879 Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia - 25 Jul 1916

T

Alexander Teaze abt 1887 Millford, County Donegal, Ireland - 21 Jul 1966

Clive Thompson 21 Sep 1882 Bathurst, New South Wales (Australia) - 1941

Gordon Titterton 1890 Burwood, New South Wales, Australia - 1945

William Tooney 14 Feb 1880 Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia - 12 Sep 1919

Frederick Travers 1879 Armidale, New South Wales, Australia - 1961

U

Charles Ulm 18 Oct 1898 Albert Park, Victoria (Australia) - 03 Dec 1934

V

Walter Vidler 13 Jun 1899 Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia - 26 Aug 1969

W

Westby Walker 30 Jul 1874 Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia - 27 Mar 1927

George Wootten 01 May 1893 Marrickville, New South Wales (Australia) - 31 Mar 1970

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