The Royal Australian Infantry Corps (RA Inf) is the parent corps for all infantry regiments of the Australian Army. It was established on 14 December 1948, with its Royal Corps status being conferred by King George VI. At her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II became Colonel-in-Chief of the corps. Major components of the RA Inf include the various battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment and the six state-based Australian infantry regiments, such as the Royal New South Wales Regiment. The various Regional Force Surveillance and Special Forces units of the Army are also part of the corps. The School of Infantry (SOI) is located at Singleton, New South Wales, and forms part of the Combined Arms Training Centre.

The "Head of Corps – Infantry" is usually a Brigadier and is the Honorary Colonel of the Royal Australian Regiment.

Role The role of the Royal Australian Infantry is to seek out and close with the enemy, to kill or capture him, to seize and hold ground, to repel attack, by day or night, regardless of season, weather or terrain.

History The Australian Infantry Corps was formed on 14 December 1948.

Organisation

Regiments

Regular Army Regiments Royal Australian Regiment 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion (Amphibious) 3rd Battalion 5th/7th Battalion 6th Battalion 8th/9th Battalion

State Regiments Royal Queensland Regiment 9th Battalion 25th/49th Battalion 31st/42nd Battalion Royal New South Wales Regiment 1st/19th Battalion 2nd/17th Battalion 4th/3rd Battalion 41st Battalion Royal Victoria Regiment 5th/6th Battalion 8th/7th Battalion Royal South Australia Regiment 10th/27th Battalion Royal Western Australia Regiment 11th/28th Battalion 16th Battalion Royal Tasmania Regiment 12th/40th Battalion

Training Regiments Sydney University Regiment Melbourne University Regiment Queensland University Regiment Adelaide Universities Regiment Western Australia University Regiment University of New South Wales Regiment

Regional Force Surveillance NORFORCE Pilbara Regiment Far North Queensland Regiment 51st Battalion

Special Forces Special Air Service Regiment 1st Commando Regiment 2nd Commando Regiment

School of Infantry Commanders of the School of Infantry Rank Name Years Served School of Musketry, Randwick 1911–1921 Major F.B. Heritage 1911–1915 Captain G.F.C. Shipley 1915–1917 Captain W. MacLennan 1917 Captain R.G.C. Prisk 1918–1919 Captain C.F.C. Shipley 1919–1920 Lieutenant Colonel F.B. Heritage 1920–1921 Small Arms School, Randwick 1921–1940 Major H. Ordish 1922–1926 Major H.C.H. Robertson 1926–1930 Lieutenant Colonel J.J. McCall 1930–1934 Lieutenant Colonel J.A. Chapman 1934–1938 Major T.N. Gooch 1938–1940 Medium Machine Gun School, Randwick 1940–1942 Lieutenant Colonel R.G. Legge 1940 Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Latchford 1940–1941 Small Arms School, Bonegilla 1942–1945 Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Latchford 1942–1945 School of Infantry, Puckapunyal 1944–1945 Lieutenant Colonel R.A. Wolfe-Murray 1944–1945 Lieutenant Colonel H.W. Hilless 1945 School of Infantry, Bonegilla 1945–1946 Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Latchford 1945–1946 School of Infantry, Seymour 1947–1960 Lieutenant Colonel E.W. Latchford 1947–1948 Lieutenant Colonel D.R. Jackson 1949 Lieutenant Colonel K.M. McKenzie 1949–1952 Lieutenant Colonel F.G. Hassett 1952–1953 Lieutenant Colonel J.L.A. Kelly 1953–1954 Lieutenant Colonel N.P. Maddern 1954–1956 Major W.F. Roberson 1956–1957 Lieutenant Colonel G.H. Fawcett 1957–1959 Lieutenant Colonel N.R. McLeod 1959–1960 Infantry Centre, Ingleburn 1960–1969 Lieutenant Colonel G.O. O'Day 1960–1963 Lieutenant Colonel D.G. Sharp 1963–1964 Lieutenant Colonel R.S. Garland 1965–1967 Lieutenant Colonel A.J. Milner 1967–1969 Infantry Centre, Ingleburn 1969–1973Commandant Colonel A.J. Milner 1969–1971 Colonel E.H. Smith 1971–1973 Infantry Centre, Ingleburn 1969–1973CO/Chief Instructor Lieutenant Colonel R.R. Hannigan 1969–1970 Lieutenant Colonel R.L. Burnard 1971–1972 Lieutenant Colonel E.R. Philip 1972 Infantry Centre, Singleton 1973–1994Commandant Colonel E.H. Smith 1973 Colonel C.M. Townsend 1974–1976 Colonel J. Essex-Clark 1976–1979 Colonel J.P.A. Deighton 1979–1981 Colonel A.W. Hammett 1981–1984 Colonel P.M. McDougall 1984–1987 Colonel P.A. Sibree 1987–1989 Colonel P.J. Cosgrove 1989–1991 Colonel D.J. Mead 1991–1994 Infantry Centre, Singleton 1973–1994CO/Chief Instructor Lieutenant Colonel C.F. Thompson 1973–1974 Lieutenant Colonel M.P. Blake 1975–1976 Lieutenant Colonel R.F. Sutton 1977–1978 Lieutenant Colonel J.H. Taylor 1979–1980 Lieutenant Colonel R.E. Boxall 1981–1982 Lieutenant Colonel J.D. McAloney 1982–1984 Lieutenant Colonel D.A. Webster 1984–1986 Lieutenant Colonel A.J. Ralph 1987–1988 Lieutenant Colonel J.S. Murray 1988–1989 Lieutenant Colonel R.H. Greville 1990–1991 Lieutenant Colonel R.C. Brown 1992–1994 Infantry Centre, Singleton 1994–1999Commandant Colonel R.J. Margetts 1994–1996 Colonel D.S.M. Roche 1992–1994 Infantry Centre, Singleton 1994–1999CO/Chief Instructor Lieutenant Colonel J.C. Dittmar 1994–1996 Lieutenant Colonel G.R.C. Pike 1997–1999 Dismounted Combat Division, Singleton 2000–2001 Lieutenant Colonel D.J. Butler 2000–2001 School of Infantry, Singleton 2001–present Lieutenant Colonel D.J. Butler 2001 Lieutenant Colonel P.T. Roney 2002–2003 Lieutenant Colonel W. Austin 2004–2005 Lieutenant Colonel D. Franklin 2005–2007 Lieutenant Colonel A. Egan 2008–2009 Lieutenant Colonel A. Lowe 2010–2012 Lieutenant Colonel M. Constable 2013–2014 Lieutenant Colonel S. Morris 2015–2017 Lieutenant Colonel M. Flanagan 2018–2019

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