The 27th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was initially raised in 1915 as part of the all-volunteer First Australian Imperial Force for service during World War I. During the conflict, the battalion saw action briefly at Gallipoli before later fighting on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918. It was disbanded in 1919, but was re-raised in 1921 as part of the Citizens Force, which later became the "Militia". During World War II the battalion was used mainly in a garrison role until the last year of the war when it was committed to the fighting against the Japanese during the Bougainville campaign. Following the end of hostilities it was disbanded in May 1946. Between 1948 and 1965 the battalion was re-raised and disbanded a number of times before eventually becoming part of the Royal South Australia Regiment. It was disbanded for a final time in 1987, when it was amalgamated with the 10th Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment to form the 10th/27th Battalion, Royal South Australia Regiment.
History World War I Because of the restrictions that the Defence Act (1903) placed upon deploying units of the Citizens Force overseas, following the outbreak of World War I, the Australian government decided to raise an all volunteer force for overseas service. This force was known as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Initially, the AIF was to consist of only one infantry division, but following the despatch of the 1st Division in late 1914 further units were raised and these were eventually organised to form the 2nd Division. As part of the 2nd Division, the 27th Battalion was formed on 16 March 1915 at Ascot Park Camp, Adelaide, from recruits drawn mainly from South Australia, who had originally been allocated to the 24th Battalion. After a period of basic training, the battalion embarked for the Middle East on the troopship HMAT A2 Geelong on 31 May 1915, arriving there on 6 July.
Gallipoli They then undertook a further two months of training in Egypt before an urgent request for reinforcements led to them being dispatched to join the Gallipoli campaign; they landed at Anzac Cove on 12 September. Attached to the 7th Brigade, along with the 25th, 26th and 28th Battalions, they reinforced the battle-worn New Zealand and Australian Division and took up a defensive position on Cheshire Ridge. Throughout October they defended the ridge, during which time they suffered five killed and 29 wounded, before being relieved by New Zealanders in early November. After this they moved to new positions in Mule Gulley where they undertook further defensive operations alongside the 26th Battalion. Losses during this time amounted to two killed and eight wounded. In December, they took over from the 28th Battalion around Happy Valley, before the decision was made to evacuate the Allied forces from the peninsula. On 12 December 1915, the battalion embarked upon the Osmaliegh, bound for Lemnos Island.
Following this the 27th Battalion returned to Egypt, where the AIF undertook a period of training and re-organisation as reinforcements arrived from Australia. During this time the AIF was expanded from two infantry divisions to four – with a fifth forming in Australia – and many infantry battalions that had seen service at Gallipoli were split up to provide cadre staff for the newly raised battalions. The battalions of the 2nd Division, however, were not split up in this manner and the 27th Battalion remained intact.
Western Front In early 1916, the decision was made to transfer part of the AIF to Europe to take part in the fighting in the trenches along the Western Front in France and Belgium. Still attached to the 7th Brigade, the 27th Battalion entered the front-line for the first time on 7 April 1916 as the Australians took over a quiet sector near Armentières. On 8 July 1916, the 7th Brigade was ordered to march to the Somme to support the Australian 1st Division which was taking part in the fighting around Pozières. On 28 July, the 7th Brigade undertook an attack on the German line, however, during this time the 27th Battalion was held back in reserve. The attack proved unsuccessful and as a result it was ordered to launch a second attack on 4 August, centred upon German positions around Bapaume.
This time the 27th Battalion was to play a key role. Moving off from positions around La Boiselle in the afternoon, the battalion advanced with two companies forward and two back in reserve under the cover of an intense artillery barrage. Due to congestion around the assembly trenches, the battalion arrived at its objective late. Nevertheless, the first wave managed to capture the first line of German trenches and although the follow-up waves became lost amidst thick smoke, the two assault companies began to consolidate their position during the night. In the early morning of 5 August, a heavy German counterattack was launched. This was turned back at considerable cost, with the Germans suffering an estimated 100 men killed and 60 men captured. Following this, the battalion sent out patrols into no man's land as reinforcements were brought up. Later during the day their positions were subjected to heavy shellfire from German guns positioned around Thiepval. Although successful, the attack proved costly with the battalion reporting the following casualties: 40 killed, 289 wounded and 67 missing. Afterwards they were relieved by the 48th Battalion and were eventually transferred to Belgium where they were rested in a 'quiet' sector south of Zillebeke.
In early October, the battalion undertook a number of small scale raids on the German line, capturing a number of prisoners, before they were withdrawn from the line on 27 October and transferred back to the Somme where they subsequently took part in two unsuccessful attacks against German positions east of Flers. In January 1917, the 7th Brigade moved into the Le Sars sector where they took over from British units that were holding the line near Mametz. Offensive operations during this time were largely curtailed by bad weather, but on 2 March the battalions of the 5th and 7th Brigades launched a combined attack north of Warlencourt. The initial assault yielded some ground, but the Germans completed a successful outflanking move on the left, which threatened to take the momentum out of the attack. As reinforcements were brought up, the 27th Battalion linked up with the 26th Battalion on its left flank near the Loupart Road and, under the cover of mist, managed to establish a new trench line long and captured a number of prisoners.
The battalion's next engagement came on 26 March 1917 when they undertook an attack on Lagnicourt, during which they lost 11 killed and 29 wounded. The 27th Battalion did not undertake a major engagement until 20 September when they took part in the Battle of Menin Road, which resulted in success for the Australians. During the battle, they were committed to the fighting as part of the first wave which routed the German forces. Advancing under a cover of artillery and machine gun fire, the battalion captured a section of the German line known as the 'Blue Line' between Polygon Wood and a position known as the Iron Cross Redoubt. Later, they successfully took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4 October, which was their last major offensive action in 1917.
In early 1918, the 7th Brigade was placed in divisional reserve around Romarin as extreme winter weather conditions set in. At the end of January the brigade was relieved and moved back to Henneveux where it was tasked with covering a length of the line. During this time the 27th Battalion was near full strength, with 43 officers and 993 men, and was positioned between Bellebrune and Crémarest. They remained there throughout February and March during which time they undertook training and the men were given leave to visit Boulogne. In March 1918, the Germans launched their Spring Offensive in an effort to bring about an end to the war. The offensive saw considerable tactical gains, and although the Australian Corps missed the opening phase of the offensive as they were out of line at the time, they were brought up in April to help stem the tide of the German advance. As a part of this effort, the 27th Battalion returned to the battlefields of the Somme, as the 7th Brigade relieved the 13th Brigade around the Somme Canal on the night of 7/8 April. At the end of the month they moved to the Camon–Rivery area. As the German offensive became focused upon Villers–Bretonneux they were called upon to undertake a supporting role to the Australian counterattack, relieving the 6th Brigade around Ville-sur-Ancre following the 6th's assault on the town.
In early June, plans were made for the Australian 2nd Division to attack around Morlancourt in preparation for a more significant attack at Hamel. On 10 June, the battalion advanced on the right of the 7th Brigade's line, capturing the German front line trenches around Morlancourt and wiping out a whole battalion, taking 325 prisoners for the loss of 400 men. On 4 July the battalion undertook a supporting role in the successful Australian attack at Hamel, following up the initial success with a further, albeit small, advance on 8 July. After the German offensive petered out, the 27th Battalion undertook peaceful penetration operations against the German line as the Allies began to prepare to launch their own offensive.
On 8 August 1918, the Allies launched their Hundred Days Offensive. During the fighting around Amiens, the battalion was responsible for capturing 200 prisoners as well as a number of machine guns and artillery pieces. They remained in the line throughout August and September, undertaking further attacks at Biaches and Mont St Quentin. Casualties during this time were high and by the end of September 1918 the battalion's strength had fallen to 31 officers and 537 men. Their final engagement of the war came on the night of 3 October 1918, when they took part in the Battle of Beaurevoir. During this battle, the battalion attacked around Prospect Hill, suffering 67 casualties. The following night they crossed the Estrees Road and took up position northeast of Estrees to support the 6th Brigade which was attacking positions beyond Beaurevoir.
Following this, the battalions of the Australian Corps were removed from the line for rest on 5 October, after a request from the Australian prime minister, Billy Hughes. They had been severely depleted and were suffering from acute manpower shortages as a result of the combination of a decrease in the number of volunteers from Australia and the decision to grant home leave to men who had served for over four years. Subsequently, when the armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, the Australian Corps had not returned to the front and was still in the rear reorganising and training. With the end of hostilities the demobilisation process began, and men were slowly repatriated back to Australia. The process took a considerable period of time, though, and a large number of men were able to undertake tertiary and vocational training in England and France to prepare for their return to civilian life. Finally, as numbers dwindled, the battalion was disbanded on 4 June 1919.
The battalion suffered 762 men killed or died on active service during the war, as well as a further 2,155 wounded. Members of the 27th Battalion received a number of decorations, including: one Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG), five Distinguished Service Orders (DSOs), 20 Military Crosses (MCs) and two bars, 14 Distinguished Conduct Medals (DCMs), 69 Military Medals (MMs) and two bars, five Meritorious Service Medals (MSMs), 21 Mentions in Despatches (MIDs) and six foreign awards. A total of 16 battle honours were awarded to the 27th Battalion for its involvement in the fighting on Gallipoli and the Western Front.
Interwar years