The Royal South Australia Regiment is a reserve
regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
of the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
consisting of a single battalion, the 10th/27th Battalion, part of the
9th Brigade. It was raised on 1 July 1960, as The South Australia Regiment.
History
The Regiment traces much of its history to early volunteer and citizen militia units from pre-federation Australia. The history of the units that formed the current Regiment are dealt with individually on those pages.
1960 – present
On 1 July 1960 the South Australia Regiment was formed by the amalgamation of three infantry battalions in South Australia:
*The
10th Infantry Battalion (The Adelaide Rifles)
*43rd/48th Infantry Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment)
*
27th Infantry Battalion (The South Australia Scottish Regiment).
These three battalions were formed into 5 Companies:
*A Company (The South East Company) (from the SA Scottish Regt)
*B Company (The River Company) (from the SA Scottish Regt)
*C Company (The Mid North Company) (from the Hindmarsh Regt)
*D Company (The Adelaide Company) (from the Adelaide Rifles)
*E Company (The Port Adelaide Company) (from the Adelaide Rifles)
Later in 1960, The Regiment was renamed 1st Battalion Royal South Australia Regiment, bringing it in line with the other State and National regiments. On 1 July 1965, the Regiment was reformed as 2 battalions, taking their names from the battalions that formed the regiment: The 10th and 27th. On 29 November 1987, the 10th and 27th battalions were amalgamated to form the 10/27 Battalion Royal South Australia Regiment, the Regiment's current title.
Other information
The Royal South Australia Regiment has been awarded the
Freedoms
Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and F ...
of the following towns:
*
Kadina 1994
*
Unley
Unley is an inner-southern suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, within the City of Unley. The suburb is the home of the Sturt Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). Unley neighbours Adelaide Park Lands, Fullar ...
2006
*
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
2015
Preceding units
The organisation of military units in Australia has been a complex and shifting affair since colonisation. The following is an attempt to list the preceding units of the RSAR in chronological order. Units were raised, disbanded and perpetuated in a variety of forms that is not easy to show in a simple list. Often units, depending on their status as volunteer, militia, or regular, were similarly numbered and named, for example the 43rd Infantry Battalion and 2/43 Battalion, AIF in World War II, and often units were split, amalgamated, resplit and reformed, making it almost impossible to create a straight family tree as is often seen for the British Army.
A broad statement is that the Royal South Australia Regiment is preceded by units often known as the 10th (or 78th or Adelaide Rifles), 27th (or SA Scottish or Boothby), 43rd (or 76th or SA Infantry or Hindmarsh), and 48th (or Torrens), and units bearing these designations are now perpetuated in RSAR.
*
1st and 2nd Battalions Adelaide Rifles
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
: 1854–1856
*
Adelaide Regiment of Volunteer Rifles
The Adelaide Regiment of Volunteer Rifles was a infantry regiment of the Colony of South Australia. It was formed in 1860, as the Adelaide Regiment, following the amalgamation of a number of rifle companies. It continued to exist periodically th ...
: 1860–1866, 1866–1867
*
Prince Alfred's Rifle Volunteers
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
: 1867–1867
*
Regiment of Adelaide Rifles
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripte ...
: 1877–1888?
*
1st Regiment South Australian Infantry: 1888? – 1903
*
10th Australian Infantry Regiment (Adelaide Rifles)
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
: 1903–1912
*
South Australian Infantry Regiment
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
: 1903–
*
South Australian Scottish Infantry
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
: 1903–
*
76th Battalion Senior Cadets 76th may refer to:
*76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003
*76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998
*76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based ...
: ?–1918
*
78th Battalion Senior Cadets: ?–1918
*
1st Battalion, 10th Australian Infantry Regiment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
: 1903–1912
*
78th Infantry (Adelaide Rifles): 1912
*
76th Infantry 76th may refer to:
*76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003
*76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998
*76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based ...
: 1912–1913
*
76th (Hindmarsh) Infantry 76th may refer to:
*76th Academy Awards ceremony honored films of 2003
*76th Air Army, an air army of the Soviet Air Forces from 1949 to 1980 and from 1988 to 1998
*76th Air Assault Division (Russia), a division of the Russian Airborne Troops based ...
: 1913–1918
*
43rd Battalion, AIF: 1914–1918
*
43rd Infantry Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment): 1918–1921
*
10th Infantry Regiment (The Adelaide Rifles)
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
: 1918–1921
*
10th Battalion: 1921–1927
*
43rd Battalion: 1921–1927
*
10th Battalion (The Adelaide Rifles): 1927–1930, 1936–1942
*
43rd Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment): 1927–1930
*
10th/50th Battalion: 1930–1936
*
43rd/48th Battalion: 1930–1942?
*
2/43rd Battalion, AIF: 1939–1946
*
10th/48th Battalion: 1942–1943
*
43rd Australian Infantry Battalion: 1942?–1944
*
10th/48th Australian Infantry Battalion: 1943–1945
*
10th Infantry Battalion (The Adelaide Rifles): 1948–1960
*
43rd/48th Infantry Battalion (The Hindmarsh Regiment): 1952–1960
*
43rd (Remote Area) Battalion, The Royal South Australia Regiment: 1966–1987?
*
27th Infantry Battalion (The South Australia Scottish Regiment)
*
74th Infantry
*
1st Battalion South Australia Infantry
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...
*
74th (Boothby) Infantry
*
27th Infantry (Boothby Regiment)
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube (algebra), cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion ...
*
27th Battalion AIF
*
2/27th Battalion AIF
*
27th Battalion (Boothby Regiment)
*
27th Battalion (South Australian Regiment)
*
27th Battalion (South Australian Scottish Regiment)
*
48th Infantry Battalion (The Torrens Regiment)
*
10th/48th Infantry Battalion
Contemporary Times
Current structure:
*Headquarters Company
*A Company
*B Company
*3rd Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers
As part of the
Plan Beersheba
Plan Beersheba was a significant restructure of the Australian Army, announced in 2011. The process of implementing the organisational changes began in 2014, and was completed in 2017.
Changes to the regular Army
Under Plan Beersheba, the Army's ...
Reforms, the 81 mm mortar-equipped 6th/13th Light Battery (formed through an amalgamation of the 16th and 48th Field Batteries) and 3rd Field Squadron were absorbed in the Battalion in 2013 and 2014 respectively in order to provide the Battalion with organic offensive support coordination and indirect firepower, and light engineering support. 6th/13th Light Battery was later amalgamated with other Light Batteries in the 2nd Division to form the
9th Regiment, RAA.
Unit Deployments:
Operation Anode Rotation 14,
Operation Anode Rotation 17,
Operation Anode Rotation 24,
Operation Anode Rotation 27,
Operation Resolute,
Operation Vic Fires Assist,
Operation Cyclone Yassi Assist,
Operation Testament.
Individual and Group Deployments:
Operation Slipper,
Operation Catalyst,
Operation Mazurka,
Operation Astute,
Operation Spire.
Alliances
* –
The Highlanders
* –
* –
The Otago and Southland Regiment
Battle honours
*
South Africa 1899–1902
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
*World War I
**''Middle East'':
Egypt 1915–1916
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
,
Anzac
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comma ...
,
Gallipoli 1915
The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles st ...
**''Western Front'':
Pozières
Pozières (; ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The commune is situated on the D929 road, northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge.
Southwest of the village on ...
,
Messines 1917
Messines may refer to:
* Mesen (in French: Messines), a village in Belgium
** Battle of Messines (disambiguation), World War I battles
* Messines, Quebec
Messines is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec. It includes the population ...
,
Menin Road Menin may refer to:
*Menin, the French name for the Belgian town of Menen
*Menin, a little village in the municipality of Cesiomaggiore, Italy
*Menin or MEN1, a tumor suppressor associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1
*Měnín, villag ...
,
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
,
Somme 1916 __NOTOC__
Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places
*Somme (department), a department of France
*Somme, Queensland, Australia
*Canal de la Somme, a canal in France
*Somme (river), a river in France
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Somme'' (book), a ...
,
Somme 1918 Somme 1918 was a battle honour awarded to units of the British and Imperial Armies that took part in one or more of the following engagements in the Great War:T.F. MillFrance and Flanders(archive of Regiments.org page)
*First Battle of the Somme (19 ...
,
France and Flanders 1916–1918
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Polygon Wood
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...
,
Broodseinde,
Poelcapelle
Langemark-Poelkapelle () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders.
Geography
Other places in the municipality include Bikschote, Langemark and Poelkapelle. On January 1, 2006, Langemark-Poelkapelle had a total populati ...
,
Bullecourt
Bullecourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in France.
Geography
Bullecourt lies on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume and east of the A1 motorway. Thisatellite photographs ...
,
Ypres 1917
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...
,
Passchendaele,
Mont St Quentin
Mont Saint-Quentin overlooks the Somme River in the region of Picardie approximately 1.5 km north of the town of Péronne, Somme, France. The hill is about 100 metres high but as it is situated in a bend of the river it dominates the whole p ...
,
Beaurevoir
Beaurevoir is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Aisne department
The following is a list of the 799 Communes of France, communes in the French Departments o ...
,
Hindenburg Line
The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 191 ...
,
Albert 1918
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Albert C ...
*World War II
**''North Africa and Middle East'':
North Africa 1941,
Syria 1941
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
The Litani,
Sidon
Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...
, Adlun,
Damour
Damour ( ar, الدامور) is a Lebanese Christian town that is south of Beirut. The name of the town is derived from the name of the Phoenician god Damoros who symbolized immortality ( in Arabic). Damour also remained the capital of Mount ...
,
Defence of Tobruk,
The Salient 1941,
El Alamein
El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
,
**''Pacific'':
South-West Pacific 1942–1945,
Buna–Gona,
Cape Endaidere–
Simemi Creek,
Sanananda Sanananda is a village on the coast of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea.
History
Sanananda was occupied by the Imperial Japanese in 1942 during World War II and became a heavily fortified defensive area. It was liberated by the Australian Army and US ...
–
Cape Killerton,
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...
,
Liberation of Australian New Guinea,
Shaggy Ridge
Shaggy Ridge is a long razorback (stratigraphic) ridge in the Finisterre Range, in north eastern Papua New Guinea. Its highest point is above sea level. The ridge is located between the valleys of the Mene and Faria Rivers and culminates at ...
,
Efogi–Menari,
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a town east of Lae on the Huon Peninsula in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea. The town is commonly misspelt as Finschafen or Finschaven. During World War II, the town was also referred to as Fitch Haven in the logs of some U.S ...
,
Kokoda Trail
The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...
,
Ramu Valley
The Ramu River is a major river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels about northwest to the Bismarck Sea.
Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries ...
,
Sattelberg
Sattelberg, also spelt ''Satelberg'' ("Saddle Mountain"), is a village on the Huon Peninsula, in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The village is set on a peak about 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level,Coulthard-Clark 1998, p. 244. and dom ...
,
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
,
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2 ...
References
Digger History: an unofficial history of the Australian & New Zealand Armed Forces
{{Australian Infantry
Infantry regiments of Australia
Military units and formations established in 1960
Australian army units with royal patronage
1960 establishments in Australia
Military units in South Australia