Colours of the Australian 17th Battalion (AWM P01584 002)

The

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal 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 (CA), wh ...

and its forerunners have been awarded 248 battle and theatre honours since its formation. The first honour given to an Australian unit came prior to

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

and was awarded to forces from the colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, which contributed a small contingent consisting of an infantry battalion, with artillery and support units to take part in the short-lived British campaign against the

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

revolt in the eastern Sudan in 1885 following the death of General Charles Gordon at

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

. The next conflict that saw Australian units receive battle or theatre honours was the

Second Boer War 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 ...

. Between 1899 and 1901, forces from the six Australian colonies fought alongside each other before being replaced in 1901 by forces of the newly established Australian Army following Federation. A total of five theatre honours were awarded for service in South Africa, being bestowed upon successor units in the form of honorary banners and distinctions presented in 1904, 1908 and 1911. Since then, the Australian Army has received honours for fighting during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, with the

Royal Australian Regiment The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a t ...

last being awarded a battle honour in 1994 for the

First Battle of Maryang San The First Battle of Maryang-san (3–8 October 1951), also known as the Defensive Battle of Maliangshan (), was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Australian and British—and the Chinese People' ...

in Korea. In 2013, units of Special Operations Command were awarded the battle honour Eastern Shah Wali Kot for their actions in Afghanistan in May and June 2010. A theatre honour for peacekeeping in East Timor in 1999–2003 was awarded to the Army on its 119th birthday in March 2020. The most highly decorated unit in the Australian Army are The 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers, with 21 battle honours. They are an active Australian Army Reserve Cavalry regiment. It celebrated its centenary in 1985. The regiment has its headquarters at Lancer Barracks in Parramatta, a suburb in Western Sydney, New South Wales. Lancer Barracks is the oldest Military Barracks on mainland Australia and dates from 1819.

Sudan (1885)

* Suakin 1885

South Africa (1899–1902)

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 Sout ...

* South Africa 1899–1900 * South Africa 1900–1902 * South Africa 1901–1902 * South Africa 1902

First World War (1914–18)

German New Guinea

* Herbertshöhe

Gallipoli

Helles Helles or hell is a traditional German pale lager beer, produced chiefly in Southern Germany, particularly Munich. The German word ''hell'' can be translated as "bright", "light", or "pale". Flavour profile Helles-style beers typically are f ...

* Krithia *

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 comm ...

Landing at Anzac Landing is the last part of a flight, where a flying animal, aircraft, or spacecraft returns to the ground. When the flying object returns to water, the process is called alighting, although it is commonly called "landing", "touchdown" or ...

* Defence of Anzac *

Suvla View of Suvla from Battleship Hill Suvla () is a bay on the Aegean coast of the Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey, south of the Gulf of Saros. On 6 August 1915, it was the site for the Landing at Suvla Bay by the British IX Corps as pa ...

* Sari Bair – Lone Pine *

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 ...

Egypt

* Suez Canal * Rumani * Magdhaba – Rafah * Egypt 1915–17

Palestine

* Gaza – Beersheba * El Mughar * Nebi Samwil *

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

* Jaffa * Jericho * Jordan (Es Salt) * Jordan (Amman) *

Megiddo Megiddo may refer to: Places and sites in Israel * Tel Megiddo, site of an ancient city in Israel's Jezreel valley * Megiddo Airport, a domestic airport in Israel * Megiddo church (Israel) * Megiddo, Israel, a kibbutz in Israel * Megiddo Junctio ...

* Sharon * Nablus * Damascus * Palestine 1917–18

Western Front

* Somme 1916 *

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 ...

* Bapaume 1917 * Arras 1917 * Bullecourt *

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 ...

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 ...

* Menin Road * Polygon Wood * Broodseinde * Poelcappelle * Passchendaele * Somme 1918 * Arras 1918 * Avre * Ancre 1918 *

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux bord ...

* Lys *

Hazebrouck Hazebrouck (, nl, Hazebroek, , vls, Oazebroeke) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France. It was a small market town in Flanders until it became an important railway junction in the 1860s. West Flemish was the usual language until 1 ...

Kemmel Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populate ...

* Hamel * Marne 1918 *

Tardenois The Tardenois () is today a natural region (''région naturelle'') of France. It is known among archeologists for the epipaleolithic culture known as Tardenoisian after its characteristic arrowheads, originally found at Coincy in the Tardenois i ...

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 ...

* Albert 1918 (Chuignes) * Mont St Quentin *

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 1916 ...

* Epehy *

St Quentin Canal The Canal de Saint-Quentin () is a canal in northern France connecting the canalised river Escaut in Cambrai to the Canal latéral à l'Oise and Canal de l'Oise à l'Aisne in Chauny. History The canal was built in two phases, the second much long ...

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 in the French department of Aisne. The commu ...

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 ...

Second World War (1939–45)

North Africa

* North Africa 1940–42 * Bardia 1941 * Capture of Tobruk * Derna *

Giarabub Jaghbub ( ar, الجغبوب) is a remote desert village in the Al Jaghbub Oasis in the eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. The oasis is located in Butnan District and was ...

* Er Regima * Defence of Tobruk * El Adem Road * The Salient 1941 *

Tobruk 1941 Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near ...

* Belhamed * Defence of Alamein Line * Tel el Eisa * Ruweisat Ridge * Tell el Makh Khad * Sanyet et Miteirya * Qattara Track * Alam el Halfa * West Point 23 * El Alamein

Greece

Greece 1941 Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

Mount Olympus Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...

* Servia Pass * Tempe Gorge *

Veve A ''veve'' (also spelled ''vèvè'' or ''vevè'') is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of Vodun throughout the African diaspora, such as Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. The ''veve'' acts as a "beacon" for the '' loa'', ...

Soter Soter derives from the Greek epithet (''sōtēr''), meaning a saviour, a deliverer; initial capitalised ; fully capitalised ; feminine Soteira (Σώτειρα) or sometimes Soteria (Σωτηρία). Soter was used as: * a title of gods: Poseidon ...

* Brailos Pass

Middle East

* Middle East 1941 *

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

* Canea *

Heraklion Heraklion or Iraklion ( ; el, Ηράκλειο, , ) is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete and capital of Heraklion regional unit. It is the fourth largest city in Greece with a population of 211,370 (Urban Ar ...

* Retimo * 42nd Street * Withdrawal to Sphakia

Syria

* Syria 1941 * Syrian Frontier * The Litani * Merjayun * Adlun *

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. ...

* Jezzine * Damascus (1941) * Wadi Zeini * Dimas * Chehim and Rharife *

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 ...

* Mazraat ech Chouf * Hill 1069 * Badarene * Jebel Mazar

Malaya

* Malaya 1941–42 *

Johore Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime bor ...

Gemas Gemas (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Gomeh'') is a small town and a mukim in Tampin District, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, near the Negeri Sembilan-Johor state border. It is situated 101 km northeast of Seremban, the state capital city, and 30 km no ...

* The Muar *

Jemaluang Jemaluang is a town and mukim in Mersing District, Johor, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and ...

Singapore Island Singapore Island, or Mainland Singapore, is the main constituent island of the sovereign island country and city-state of the Republic of Singapore. It is located at the southern tip of Malay Peninsula, in-between the Straits of Malacca and the ...

South West Pacific

* South West Pacific 1942 * South West Pacific 1942–43 * South West Pacific 1942–44 * South West Pacific 1942–45 * South West Pacific 1943 * South West Pacific 1943–44 * South West Pacific 1943–45 * South West Pacific 1944–45 * South West Pacific 1945 *

Koepang Kupang ( id, Kota Kupang, ), formerly known as Koepang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. At the 2020 C ensus, it had a population of 442,758; the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 455,850. It is the largest ci ...

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

* Laha * Rabaul * Java 1942 *

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 Japanes ...

* Kokoda – Deniki * Isurava * Eora Creek – Templeton's Crossing I * Efogi – Menari * Ioribaiwa * Eora Creek – Templeton's Crossing II * Oivi – Gorari * Buna – Gona * Gona * Sanananda Road * Amboga River * Cape Endaiadere – Sinemi Creek * Sanananda – Cape Killerton * Milne Bay *

Goodenough Island Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea, also known as Nidula Island, is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and southwest ...

* Wau * Mubo I * Bobdubi I * Lababia Ridge * Bobdubi II * Nassau Bay * Mubo II * Mount Tambu * Tambu Bay * Komiatum * Lae – Nadzab *

Busu River The Busu River is a river located near Wagang, Lae in Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, In ...

* Lae Road *

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 ...

* Scarlet Beach *

Bumi River The Bumi River is a river located in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet b ...

* Defence of Scarlet Beach * Jivenaneng – Kumawa *

Siki Cove Siki Cove is a cove, south of the Song River, north of Arndt Point and east of the village of Katika in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Ind ...

* Sattelberg *

Pabu Pabu (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Pabu are called ''pabuais'' in French. Breton language In 2008, 32.46% of primary school children attended bilingual schoo ...

* Gusika *

Wareo Wareo is a village on the Huon Peninsula, in Kotte Rural LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The village was liberated by the Australian Army during World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or ...

* Nongora * Liberation of Australian New Guinea *

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 ...

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 ...

* Finisterres * Barum *

Bogadjim Bogadjim is a village on Astrolabe Bay, just south of Madang, in Astrolabe Bay Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. During World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war ...

Madang Madang (old German name: ''Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen'') is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. It was first settled by the Germans in the 19th century. Histo ...

* Kalueng River * Wareo – Lakona * Gusika – Fortification Point * Sio * Sio – Sepik River * Matapau * Perembil * Abau – Malin * Nambut Ridge * Balif * Anumb River * But – Dagua * Maprik * Hawain River *

Wewak Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak. ...

* Wirui Mission * Mount Shiburangu – Mount Tazaki * Yamil – Ulupu * Kaboibus – Kiarivu * Tsimba Ridge * Bonis – Porton * Artillery Hill * Pearl Ridge * Adele River * Mawaraka * Mosigetta * Puriata River *

Darara Darara (11 May 1983 – June 2012) was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Her racing career was restricted to six races between June and November 1983 and included three wins including the Prix Vermeille an ...

* Slater's Knoll *

Hongorai River The Hongorai River is a river on the southern coast of Bougainville Island. It is located within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in northeastern Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Pa ...

* Egan's Ridge–Hongorai Ford * Commando Road * Hari River * Ogorata River * Mobiai River * Mivo River * Mivo Ford * Waitavolo *

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 ea ...

Tarakan Tarakan is an island and the largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of the province. The city boundaries are co-extensive with the island (including a co ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...

* Beaufort *

Miri ) , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivision_type2 = Division , subdivision_name2 ...

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 ...

* Milford Highway

Korea (1950–53)

Sariwon Sariwŏn () is the capital of North Hwanghae Province, North Korea. Population The city's population as of 2008 is 307,764. Administrative divisions Sariwŏn is divided into 31 ''tong'' (neighbourhoods) and 9 '' ri'' (villages): Healthcare ...

* Yongyu * Chongju *

Pakchon Pakch'ŏn County is a ''kun'', or county, in southern North P'yŏngan province, North Korea. It is bordered to the north by T'aech'ŏn, to the east and southeast by Nyŏngbyŏn, and to the west by Unjŏn counties. To the south, it looks across ...

Uijeongbu Uijeongbu () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Overview Uijeongbu is located north of the Korean capital Seoul; it lies inside a defile, with mountains on two sides, and commands a natural choke point across the main traditional in ...

* Chuam-ni * Maehwa-San * Kapyong * Kowang-San * Maryang-San * The Samichon * Korea 1950–53

Vietnam (1962–72)

* Long Tan *

Bien Hoa Bien may refer to: * Bien (newspaper) * Basic Income Earth Network * Bień, Poland {{disambiguation ...

* Coral–Balmoral * Hat Dich * Binh Ba * Vietnam 1965–72 * Vietnam 1968–72

East Timor (1999–2003)

* East Timor 1999– 2003

Afghanistan (07/08/2001 – 30/08/2021)

* Eastern Shah Wali Kot

Iraq (20 March 2003 – 15 December 2011)

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

Notes

Footnotes Citations

References

* * * * * * *

External links

Australian Army Pre 1980 Battle Honours by conflict
{{Australian Army, state=collapsed Battle honours of the Australian Army Australian military-related lists