During the Second World War, the 40th Battalion, with an authorised strength of between 800 and 900, was mobilised for full-time service in 1943, but was not sent overseas to fight due to the provisions of the "Defence Act". Nevertheless, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bartley, it remained on the order of battle, as part of the 12th Brigade, variously assigned to the 4th and 12th Divisions, and undertook defensive duties until 2 May 1945 when it was amalgamated with the 12th Battalion to become the &lt;a href="12th/40th%20Battalion%20%28Australia%29"&gt;12th/40th Battalion&lt;/a&gt;, which was subsequently disbanded on 29 May 1946. In 1953, the 40th Battalion was reformed, adopting "Invercargill" as its regimental march, but in 1960 it was subsumed into the Royal Tasmania Regiment, forming 'B' Company in the Pentropically organised 1st Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment. In 1961, the battalion was entrusted with the battle honours awarded to the &lt;a href="2/40th%20Battalion%20%28Australia%29"&gt;2/40th Battalion&lt;/a&gt; – a Second Australian Imperial Force unit – for its involvement in the fighting on Timor during the Second World War. The battalion was re-raised as the 40th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment, in 1972 but three years later it was reduced to an independent company. It was amalgamated once again with the 12th, itself an independent rifle company, in 1987 to form the 12th/40th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment, a battalion of the Australian Army Reserve.