page_title: 32nd Battalion (Australia)
section_title: First World War
hierarchical_section_title: 32nd Battalion (Australia) / History / First World War
caption_attribution_description: English: Front view of two diggers of the 5th Division, 4172 Private (Pte) George James Giles, 29th Battalion (left) and 4015 Pte John Wallace Anderton, 32nd Battalion, just out of the trenches, in full kit (with mud), including webbing with ammunition pouches and trenching tool. The gas mask (small box respirator) is worn at the 'alert' position in front of the chest. Pte Anderton has a canvas breech cover on his rifle. Pte Giles' entire complete uniform and rifle are held by the Australian War Memorial
context_page_description: The 32nd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It was first raised in 1915 as part of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force for service during the First World War, and was initially made up of personnel from South Australia and Western Australia. The battalion served in France and Belgium in 1916–1918 before being disbanded in 1919.
  It was re-raised in 1921 as the "32nd Battalion", a unit of the part-time Militia, and during the interwar period the battalion served as a home defence unit in Victoria. During the Second World War the battalion was merged with the 14th Battalion to become the 14th/32nd Battalion, serving firstly as garrison troops in Australia and New Guinea before taking part in the fighting during the New Britain campaign. In July 1945, the 14th/32nd was disbanded.
  After the war, the battalion was not re-raised in its own right when the Citizens Military Force was formed in 1948, however, it was raised as an amalgamated unit known as the "58th/32nd Battalion". This unit remained in existence until 1960 when it was subsumed into the Royal Victoria Regiment.
context_section_description: The 32nd Battalion was raised on 9 August 1915 in Mitcham, South Australia, for overseas service with the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Donald Coghill. While 'A' and 'B' Companies were made up of recruits from South Australia, 'C' and 'D' Companies were formed in Perth, Western Australia, and underwent training at the Blackboy Hill Training Camp before sailing on the transport HMAT Indarra and joining the rest of the battalion in Adelaide at the end of August. Most of the battalion's recruits had previously worked as miners or farmers. After completing basic training, the battalion left Australia in November aboard the transport HMAT Geelong, bound for Egypt. It arrived amidst the aftermath of the failed Gallipoli campaign, which saw a reorganisation and expansion of the AIF in preparation for its dispatch to France and Belgium to take part in the fighting against the Germans along the Western Front.
  In Egypt, the battalion became part of the newly formed 8th Brigade, which was attached to the 5th Division. After a further period of training, the battalion was shipped to France in June 1916, to join the fighting on the Western Front. The following month, after spending a short period in the Armentières sector, the battalion was committed to the front for the first time on 16 July 1916. Three days after taking up position in the trenches the 32nd took part in the fighting around Fromelles, being committed as part of the 8th Brigade's initial assault on the extreme left of the Australian front that was focused around a position known as the "Sugarloaf". During that fighting it suffered 718 casualties—a third of the battalion's total casualties for the entire war—which equalled roughly 90 percent of its effective strength. As a result of these losses, the 32nd Battalion was used mainly in a support role throughout the remainder of 1916, during which time, while they were not committed to any attacks in an assault role, they continued to suffer further casualties through the attrition of trench warfare.
  After spending a bitter winter undertaking defensive duties on the Somme, during early 1917 the battalion took part in the operations in pursuit of the German forces as they withdrew towards the Hindenburg Line, but found itself in a flank protection role during the Second Battle of Bullecourt in May. On 26 September 1917, the battalion was heavily committed to the fighting around Polygon Wood near Ypres in Belgium during the Battle of Passchendaele; again they were employed in a support role, as the 8th Brigade's assault was led by the 29th and 31st Battalions. Following the assault, the brigade adopted a defensive posture, supporting further efforts around Zillebeke and Anzac Ridge.
  For the remainder of 1917 and the first half of 1918 the 5th Division mainly undertook a reserve role and as a result the 32nd Battalion had little involvement during the German Spring Offensive; after the winter of 1917–18, the battalion had re-entered the trenches in the Messines sector, occupying positions near Warneton in January 1918, remaining there until March. In April, the 8th Brigade had been moved to the Somme, taking up defensive positions around the canal between Corbie and Vaux. After the German advance stalled the 32nd Battalion was involved in a series of minor advances along the Bray–Corbie Road throughout July, taking part in operations around Morlancourt and the Morcourt Valley as the Allies sought to regain the initiative. Later, the Allies launched their own offensive around Amiens beginning on 8 August 1918. During this offensive the 32nd Battalion took part in operations in the Peronne area throughout August and September as the Allies sought to breach the Hindenburg Line, fighting its final engagement of the war between 29 September and 1 October 1918 as part of a joint Australian and American attack along the St Quentin Canal.
  After this, the Australian Corps was removed from the line for rest and training in preparation for further operations. In order
caption: Two 32nd Battalion soldiers near the front line, July 1918
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