46th Battalion ( Australia ) The 46th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . Originally raised in 1916 for service during the First World War , the battalion served on the Western Front before being disbanded in 1919 . It was re - raised as a part - time unit of the Citizens Forces in 1921 and in 1927 adopted the title of the Brighton Rifles , before becoming part of the Militia in 1929 . During the Second World War the 46th served in a garrison role before being amalgamated with the 29th Battalion in August 1942 to form the 29th / 46th Battalion . History . First World War . The 46th Battalion was originally formed on 24 February 1916 , during the First World War , as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) which occurred in Egypt at that time . The battalion drew most of its experienced personnel from the 14th Battalion , a Victorian unit that had served at Gallipoli in 1915 , while new recruits came mainly from New South Wales and Western Australia . On 2 June 1916 , the battalion received orders to proceed to France where for the next two and a half years it took part in the fighting along the Western Front . Over this period , the 46th Battalion fought major battles at Pozieres , Bullecourt , Messines and Passchendaele . It was at Bullecourt , on 11 April 1917 , that the battalion suffered its worst losses . In early 1918 it was involved in turning back the German Spring Offensive before taking part in the final Allied offensive that began around Amiens in August 1918 . By September 1918 the battalion was withdrawn from the front for training and remained out of the line until the armistice in November 1918 . Following the end of hostilities , the battalion was disbanded in April 1919 . During its service throughout the war , the battalion lost 590 men killed and 1 , 939 wounded . Members of the battalion received the following decorations : four Distinguished Service Order s with one bar , one Officer of the Order of the British Empire , 28 Military Cross es with one bar , 14 Distinguished Conduct Medal s , 140 Military Medal s with seven bars , six Meritorious Service Medal s , 37 Mentions in Despatches and five foreign awards . Inter war years . In 1921 , the Australian government decided perpetuate the battle honour s and traditions of the AIF by reorganising the part - time units of the Citizens Forces to adopt the numerical designations of the AIF . As a result in May 1921 the 46th Battalion was re - raised in Victoria and attached to the 4th Brigade . In 1927 , territorial designations were adopted and the battalion took on the designation of the " Brighton Rifles " due to its association with Brighton , Victoria . In 1929 , the compulsory training scheme was suspended by the Scullin Labor government , and a voluntary system introduced in its place . In order to break with the previous system , the decision was made to adopt the name of the “ Militia ” in order to emphasise the voluntary nature of service . These changes , along with the economic downturn of the Great Depression which limited training opportunities , greatly affected the availability of manpower at the time and as a result a number of units were amalgamated at this time , although the 46th Battalion was not one of those selected for this fate and it remained on the order of battle , albeit with limited personnel , until the outbreak of the Second World War . Second World War . Following the commencement of hostilities , the Australian government announced that it would raise an all volunteer force , known as the Second Australian Imperial Force , for service overseas because the provisions of the " Defence Act ( 1903 ) " prohibited sending the units of the Militia outside of Australian territory to fight . The Militia was to provide the base upon which this force would be raised , while at the same time improve the nation ’ s overall preparedness for war by undertaking defensive duties at strategic locations around Australia and providing training to conscripts following the re - commencement of the compulsory training scheme in early 1940 . Following this , the 46th Battalion undertook a number of training camps as the Militia were called up for periods of continuous training throughout 1940 and 1941 . Following Japan ’ s entry into the war in December 1941 , however , the tempo was increased and in March 1942 the battalion was moved to Queensland along with the rest of the 4th Brigade to conduct garrison duties . In mid - 1942 , however , amid concerns about the ability of the Australian economy to continue to meet the demands being placed upon it by the war effort , the decision was made by the government to reduce the size of the Australian military forces and return manpower to industry by disbanding or amalgamating a number of Militia units . The 46th Battalion was one of those units chosen to be amalgamated and , as a result , in August 1942 , the 46th Battalion was amalgamated with the 29th Battalion to form the 29th / 46th Battalion . The 29th / 46th would later go on to serve in New Guinea during the Huon Peninsula campaign in 1943 – 1944 and then the New Britain campaign in 1945 , before being disbanded in 1946 . Battle honours . The 46th received the following battle honours for its service during the First World War :