59th Battalion ( Australia ) The 59th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . Initially raised for service during World War I , the battalion fought on the Western Front in France and Belgium between 1916 and 1918 , before being disbanded in 1919 . In 1921 it was re - raised as a part - time unit of the Militia in Victoria . They remained in existence until 1942 when , due to a manpower shortage in the Australian economy , the decision was made to amalgmate the battalion with the 58th Battalion to form the 58th / 59th Battalion . Together they remained linked throughout World War II , serving in New Guinea and Bougainville . In 1952 , the 59th Battalion was re - raised and subsequently was absorbed into the Royal Victoria Regiment in 1960 . History . The 59th Battalion was originally raised as a unit of the First Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) in Egypt on 21 February 1916 for service in World War I as part of an expansion of the AIF that took place following the end of the Gallipoli campaign . The battalion was formed through the joining of half of the members of the 7th Battalion with fresh recruits raised in Australia from rural Victoria . Together with the 57th , 58th and 60th Battalions , the 59th formed part of the 15th Brigade , attached to the 5th Australian Division . Arriving in France on 23 June , the battalion experienced its first taste of fighting on the Western Front in July when it was involved in the Battle of Fromelles , suffering heavy casualties to machine gun fire . The battalion was allocated defensive duties for the next 10 months before participating in the Polygon Wood on 26 September 1917 . In reserve during the Villers - Bretonneux on 25 April 1918 , the battalion next participated in the fighting at Amiens on 8 August , the Battle of Mont St Quentin and Péronne on 31 August and lastly during the Battle of St . Quentin Canal on 29 September . Placed into reserve again for rest and reinforcement , the war ended before the battalion saw further action , and it was disbanded on 24 March 1919 . The battalion was raised again as the " 59th Battalion ( The Coburg - Brunswick Regiment ) " as part of the Citizens Force in 1921 . At this time it was assigned to the 15th Brigade again , which was then under the command of the 3rd Division . Due to the lack of numbers and funding following the Great Depression and the suspension of the compulsory training scheme , the battalion ' s authorised strength was greatly reduced during the interwar years and it suffered from a lack of recruits and training opportunities during this time . In 1939 , the battalion underwent a name change , adopting the territorial title of the " Hume Regiment " , when its recruitment territory was re - adjusted with the 59th Battalion . From 1938 to 1940 the 59th Battalion ( Hume Regiment ) came under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Purnell Hill , MM , ED . In 1940 , Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Whalley , VD , took over the role of commander , filling the post until 1942 . On 27 August 1942 , as a result of a governmental decision to reduce the size of the Militia and return some of its personnel to civilian industry , the 59th Battalion amlgamated with the 58th Battalion becoming the 58th / 59th Battalion . The 58 / 59th Battalion would go on to see action in World War II in the South - west Pacific in 1943 – 45 . It was disbanded on 23 February 1946 . Following the end of the war , Australia ' s part - time military force was re - raised in 1948 under the guise of the Citizens Military Force . The 59th Battalion was not re - formed at this time , however . In 1952 , the battalion was raised again as the " 59th Battalion ( Hume Regiment ) " and assigned to the 6th Brigade . On 23 March 1958 the battalion became the first infantry battalion in Australia to be granted the Freedom of Entry to a city when it was afforded the honour by the city of Shepparton , Victoria . After the Pentropic re - organisation of the Australian Army in 1960 , the battalion was absorbed into the 2nd Battalion , Royal Victoria Regiment , forming a company - sized element of that unit .