33rd Battalion ( Australia ) The 33rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . Formed in 1916 , the battalion fought on the Western Front during World War I . It was disbanded after the war , but later re - raised as a part - time unit based in New South Wales . During the inter war years , it was amalgamated with other battalions a couple of times before being re - raised in its own right in 1936 . During World War II , the battalion remained in Australia and in 1942 was amalgamated with the 13th Battalion , which was disbanded the following year having not served overseas . History . World War I . Raised for service during World War I as part of the all - volunteer 1st Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) , the 33rd Battalion was formed in Australian in January 1916 as part of an expansion of the AIF that took place after the Gallipoli campaign . The majority of the battalion ' s personnel came from the New England region of New South Wales and as a result the 33rd Battalion came to be known unofficially as “ New England ’ s Own ” . Along with the 34th , 35th and 36th Battalions , all of which were raised from New South Wales , the 33rd formed the 9th Brigade of the Australian 3rd Division . Consisting of four companies , initially the battalion was formed along regional lines : ' A ' Company was made from recruits drawn from Armidale and Tamworth ; ' B ' Company from Walcha , Uralla , Barraba , Bingara , New South Wales , and Manilla ; ' C ' Company from Narrabi , Moree , and Inverell ; and ' D ' Company from Glen Innes , Guyra , and Tenterfield . With an authorised strength of 1 , 023 men , the battalion ’ s first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Morshead , who later reached the rank of lieutenant general and commanded an Australian corps against the Japanese during World War II . After undertaking initial training at the showgrounds in Armidale , the battalion moved to Maitland , where they concentrated with the rest of the 9th Brigade . On 3 May 1916 , the battalion entrained for Sydney , where they embarked upon the HMAT " Marathon " . Although originally it had been intended that they would go to Egypt , en route the battalion was redirected to the United Kingdom . Sailing via Albany , in Western Australia , and making stops at Durban , Cape Town and Dakar , the battalion arrived in the United Kingdom on 9 July 1916 . Moving to Larkhill , on Salisbury Plain , the 33rd underwent five months of intense training along with the rest of the 3rd Division to prepare them for the rigours of war on the Western Front , before moving to France in late November , crossing the English Channel on the ferry " Mona Queen " . After arriving in Le Havre , in France , the battalion moved by rail to Bailleul , from where they marched to the front , occupying a section of the line around Armentières . Assigned to a " nursery " sector , for the next month they rotated between occupying the forward trenches and undertaking training courses , as the battalion was introduced to life on the European battlefield . Although the battalion gained some experience of combat over Christmas , when they launched raids against the German lines , their first major battle did not come until mid - 1917 , by which time the focus of British operations had shifted to the Ypres sector in Belgium . This first battle came at Messines where the 33rd , along with the rest of the 9th Brigade , led the 3rd Division ' s assault . After a number of mines were exploded in front of their positions , the assault began . The 33rd went in on the right , around Ploegsteert Wood , having been chosen especially for the position due to its danger . Despite suffering around 200 casualties from Allied gas - shells that had dropped short , the battalion went " over the top " at the appointed hour and , after skirting the large crater the mine had caused , secured their objective . After the battle , the battalion remained at the front , holding the ground they had gained , enduring almost constant shelling . The 33rd ' s casualties amounted to 92 killed in action or died of wounds , and 260 wounded ; the heaviest they would suffer for the entire war . Messines was followed by actions during the Third Battle of Ypres in October . Moving up to Zonnebeke on the night of 2 / 3 October , in the first week of the push against Broodseinde , they were assigned a support role as the narrowness of the front limited the role of the 3rd Division . On 12 October , the Allied attack progressed into a second phase and the 3rd Division was thrown into the assault during the First Battle of Passchendaele . Heavily depleted , with a frontage of just 242 men , they fought around Augustus Wood , where the Germans had established many pillboxes before heavy rain washed away any hope of an Allied breakthrough . The following year , as the Germans launched a major offensive on the Western Front , they were thrust into the line in a desperate attempt to hold the line in front of the vital railhead of Amiens . There , the 33rd took part in heavy fighting when the Australians counter - attacked at Hangard Wood on 30 March , before finally turning back the German attack on Villers - Bretonneux on 4 April . At the end of the month , the battalion amalgamated with the 36th Battalion , as part of a general re - organisation of the AIF necessitated by heavy casualties and falling recruitment , which saw the disbandment of three battalions – the 36th , 47th and 52nd – in order to reinforce others . In August , the Allies launched their own offensive – the Hundred Days Offensive – which ultimately brought about an end to the war . The 33rd was committed to the battle on 8 August , tasked with capturing Accroche Wood . A series of advances followed as the Allies broke through the German defences along the Hindenburg Line . After attacking around Road Wood in late August , they were withdrawn for three weeks training before taking part in a joint American - Australian attack at Bellecourt in late September . Following up the Americans , the 33rd held off a strong counter - attack by German forces around Gillemont Farm , before carrying out mopping - up operations towards Bony . After this , in early October , the battalion was pulled back to the Abbeville area , taking up billets in Citerne , where they remained until the armistice was signed in November . Following the end of hostilities , the battalion ' s numbers were slowly reduced as personnel were repatriated to Australia for demobilisation and finally , in May 1919 , the battalion was disbanded . During the course of the war , the 33rd Battalion lost 451 killed men and 2 , 052 wounded . Two members of the battalion received the Victoria Cross : John Carroll and George Cartwright . Inter war years and subsequent service . After the war , when Australia ' s military was re - organised to perpetuate the numerical designations of the AIF units in 1921 , the battalion was reformed as a part - time unit of the Citizens Force , based in the New England region , assigned to the 1st Brigade . This was achieved by transferring personnel from two previously existing units : the 2nd Battalion , 33rd Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion , 35th Infantry Regiment . In 1927 , when territorial designations were introduced , the battalion adopted the title of the " New England Regiment " and the motto " Strenue Percute " . From the outset , the Citizen Forces units were maintained through a mixture of voluntary and compulsory service ; however , in 1929 , the Universal Training Scheme was abolished by the Scullin Labor government and replaced with an all volunteer force known as the " Militia " . This , coupled with the austerity of the Great Depression , resulted in a decline of volunteers and , as a result , the 33rd Battalion was amalgamated with the 35th Battalion to form the 35th / 33rd Battalion . In 1933 , the 35th / 33rd was split and the 33rd joined with the 41st Battalion to form the 33rd / 41st Battalion . They remained linked until October 1936 , when the 33rd Battalion was reformed in its own right as part of an expansion of Australia ' s military force as tensions rose in Europe , raising concerns of a future war . During World War II , due to the provisions of the " Defence Act " , which precluded Militia units from being sent outside Australian territory to fight , the battalion remained in Australia undertaking garrison duties . Initially it served as part of the 1st Brigade , but in February 1942 , following Japan ' s entry into the war , the 33rd Battalion was transferred to the 32nd Brigade , which formed part of the Newcastle Covering Force that had been tasked to defend against a possible Japanese invasion . On 27 August 1942 , the battalion was linked with the 13th Battalion to become the 13th / 33rd Battalion . It was disbanded on 25 November 1943 having not served outside Australia . Alliances . The 33rd Battalion held the following alliances : Battle honours . For its service , the 33rd Battalion received the following battle honour s : Commanding officers . The following officers commanded the 33rd during World War I :