18th Battalion ( Australia ) The 18th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . During World War I , the battalion was raised in 1915 as part of the Australian Imperial Force , attached to the 5th Brigade , of the 2nd Division . It was sent initially to Gallipoli , where it suffered a large number of casualties before it was withdrawn from the line and sent to France , where it served at the Western Front as part of the Australian Corps and took part in most of the major battles between 1916 and 1918 . The battalion ' s last engagement of the war was at Montbrehain in October 1918 and it was disbanded in April 1919 . After the war , the battalion was re - raised as a part - time force in the Sydney area and remained there during World War II where it served in a garrison role and was disbanded in 1944 without having seeing active service overseas . History . World War I . Raised as an Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) battalion in March 1915 as part of the 5th Brigade of the 2nd Division , the 18th Battalion was formed at Liverpool , New South Wales . Following training , the battalion was sent to Gallipoli in August 1915 as part of a wave of reinforcements that arrived after the initial landing . There it participated in the costly August Offensive , during which it was sent to Damakjelik Bair . Beginning the battle with about 1 , 000 men , by the end they battalion could muster only 386 . Following that , the battalion was placed in reserve behind the 5th Brigade ' s positions between Walker ' s Ridge and Quinn ' s Post , where they played a mainly defensive role in the campaign until they were withdrawn in December 1915 . Their main area of responsibility during this time was Courtney ' s Post . After returning to Egypt where they AIF was undergoing a period of expansion , the battalion was sent to France , arriving there in March 1916 and for the next two and half years they participated in most of the main battles fought on the Western Front , seeing action at Pozieres , Warlencourt , Menin Road and Poelcappelle . In early 1918 , following the collapse of the Russian resistance on the Eastern Front , the Germans had been able to transfer a large number of troops to the Western Front . As a result , in March , they launched their Spring Offensive . With the Germans making rapid gains , Australian units , including the 18th Battalion , were thrown into the line to blunt the attack . After this , the Allies were able to launch their own offensive , which subsequently became known as the Hundred Days Offensive and ultimately brought about the Armistice . During this offensive , the battalion fought at Amiens and Mont St Quentin before assaulting " Beaurevoir Line " , which was the third ( and final ) fortified line of the Hindenburg Line . There , at Montbrehain , on 3 October 1918 , Lieutenant Joseph Maxwell earned the battalion ' s first and only Victoria Cross in what was ultimately to prove their last engagement of the war . After this the units of the Australian Corps , severely depleted due to heavy casualties and limited reinforcements , were withdrawn from the line upon the insistence of the Australian prime minister , Billy Hughes , for rest and re - organisation and did not return to the front before the Armistice was declared on 11 November 1918 . Following the end of hostilities , the demobilisation process began and as personnel were repatriated back to Australia , the battalion ' s numbers dwindled until the battalion was finally disbanded on 11 April 1919 , while it was still in Belgium . Throughout the course of the war , the battalion suffered 3 , 513 casualties , of which 1 , 060 were killed . Members of the battalion received the following decorations : one Victoria Cross , one Order of St Michael and St George , five Distinguished Service Order s , 35 Distinguished Conduct Medal s , 44 Military Cross es , 158 Military Medal s , seven Meritorious Service Medals and 39 Mentioned in Dispatches . Subsequent service . In 1921 Australia ' s part - time military force was re - organised to perpetuate the numerical designations , battle honour s and formations of the AIF . The 18th Battalion was re - raised in the Kuring - Gai region of Sydney , New South Wales , as part of the Citizens Forces . In 1927 , when territorial designations were adopted , it assumed the title of the " Kuring - Gai Regiment " . At the outbreak of World War II , the battalion was based at Willoughby , New South Wales , where it formed part of the 8th Brigade , attached to the 1st Division within the 2nd Military District . Throughout the war , the battalion remained in Australia , where it conducted garrison duties before being disbanded on 20 October 1944 . Over the course of the war , it was assigned variously to the 8th , 9th , 28th and 1st Brigades . In 1948 , when Australia ' s part - time military force was re - raised under the guise of the Citizens Military Force . At this time , the 18th Battalion was re - raised , albeit as an amalgamated unit with the 17th Battalion to form the 17th / 18th Battalion ( The North Shore Regiment ) . In 1960 , the Australian Army was reorganised along Pentropic lines , and the 17th / 18th Battalion became ' B ' Company , 2nd Battalion , Royal New South Wales Regiment ( 2 RNSWR ) . When the Pentropic divisional structure was abandoned in 1965 , however , the 17th Battalion was reformed in its own right as the 17th Battalion , Royal New South Wales Regiment , but the 18th Battalion was not re - raised . Commanding officers . During World War I , the following officers served as commanding officer of the 18th Battalion :