37th Battalion ( Australia ) The 37th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . It was originally raised in 1916 for service during the World War I and took part in the fighting in the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium and was disbanded in 1918 . In 1921 , the battalion was re - raised as part of the part - time Citizens Forces , although it was later amalgamated with the 52nd Battalion in 1930 due to manpower shortages . In 1937 the battalion returned to the order of battle as the Australian military was expanded due to concerns of a future war in Europe . Following the outbreak of World War II , the 37th Battalion served in a garrison role until 1942 when it was once again amalgamated with the 52nd Battalion . History . World War I . The 37th Battalion was originally raised in Seymour , Victoria , in February 1916 as part of an expansion of the Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) which took place following the end of the Gallipoli campaign . The unit was made up from personnel drawn from men originating from Victoria who were recruited from a number of areas including Melbourne , Gippsland and the north - eastern parts of the state . Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick George Woods , the battalion became part of the 10th Brigade attached to the 3rd Australian Division . Initial training took place in Australia , however , once this was complete the battalion was sent to Britain where they concentrated on Salisbury Plain along with the rest of the 3rd Division to undertake more advanced training . The process took a considerable period of time and as such it was not until late in the year that the 3rd Division was declared ready to be deployed to the Western Front . After the battalion arrived in France on 23 November 1916 , it was first sent to the Armentieres sector which was considered a " quiet " area where the newly arrived troops could gain their first experiences of trench warfare . While there , they undertook patrols into No Man ' s Land and minor raids on the German trenches opposite them during the winter months . After winter had subsided , in April 1917 the 3rd Division was moved to the Messines – Wytschaete Ridge section of the line in Belgium , where they began to prepare to take part in their first major battle of the war . Between 7 and 9 June 1917 , the battalion took part in the fighting at Messines in Belgium . One of the battalion ' s officers , Captain Robert Grieve was later awarded the Victoria Cross for the role he played in the battle . Following this , the 37th Battalion saw service at Broodseinde on 4 October and then later at Passchendaele on 12 October . In early 1918 , the collapse of the Russian resistance on the Eastern Front enabled the Germans to transfer a large number of troops to the west . As a result , in March , they launched an offensive along the Western Front . The initial attack was quite successful and with the Germans making rapid gains , many Australian units , including the 37th Battalion , which was moved from Armentieres and to Ypres , were thrown into the line to blunt the attack . Finally the offensive stalled and , after a period , the Allies were able to launch their own offensive , known as the Hundred Days Offensive , which ultimately brought about an end to the war . Held in reserve initially , the 37th Battalion did not see action on the first or second days of the fighting . On 10 August , however , the battalion participated in a poorly planned attack on the village of Proyart , which ended in failure . After this , it took part in a number of actions , including those at Bray and Clery , as the 3rd Division advanced through the Somme Valley towards Buire . As a result of heavy casualties sustained by the AIF during 1918 and a lack of new recruits with which to make up these losses , in September the AIF was forced to disband a number of battalions in order to reinforce others . With orders to disband , the battalion commander , Lieutenant Colonel Charles Story , was relieved of command for questioning and failing to follow the order . The men mutinied and , as a result , the order was rescinded , albeit on a temporary basis . On 29 September , the battalion took part in its final battle of the war when it was involved in the attack on the St Quentin Canal . After this , the battalion was finally disbanded on 12 October 1918 , at which point it only had a frontage of 60 men . During the fighting , it suffered lost 483 killed in action or died on active service and 1 , 485 wounded . Members of the battalion received the following decorations : one Victoria Cross , two Distinguished Service Order s ( DSO ) , 15 Military Cross es ( MCs ) , 8 Distinguished Conduct Medal s ( DCMs ) , 67 Military Medal s ( MMs ) with one Bar , six Meritorious Service Medal s ( MSMs ) , 13 Mention in Despatches ( MIDs ) and two foreign awards . Inter - war years . In 1921 , Australia ' s part - time military forces were re - organised in order to perpetuate the numerical designations and formations of the AIF . As a result , the 37th Battalion was re - raised at this time and was assigned to the 10th Brigade , which was attached to the 3rd Division . In 1927 , when territorial designations were adopted , the battalion became known as ' " The Henty Regiment " . The battalion was amalgamated with the 52nd Battalion in 1930 as the " 37th / 52nd Battalion , The Henty Regiment " , which was formed in the state of Victoria as part of a rationalisation of the Australia ' s part - time military forces that came about as a result of the combined effects of the suspension of compulsory service by the newly elected Scullin Labor government and the Great Depression . The battalion remained in existence until 1937 when , as part of an expansion of the Australian military due to concerns about the threat of war in Europe , the battalion was split to reform its predecessor units . World War II . At the outbreak of World War II in September 1939 , the 37th Battalion was headquartered around Sale , in Victoria , where it formed part of the 10th Brigade . Due to the provisions of the " Defence Act ( 1903 ) " , which precluded sending the Militia outside Australian territory , initially units such as the 37th Battalion were employed to provide training for personnel called up under the compulsory training scheme , which was reactivated in 1940 . As a result , throughout 1940 – 41 , as the Militia were called up to undertake periods of continuous training , the 37th Battalion undertook a number of training camps at Seymour . Following Japan ' s entry into the war in late 1941 , they the units of the 3rd Division were mobilised for war service . In August 1942 , however , having remained in Australia carrying out garrison duties and having not been deployed on active service overseas , the battalion was again amalgamated with the 52nd Battalion , this time in response to a manpower shortage in the Australian economy that had been brought about by an over mobilisation of Australia ' s military forces . At this point the battalion became known as the " 37th / 52nd Battalion " and initially , it was assigned to the 10th Brigade and attached to the 3rd Division , although it was later transferred to the 4th Brigade in September 1942 after the 10th Brigade was also disbanded . The 37th / 52nd was disbanded after the war on 12 June 1946 , having fought against the Japanese in the Huon Peninsula and New Britain campaign s .