8th / 7th Battalion , Royal Victoria Regiment The 8th / 7th Battalion , Royal Victoria Regiment ( 8 / 7 RVR ) is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . It is one of two battalions that make up the Royal Victoria Regiment ( RVR ) , with its sister unit being 5th / 6th Battalion , Royal Victoria Regiment . It can trace its history back to 1854 and the battalion has existed since maintaining an unbroken record of service , albeit in varying forms and under various names . The present day unit traces its lineage from a number of previous units , including 8th Battalion ( City of Ballarat Regiment ) , 59th Battalion ( The Hume Regiment ) , 7th Battalion ( The North and West Murray Regiment ) , and the 38th Battalion ( The Northern Victoria Regiment ) . Today the battalion is part of the 4th Brigade and is responsible for most of the rural areas of Victoria and protecting vital assets in the north of Australia . The battalion maintains an affiliation with the 5th / 7th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment , with whom many members of 8 / 7 RVR have undertaken periods of full - time service in recent times . History . The Ballarat phase of the battalion ' s history was formed as the Ballarat Volunteer Rifle Regiment on 9 August 1858 as a result of the Crimean War , coupled with the withdrawal of the British Army in 1857 . In the years between its formation and the outbreak of War in 1914 , the battalion went through a series of name changes as follows : Further to the north the following evolution was taking place ( encompassing the Bendigo / Castlemaine and Murray river areas ) : When war broke out in 1914 , the 8th Battalion was recruited from the Ballarat and Ararat areas and the 7th Battalion from the North Western and Murray areas . Both battalions became well known and respected for their actions in the Gallipoli campaign and later in France , earning numerous Campaign and Battle honours , some of which are emblazoned on the Royal Victorian Regiments Colours , with the remainder being held in trust by the Regimental council . After World War I , further restructuring took place in the Ballarat and North - Western Regions . At the outbreak of World War II in 1939 , both the 8th and 7th Battalions were again raised , and the two battalions served alongside by side during the most significant campaigns and battles of that war . Following World War II , the 8th and 7th Battalions were amalgamated to form the 8th / 7th Battalion , the North Western Victorian Regiment . The battalion retained its name until 1960 , when Pentropic Divisions were formed and the battalion became 2RVR , absorbing the 8th / 7th , 38th and 59th Battalions . On 14 November 1987 , the battalion was officially retitled the 8th / 7th Battalion , The Royal Victoria Regiment . It has adopted the white ( 8th Battalion ) and brown ( 7th Battalion ) lanyard and wears the 8th Battalion colour patch ( rectangle white over red ) . The Battalion Flag consists of the regimental badge on a diagonally split background of brown above white . Current status . Activities and Equipment . The battalion usually parades from early February until mid December , taking part on parade nights ( Tuesday 7 : 00 p . m . until 10 : 00 p . m . ) , with one weekend a month and a two week continuous training exercise taking place throughout the year . There are several training periods per year , including several sub - unit ( company ) based exercises , normally run quarterly , and a range week , of which the battalion undertakes several days of weapon training . This compliments the 4th Brigade run Exercise Hamel at Cultana Military range in South Australia in September , allowing training in combined / support arms tactics , with access to the full resources of the entire Brigade . The Battalion is light infantry based , and as such uses all the weapon platforms commonly found within an Australian infantry battalion , including the standard issue F88 Austeyr rifle ( 5 . 56 mm ) , F89 Minimi machine gun ( 5 . 56 mm ) , M72 Short Range Anti Armour Weapon ( 66 mm ) , M18A1 Claymore anti - personnel device , F1 & F3 Hand Grenades , MAG 58 machine gun ( 7 . 62 mm ) , 84 mm Carl Gustav rocket launcher , using the standard infantry battalion composition of four companies comprising three platoons , each containing a section of nine soldiers , with a support section held at company level . The infantry ' s task is " to seek out and close with the enemy , to kill or capture him , to seize and hold ground and to repel attack , by day or night , regardless of season , weather or terrain " . Locations . 8 / 7 RVR is located in the state of Victoria , with the following depots : The battalion also has regional depots located at : Battle honours . The Royal Victoria Regiment has the enviable honour of having inherited the most battle honour s of any other Infantry Regiment of the Australian Defence Force . 8 / 7 RVR currently holds the following battle honours :