2 / 18th Battalion ( Australia ) The 2 / 18th Battalion was an Australian Army infantry unit that served during World War II . Formed in June 1940 , the battalion was assigned to the 22nd Brigade , which formed part of the Australian 8th Division . After completing basic training , the 2 / 18th was sent to Singapore and Malaya to strengthen the defences of the British colonies in February 1941 against a possible Japanese attack . The 2 / 18th Battalion subsequently undertook garrison duties throughout the year at various locations in Malaya , where it conducted jungle training and constructed defences along the eastern coast . Following the outbreak of war in the Pacific in December 1941 , the 2 / 18th saw action against Japanese forces in the Malayan campaign , during which they took part in a large - scale ambush of a Japanese force on the Malay Peninsula before joining the withdrawal to Singapore in early 1942 . Assigned to defend part of the north - west coast of the island , the battalion participated in the unsuccessful defence of Singapore in early February 1942 . Following the fall of Singapore the majority of the battalion ' s personnel were taken as prisoners of war . Many of these men died in captivity ; the survivors were liberated in 1945 and returned to Australia where the battalion was disbanded . History . Formation . The 2 / 18th Battalion was raised around Sydney , New South Wales , in June 1940 , with its first subunits being formed on 13 July at Wallgrove Camp . Formed as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force ( 2nd AIF ) from volunteers for overseas service , the battalion ' s first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Varley , a grazier from Inverell , New South Wales , and a World War I veteran who had previously commanded the 35th Battalion while serving in the Militia during the interwar years . The battalion concentrated at Wallgrove on 15 July , and a cadre of commissioned and senior non - commissioned officers ( NCOs ) who were selected from the Militia — in many cases personally by Varley — was established , while the remainder of the battalion ' s NCOs were appointed from recruits following their arrival . The majority of the battalion ' s personnel arrived on 27 and 28 July . Coming from across the state of New South Wales , the men were drawn from places such as Tamworth , Newcastle , Wagga , Goulburn , and Liverpool , with roughly 60 percent coming from rural backgrounds . With an authorised strength of around 900 men , the battalion was organised around a battalion headquarters , with a regimental aid post , four rifle companies and a headquarters company consisting of various support platoon s and sections including signals , mortars , transport ( later carriers ) , pioneers , anti - aircraft and administration . Along with the 2 / 19th and 2 / 20th Battalions , it was assigned to the 22nd Brigade , which formed part of the 8th Division . Basic training began at Wallgrove on 1 August , and was provided by experienced regular soldiers and personnel who had previously served in the Militia . In mid - August the battalion moved to Ingleburn , and by the end of the month individual training had been completed . Collective training followed , and on 5 October the battalion took part in a divisional march through Sydney . A further move came in November when the 2 / 18th was transported to Bathurst , where more complex exercises were undertaken , including at brigade and divisional levels . Although the fighting had not yet spread to the Pacific , by late 1940 there were growing concerns amongst the Allies about the possibility of a war with Japan . After a review of the defences around Singapore and Malaya , the British government requested Australian troops be sent to garrison the region . In October , the Australian government committed the 22nd Brigade and supporting elements . As a result , the 2 / 18th — with a strength of 793 men — subsequently embarked upon the RMS " Queen Mary " and left Sydney on 4 February 1941 , bound for Singapore . The Australian government wished to send the brigade to the Middle East to join the 6th , 7th and 9th Divisions , so the deployment was only intended to be short , as the British government pledged to release an Indian division to replace the Australians in May . Consequently , the Australian forces were deployed having only been partially trained and equipped and while they were still in the process of being brought up to full strength . Malayan campaign . The men arrived in Singapore on 18 February 1941 and moved into barracks at Port Dickson , in the north of Malaya . While there , the battalion undertook further training to prepare it for jungle warfare , before moving to Seremban in March . Further drafts of reinforcements arrived during this time as the battalion was brought up to its wartime establishment . The rigours of jungle training and the tropical heat had an impact on the men , and a number of personnel were hospitalised during this time with illnesses such as malaria , measles , mumps and serious tropical skin diseases . Some of these were repatriated back to Australia , and by the end of March , the 2 / 18th was still below its authorised establishment , with an actual strength of 898 . Amidst growing concerns amongst Australian military commanders about Japanese intentions , the scheduled replacement of the 22nd Brigade was cancelled , and the 2 / 18th remained in Seremban until they were transported east to Jemaluang in August . The following month they were sent north to Mersing , which , situated on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula , was considered a likely place for a Japanese landing as it offered a short route of advance towards Singapore . At Mersing , the battalion was set to work digging defensive positions and constructing wire obstacles , punctuated by familiarisation patrols and anti - aircraft , anti - gas and mortar training . The battalion was placed on a war footing on 6 December as tensions in the region escalated . Two days later , the Japanese invasion of Malaya commenced ; while the fighting raged elsewhere , the 2 / 18th remained unengaged around Mersing . On 26 December , a small group of 2 / 18th men were detached to an ad hoc British raiding force known as " Roseforce " to take part in a raid behind Japanese lines , ambushing a Japanese convoy . It was not until 3 January however that the battalion came into contact with the Japanese for the first time , with a patrol from the 2 / 18th capturing two Japanese airmen who had been shot down near the mouth of the Sekakap River . A fortnight later , Japanese advances along the peninsula to the west led to concerns about the coastal defences being outflanked and cut off . As result , on 17 January , the 2 / 18th was ordered to withdraw south to Jemaluang without having met the Japanese in battle . Following a landing around Mersing , the Japanese began to advance south towards Jemaluang in large numbers . In response , on 26 January the 2 / 18th Battalion , supported by two batteries of artillery from the 2 / 10th Field Regiment , was tasked with establishing an ambush near the Nithsdale Estate and the rubber plantation at Joo Lye . Establishing themselves along the Mersing – Jemaluang road , ' D ' Company was deployed to the north on the western side of the road as the lookout force , while ' B ' Company was positioned further to the south on the opposite side of the road . South of them , ' A ' Company formed the blocking force , with their position stretched across the road oriented to the north . Behind them , ' C ' Company was positioned in reserve , further south . The plan had been for the ambush to be sprung during the day , but the Japanese advance had proceeded more slowly than thought , and it was not until after dark that they entered the ambush site . In order to inflict as many casualties as possible , the Japanese force , which was estimated to be battalion - sized , was allowed to pass through ' D ' and ' B ' Companies . By 3 : 00 am they came up against ' A ' Company ' s blocking position and the ambush was finally initiated . Devastating indirect fire from artillery and mortars inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese ; however , as the northernmost company — ' D ' — turned south to attack the Japanese from the rear , they came up against determined resistance from a force of Japanese that had managed to infiltrate the ambush site and dig in on a small feature to the east of the estate ' s pig farm , north of ' B ' Company . This effectively cut them off from the rest of the battalion . Fighting raged throughout the early morning as ' B ' Company vainly attempted to assist the cut - off ' D ' Company . Varley decided to launch a counterattack with ' A ' Company , but at 8 : 00 am the order to withdraw came from brigade headquarters , cancelling the attack . Covered by the reserve company , ' A ' and some of ' B ' Company were able to break contact and fall back . ' D ' Company , along with those of ' B ' Company that were still isolated and in contact , had to be left to fight their way back to the battalion ' s lines . By the time they arrived , there were only enough men left to form one platoon . The 2 / 18th ' s losses in this action amounted to about 90 men killed , wounded or missing . Japanese losses are unknown , but are thought to be significant and they were unable to take Jemaluang for two more days . Fighting in Singapore . After the withdrawal from Nithsdale , the battalion fell back along the Jemaluang – Kota Tinggi Road , before helping to cover the Allied withdrawal over the Johor – Singapore Causeway to Singapore Island . No engagements were fought during this phase , but the 2 / 18th patrolled constantly and provided rearguard detachments . During this time , the battalion was briefly commanded by Major William Fraser , when Varley temporarily took over Eastforce , which consisted of the 22nd Brigade and a number of Indian and Malay formations , filling in for Brigadier Harold Burfield Taylor , who was temporarily detached to organise a force to cover the withdrawal . Following its arrival on the island , Varley returned to the battalion , which received a small number of reinforcements — about 90 men — and was allocated to the defence of the Western Area along with the rest of the 8th Division . Forming part of the 22nd Brigade ' s defensive line in the north - west sector , stretching from the Causeway to the Sungei Berih , the battalion was responsible for defending a frontage of . With a strength of 37 officers and 826 other ranks , the battalion occupied a position in the centre of the brigade that stretched from the 2 / 20th ' s position around Kranji to the 2 / 19th ' s around Sungei Sarimbun , north - east of the village of Ama Keng and Tengah Airfield . Consisting of " tidal mud flats and mangrove swamps intersected with streams and inlets " , there had been no work done to prepare the area that the battalion was allocated to defend prior to its arrival due to political concerns about alarming the local population . The wide frontage stretched the 2 / 18th thin on the ground , with no depth and large gaps between positions that were separated in places by tidal waterways . Due to the thick vegetation along the shoreline , the battalion ' s positions had the added handicap of poor visibility of the water and limited fields of fire that , combined with their isolation , meant that they were unable to support each other . After occupying their positions on 1 February , the battalion worked to improve them as best they could , working under the cover of darkness so as to avoid Japanese artillery and air attacks . The Japanese attack on the north - west coast came on the night of 8 / 9 February , beginning with a heavy artillery and aerial bombardment of the 22nd Brigade ' s positions throughout the day , followed by a waterborne assault across the Johore Strait , which began around 10 : 30 pm . Confronted by 16 battalions from the Japanese 5th and 18th Divisions , which concentrated upon the 2 / 18th ' s and 2 / 20th ' s positions , the 2 / 18th ' s two forward companies — ' A ' and ' C ' — strongly resisted two frontal assaults during the day . Heavy casualties were inflicted on the Japanese over the course of several hours , but the defenders were eventually forced back by heavy indirect fire and overwhelming numbers . Exploiting the holes in the battalion ' s perimeter to avoid resistance , by 1 : 30 am on 9 February the Japanese had penetrated towards battalion headquarters near the Lim Chau Kang road , threatening to roll up the battalion ' s rear . Varley then ordered the forward companies to make a fighting withdrawal and fall back on battalion headquarters . Heavy fighting followed , during which the Australians suffered grave losses as groups became lost in the darkness in the thick country , before the battalion was able to re - establish itself around Ama Keng . The 2 / 18th attempted to defend the Tengah Airfield , but by 1 : 00 pm in the afternoon of 9 February they had been reduced to only 330 men and were withdrawn back to the south - east of the airfield , occupying a position around Bulim along the Chu Kang Road , with the 2 / 29th Battalion on their left . Throughout the night of 9 / 10 February , minor clashes occurred as patrols were sent out to fend off Japanese probes . The battalion continued to hold the line until 6 : 00 am when , following receipt of orders to withdraw , it moved back to Keat Hong village to take up the role of brigade reserve . The carrier platoon covered the battalion ' s withdrawal , and amidst heavy artillery shelling , they ambushed two Japanese columns , each roughly company - sized , inflicting heavy casualties upon them with their Vickers machine - guns before breaking contact . As a result of a misinterpretation of orders , the 22nd Brigade fell back towards Reformatory Road where the 2 / 18th took up positions to the west between the junctions of the Ulu Pandan and Bukit Timah Roads . When the brigade launched a counterattack later that day , the majority of the battalion was held back in reserve , after suffering many casualties . A single company , though , was detached at this time to an ad hoc formation dubbed " X Battalion " , tasked with launching a counterattack . Meanwhile , the rest of the battalion moved back into the reserve position along the Bukit Panjang Road . That evening the 2 / 18th occupied a position north of a feature dubbed " 127 " , but early on the morning of 11 February they were moved back south of there to gain better fields of fire . Shortly after this , the 2 / 18th came under attack from front and rear after the Japanese managed to infiltrate behind their position , forcing the 2 / 18th to fall back further under the cover of the fire from the carriers once again . Later during 11 February , the 22nd Brigade headquarters , situated around Wai Soon Gardens , came under attack from a Japanese force moving south from Bukit Timah . In response , the 2 / 18th launched a counterattack across Reformatory Road with bayonets . At the same time , a section from the battalion ' s carrier platoon , under the command of Lieutenant Iven John Mackay , son of Lieutenant General Iven Giffard Mackay , conducted a daring attack that stopped the Japanese advance . Rolling up the axis of the road , firing machine - guns and hurling grenades , they advanced to the Bukit Timah Road before heading south to Holland Road and then returning to battalion headquarters . After this , the 22nd Brigade moved back towards the junction of Holland and Ulu Padan Roads . Moving while under heavy fire , the battalion established itself in its new position before 9 : 00 am , but in the confusion of the move , some men found themselves separated from the main body and cut off . In the afternoon , after the brigade position was reoriented to the west , the battalion was placed in reserve . The battalion ' s positions in the north , situated on the high ground , experienced heavy attack from Japanese aircraft and artillery , as the brigade — supported by Australian and British artillery — fought off two regiments from the Japanese 18th Division during the course of the night of 11 / 12 February . Early the following morning , Varley was promoted to brigadier and took over as commander of the 22nd Brigade from Taylor , who was taken ill . In Varley ' s place , Major Charles O ' Brien , who had previously been the battalion second - in - command , took over command of the battalion . After a brief lull in the fighting in the 22nd Brigade ' s sector , the Japanese 18th Division attacked again , attempting to take the brigade on its left flank . In response , the 2 / 18th was sent to retake some of the high ground south - east of the Ulu Pandan and Reformatory Roads late in the afternoon . Attacking with about 60 men , supported by three British armoured cars and artillery fire , they were unable to retake the position after the light failed . The Japanese then pressed heavily against the 22nd Brigade ' s position , and they were forced to give ground , falling back to the junction of Buona Vista and Holland Roads , by which time the 2 / 18th was down to only 250 men . On 13 February , in an attempt to gain room for a possible counterattack , the Allied commander , Lieutenant General Arthur Percival , ordered a shortening of the Allied lines towards the south - east and the formation of a perimeter around Singapore city . As a part of this , the Australian forces were concentrated into a perimeter centred around Farrer and Holland Roads , about west of the city , tasked with defending the north - east sector of the defensive line . The 2 / 18th was positioned among the gravestones of Cemetery Hill , and apart from a few minor skirmishes and overflights by Japanese aircraft spotting for artillery , a period of respite followed in the Australian sector . The Japanese skirted the position , moving in an easterly direction towards the city , by way of gaps in the line which opened to the north and south of the Australians through positions held by British , Indian and Malay units . The Japanese continued to advance into the outskirts of Singapore throughout 14 February . Threatened with being isolated , the Australians made plans to make a last stand . With the Japanese closing in , the island ' s civilian population began to suffer heavily as they were subjected to heavy artillery bombardment and aerial attacks from Japanese aircraft that were increasingly unopposed as anti - aircraft guns ran out of ammunition . Supplies of water and food also dwindled , and the water shortage was made worse by the loss of the island ' s reservoirs . Finally , in the morning of 15 February , after the Japanese had succeeded in infiltrating towards Mount Pleasant Ridge , Percival determined that a counterattack was not viable and instead decided to surrender the garrison . The battalion ' s final involvement in the fighting came that afternoon when ' A ' and ' D ' Companies were heavily shelled . A short time later , at 8 : 30 pm , the surrender came into effect and the men of the 2 / 18th received orders not to escape . Prisoners of War . While the majority of the 2 / 18th obeyed the order not to escape following the surrender , a small number of men attempted to evade capture . Along with other members of the battalion who had found themselves cut off from the rest of the battalion earlier in the fighting , they attempted to make their way back to Allied lines via Sumatra . There , some were eventually captured , while others managed to get away to Ceylon . Of these , 24 eventually managed to return to Australia , some of whom were transferred to other units and later took part in further fighting in New Guinea . When the Japanese arrived to effect the capture of the 2 / 18th , six men from the carrier platoon , which had earlier inflicted heavy casualties upon the Japanese during the fighting , were ordered to move the battalion ' s carriers , before being tied up and executed . Four other 2 / 18th soldiers were killed in the massacre at the Alexandra Hospital . The surviving members of the battalion were then marched to the prisoner of war camp at Changi . Shortly afterwards , the men were split up and sent to various locations to serve as forced labourers . The majority of the 2 / 18th ' s personnel were sent to Blakang Mati , but some remained in Changi , while others were sent to Japan or were sent to work on the Thai – Burma Railway . A total of 174 men were sent to Borneo where in 1945 they were subjected to the Sandakan Death Marches , which only about ten percent of the 2 / 18th men survived . Despite being separated , though , wherever possible the 2 / 18th men sought to stay together in their groups and the battalion structure was maintained even in captivity . The battalion ' s first commanding officer , Varley , was one of those sent to Burma where , as senior Allied officer , he worked to secure the welfare of over 9 , 000 men working on the railway , including many from the 2 / 18th . He was later sent to Thailand before being brought back to Singapore once work was completed . In late 1944 he was transferred to Formosa . On 12 September , while en route , the transport ship — " Rakuyo Maru " — that he and around 1 , 250 other prisoners were on , was torpedoed by a US submarine , USS " Sealion " . Varley took charge of several lifeboats of prisoners during the evacuation , attempting to lead them to safety . They were never seen again and are believed to have been machine - gunned several days later by Japanese frigates that were in the area . During their time in captivity , men from the 2 / 18th undertook a number of subversive activities including building a radio transmitter , which they used to contact local resistance groups who provided them with assistance in the form of medicine and intelligence . They were also involved in numerous escape attempts , some of which were successful , alongside Australians from other units . One of these successful escapes involved a group of eight men who escaped from the camp on Berhala Island in two groups . One group escaped while out of camp on a work detail , while the other simply walked out the front gate to use the ablutions and never came back . After meeting up outside the camp , the men split up again . One group included Lieutenant Charles Wagner , who had previously been decorated with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions around the Nithsdale Estate and who had been commissioned in the field . Having bribed one of the camp guards , Wagner ' s group had contacted the local guerillas and arranged to rendezvous with a fishing vessel . After hiding out for three weeks , the vessel eventually arrived offshore and took them on board . The group then met up with the other escapees on Tawi - Tawi where in mid - 1943 they began working with the Filipino guerilla forces , fighting alongside them until the end of the war . Other escapes occurred later in the war , including one in which five men escaped from Ranau over the course of two days in early July 1945 during one of the death marches . After effecting their escape , these men were helped by locals who provided food and information , before the men were able to meet up with some Australians from Z Special Unit . Following the end of the war in August 1945 , the men that survived as prisoners of war were repatriated to Australia . Returning by aircraft and ship , this was largely completed by October , and later that year the battalion was officially disbanded . A total of 1 , 323 men served in the battalion throughout its existence , including reinforcements and personnel that were transferred . The battalion ' s battle casualties amounted to 80 killed and 10 wounded in Malaya , as well as 175 killed and 238 wounded in Singapore . On top of this 225 men from the 2 / 18th died in captivity as prisoners of war . For their involvement in the war , members of the battalion received the following decorations : one Military Cross , two Distinguished Conduct Medals , one Military Medal , two Members of the Order of the British Empire , and 11 Mentions in Despatches . Battle honours . The 2 / 18th Battalion received the following battle honour s : Commanding officers . The following officers served as commanding officer of the 2 / 18th :