57th Battalion ( Australia ) The 57th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army . Formed in early 1916 for service during World War I , the battalion served on the Western Front until the end of the war , when it was disbanded . In 1921 , it was re - raised as a part - time unit in Victoria , known as " The Merri Regiment " . In 1930 , the battalion was amalgamated with the 60th Battalion , to form the 57th / 60th Battalion , which remained linked until it was disbanded in 1946 , after having fought against the Japanese in New Guinea and Bougainville during World War II . History . World War I . The 57th Battalion was originally raised as a unit of the First Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) in Egypt on 18 February 1916 , as part of an expansion of the AIF that took place after the conclusion of the Gallipoli Campaign . This was achieved by joining half of the members of the veteran 5th Battalion with fresh recruits raised in Australia from north - east Victoria . With an authorised strength of 1 , 023 men , and under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Stewart , together with the 58th , 59th and 60th Battalions , the 57th formed part of the 15th Brigade , which was assigned to the 5th Australian Division . After formation , the battalion undertook a period of intense training in Egypt . In mid - 1916 , the AIF ' s infantry divisions were sent to the Western Front , and the battalion arrived in France , landing in Marseilles , in June 1916 . Initially , it was sent to a " nursery sector " in northern France to gain experience , but in July the 57th experienced its taste of the fighting when the 5th Division was committed to the Battle of Fromelles , which was the AIF ' s debut on the Western Front . The attack at Fromelles proved to be disastrous for the Australians who suffered over 5 , 000 casualties , and it was later described as " the worst 24 hours in Australia ' s entire history " . The 57th , having been held back in reserve , suffered less than the rest of the 15th Brigade and , as a result , remained in the line for several days after the battle after the other units had been withdrawn . After Fromelles , the 57th spent the next two - and - a - half years in the trenches in France and Belgium , seeing action in many of the major battles fought by the Australians during this time . In 1917 , the battalion joined the brief advance that the Allies undertook when the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line . It then undertook a defensive role during the Second Battle of Bullecourt , before mounting a major attack at Polygon Wood in September after the 5th Division was transferred to the Ypres sector in Belgium . The following year , the Germans launched a major offensive on the Western Front after the collapse of Tsarist Russia . The 57th Battalion undertook a defensive role around Corbie , before participating in a counter - attack on the morning of 25 April 1918 — Anzac Day — at Villers - Bretonneux . In August , the 57th joined the Allied offensive that ultimately ended the war . It fought its final action around the St Quentin Canal in September , before being withdrawn from the line the following month . After the war the battalion was disbanded in March 1919 . During the war , the battalion suffered 505 killed and 1 , 253 wounded . Inter war years . In 1921 , Australia ' s part - time military force , the Citizen Forces , was reorganised to perpetuate the numerical designations of the AIF , and the 57th Battalion was raised again . Headquartered at Preston , Victoria , it drew its personnel from the 2nd Battalion , 57th Infantry Regiment , and conducted weekly parades , weekend training and annual camps . In 1927 territorial designations were introduced and the 57th Battalion adopted the title of " The Merri Regiment " . At this time it also adopted the motto of " Strike Hard " . Initially , the battalion ' s strength was maintained through a mixture of voluntary and compulsory service ; however , in 1930 , the Universal Training Scheme was abolished by the Scullin Labor government . As a result of this , coupled with the hardships of the Great Depression , the battalion ' s strength dropped and as training opportunities became more scarce it was amalgamated with the 60th Battalion , to become the 57th / 60th Battalion ( Merri / Heidelberg Regiment ) . The amalgamated battalion remained linked for the next sixteen years , undertaking weekly parades , training weekends and annual camps when funding allowed . World War II . In the early years of World War II , the 57th / 60th undertook training camps in Seymour , Victoria , as part of the 15th Brigade , assigned to the 3rd Division . It also undertook short periods of continuous service to provide training to conscripts called up under the Universal Training Scheme . Nevertheless , due to the provisions of the " Defence Act " , it was precluded from being sent overseas to fight and remained in Australia . Following Japan ' s entry into the war , the battalion was mobilised and undertook defensive duties in New South Wales and Queensland during 1942 and early 1943 . In March 1943 , the 57th / 60th Battalion was sent to New Guinea along with the rest of the 15th Brigade . After arriving at Port Moresby , the battalion initially served as garrison troops around Tsilli Tsilli , before it was detached to the 7th Division during the Finisterre Range campaign in early 1944 . Joining the fighting after the capture of the Kankiryo Saddle in January , the 57th / 60th led the advance to Madang , reaching it in April 1944 . In August , the 57th / 60th returned to Australia for a brief period of rest on the Atherton Tablelands before the 15th Brigade was returned to the 3rd Division , and in November 1944 it was dispatched to Bougainville , where it took part in the southern advance towards Buin , including the Battle of the Hongorai River . After the war , the 57th / 60th Battalion was disbanded on 30 March 1946 . Alliances . The 57th Battalion held the following alliances :