The 35th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised in late 1915 for service during the First World War, the battalion saw service on the Western Front in France and Belgium before being disbanded in 1919. In 1921, it was re-raised in the Newcastle region of New South Wales as a unit of the Citizens Force (later known as the "Militia"). It was subsequently amalgamated a number of times during the inter-war years following the Great Depression, firstly with the 33rd Battalion and then the 2nd Battalion, before being re-raised in its own right upon the outbreak of the Second World War. Following this the battalion undertook garrison duties in Australia before being deployed to New Guinea where they took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign. After the end of the war, the 35th Battalion was disbanded in early 1946.
History
First World War
The 35th Battalion was originally raised during the First World War in December 1915 as part of efforts to expand the size of the Australian Imperial Force from two infantry divisions to five following the Gallipoli campaign. Raised in Newcastle, New South Wales, from volunteers drawn mainly from the local area, the battalion adopted the unofficial title of "Newcastle's Own". Upon formation, the battalion was assigned to the 9th Brigade, 3rd Division, and following an initial period of training it proceeded overseas. Sailing from Sydney on 1 May 1916, they arrived in the United Kingdom in early July and undertook further training before being transferred to France in November 1916 along with the rest of the 3rd Division. On 26 November 1916, they took up positions in the trenches along the Western Front for the first time.
A harsh winter followed in which the battalion was engaged in a relatively quiet sector. Subsequently, it was not until June 1917 that they were involved in a major battle. On 7 June 1917, the 35th Battalion took part in the fighting around Messines. During the First Battle of Passchendaele the battalion was committed to the attack on 12 October 1917 and suffered heavy casualties as the attack foundered in the mud of the rain soaked battlefield. Of the 508 men that had been fit at the start, only 90 remained at the end. As a result of these losses, the battalion was withdrawn from the front line and placed in reserve for the next five months as they were brought back up to strength.
The German spring offensive in early 1918 saw them gain a considerable amount of ground as the Allies were forced back. During this time, the 35th Battalion was dispatched to defend the town of Amiens, taking up positions around Villers-Bretonneux. As the German onslaught began to run out of steam, the Australians launched a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on 30 March 1918. On 4 April, the Germans made another attempt at taking Villers-Bretonneux, and the 35th Battalion was heavily engaged in turning this back. Casualties during this time were heavy, consisting of an estimated 70 per cent of the battalion's strength. In early May, the battalion took part in the Second Battle of Morlancourt. On 8 August 1918, the Allies launched their own offensive, the Hundred Days Offensive, and the 35th was again committed to the fighting around Amiens. Following this they were involved in several engagements as Allied forces advanced towards the defences of the Hindenburg Line. Their final involvement in the war came in September when the battalion was called upon to provide reinforcements for the joint Australian–American operations to breach the German line.