4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment

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4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment
Rnswr badge.gif
Badge of the Royal New South Wales Regiment
Active26 September 1987 – present
Country Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Branch Army
TypeLight infantry
SizeOne battalion
Part of 5th Brigade
Garrison/HQ Sutherland, New South Wales
Motto(s)For Home and Country
ColoursWhite and green
MarchQuick, Slow
AnniversariesANZAC Day
Insignia
Unit colour patch 4-3 RNSWR UCP.PNG

4th/3rd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (4/3 RNSWR) is a Reserve light infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 4/3 RNSWR has been deployed on active service on many peacekeeping operations and exercises within Australia and around the world. The Battalion is currently based at Sutherland, New South Wales where it forms part of the 5th Brigade.

Contents

History

Formation

The 1987 reorganisation of the Army Reserve, involving a reduction in the number of infantry battalions across Australia, brought about a linking of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, and a public ceremony on 26 September of that year marked the presence of the new 4/3 RNSWR. [1]

The new battalion, now extending across south-eastern New South Wales, has continued its standard training programmes in pursuit of its operational readiness objectives.

Significant groups of unit members attended the Royal Regiment of Wales Tercentenary celebrations in Cardiff, in 1989, and the 75th Anniversary Commemoration at Gallipoli in 1990, and the unit has had ongoing involvement in Australian and overseas exercise training programmes.

Recent history

Operation Anode is the Australian Defence Force's role in supporting RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands). Soldiers from 4/3 RNSWR has supported RAMSI in multiple brigade led deployments as a peacekeeping force to assist local and international police force's in the re-stabilisation of the Solomon Islands in conjunction with the New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tongan defence forces.

Operation Astute was an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis.

Operation Resolute is commanded by the joint civilian-military Border Protection Command and the ADF contributes Royal Australian Navy ships, Royal Australian Air Force aircraft and patrols from the Australian Army's Regional Force Surveillance Units as required. Soldiers from 4/3 RNSWR have been regularly deployed on OP Resolute.

Battle honours

The 3rd Battalion received the following battle honours: [2]

The 4th Battalion received the following battle honours: [6]

Commanding Officers

DatesName
26 Sep 87 – 31 Jan 89LTCOL F.G. Harvison, RFD
1 Feb 89 – 24 Mar 91LTCOL P.F. Murphy, RFD
25 Mar 91 – 31 Dec 93LTCOL M.F. Peebles, RFD
1 Jan 94 – 31 Dec 96LTCOL M. Vertzonis, RFD
1 Jan 97 – 31 Dec 99LTCOL P. Brereton, RFD, SC
1 Jan 01 – 31 Dec 01LTCOL T. Vail, RFD
01 Jan 02 – 31 Dec 03LTCOL A.M. Bell, RFD
01 Jan 04 – 31 Dec 05LTCOL L.G Lucas
1 Jan 06 – 31 Dec 07LTCOL G.R Weir
1 Jan 08 – 31 Dec 09LTCOL M.J Callan
1 Jan 10 – 31 Dec 12LTCOL M.A. Sasse
1 Jan 13 – 31 Dec 14LTCOL R.J. Miller
1 Jan 15 – 31 Dec 17LTCOL A.P. Bailey
1 Jan 18 – 31 Dec 20LTCOL D. Charlton
1 Jan 21 - presentLTCOL P. Hukins

Current composition

4/3 RNSWR currently consists of: [10]

Notes

  1. The 4th Battalion inherited this battle honour from its predecessor units which contributed to the New South Wales Contingents that were sent to South Africa during the Second Boer War.
  2. Battle honours for the Second World War include both the 4th Battalion and 2/4th Battalion, as the 4th Battalion inherited the 2/4th's battle honours upon being re-raised in 1957. The 4th Battalion earned two battle honours during the war, while the 2/4th earned 14, one of which the 4th also earned.

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The 1st/19th Battalion, The Royal New South Wales Regiment is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. It is one of four battalions of the Royal New South Wales Regiment and is currently a Reserve unit attached to the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division. In its present form 1/19 RNSWR was initially raised in 1967 as 19th Battalion The Royal New South Regiment under the Command of LTCOL Thomas Joseph Crawford MBE ED. In 1971 following the reduction of 1st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (Commando) from Battalion strength to Company strength 19th Battalion was amalgamated with 1st Battalion and designated as 1st/19th Battalion RNSWR.These two units were previously linked between 1930 and 1939, although they can trace their lineage back to 1854 with the formation of a number of Volunteer Rifles units as part of the New South Wales colonial defence force. The battalion's headquarters is located in Romani Barracks, Orange, with four rifle companies spread across Wagga Wagga, Bathurst, Dubbo, and Canberra.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">44th Battalion (Australia)</span> Military unit

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References

  1. Harris, Ted. "Off Orbat Units of the Royal New South Wales Regiment". Digger History. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  2. Festberg 1972, pp. 60–61.
  3. "3rd Battalion". First World War, 19141918 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  4. "3rd Battalion (The Werriwa Regiment)". Second World War, 19391945 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  5. Harris, Ted. "History of the Royal New South Wales Regiment". Digger History. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  6. Festberg 1972, p. 62.
  7. Harris, Ted. "Off Orbat Units of the Royal New South Wales Regiment". Digger History. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  8. "4th Battalion". First World War, 1914–1918 units. Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  9. "2/4th Battalion". Second World War, 1939–1945 units. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  10. "Depot Locations". 4/3 RNSWR website. Australian Army. Retrieved 30 July 2010.