66th Battalion (Australia)

66th Battalion
Active	April 1917 - September 1917 October 1945 - November 1948
Disbanded	16th September 1917 23th November 1948
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Role	Infantry Peacekeeping
Size	Battalion

The 66th Battalion was an infantry unit of the Australian Army that existed briefly during World War I and later in the aftermath of World War II. Initially raised in 1917 as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Later, the battalion was reformed in 1945 to serve as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF).

History

World War 1

The 66th Battalion was raised in England on the 25th of April 1917 as part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). ^[1] . The unit was assigned to the 17th Brigade in the planned 6th Division. However, on the 16th of September 1917, the 6th Division was disbanded and its soldiers were broken up into reinforcements for other units in the AIF ^[2] .

Post World War II

The 65th Battalion as one of the 3 infantry battalions in the 34th Brigade formed in October 1945 in the aftermath of World War II as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force ^[3] . The Battalion was made up of Volunteers from the 9th Division and was formed at Labuan in British North Borneo before being moved to the base at Morotai. In Janurary 1946 the Battalion arrived in Japan. The battalion was charged with enforcing the directives of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, which involved various tasks such as ceremonial duties, escorting displaced persons, restoring law and order and overseeing the disarmament process ^[4] .

In September 1948 it was announced that the Battalion would be withdrawn from BCOF and would be returning home. An advance party left later that month with the withdrawl being complete by the 7th of December, leaving with the 65th Battalion ^[5] .

On 23 November 1948 the 66th Battalion was renamed to the 2nd Battalion, The Australian Regiment. An application was made for a royal title, which was granted on 10 March 1949. Making it the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ^[6]

See also

• Royal Australian Regiment
• 1917 Conscription Referendum

References

1. "66th Australian Infantry Battalion". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
2. "6th Division". vwma.org.au. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
3. "66th Australian Infantry Battalion (BCOF Japan)". vwma.org.au. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
4. "Mosaic Online". Mosaic Online. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
5. "A Brief History – 2RAR". 2rar-association.net.au. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
6. "Prior to Raising". www.4rarmuseum.com. Retrieved 2 November 2025.