The three branches of the Australian Defence Force are each represented by flags, among other emblems and insignia. Within each service, various symbols fly on individual ships, at bases, camps, the Australian Defence Force Academy and colleges. These include flags, standards, guidons and banners and that denote rank, appointment, corps, formations, regiments, training units and sub-units.[1]
The order of precedence for Australia is as follows: the Sovereign's Personal Flag for Australia, the Australian national flag, the flags of other nations in alphabetical order, state flags in order of population size, territory flags, service and other approved flags.[2]
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)
The special personages deserving of compliments and automatically entitled to a personal flag include the monarch, other members of the royal family, the governor-general, state governors, territory administrators, ranking service officers and the minister for defence.[5] The minister and assistant minister for defence are represented by the Australian Defence Force Ensign and use a vertical triband as a carflag featuring panels of dark blue with a modern-style gold anchor, red with crossed swords, and light blue with the wedge-tailed eagle from the RAAF badge.[6]
During the reign of Elizabeth II, Her Majesty's Personal Flag for Australia was approved on 20 September 1962. It replaced the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom for use in Australia during royal tours and on rare occasions overseas, such as the 2003 dedication of the Australian War Memorial in Hyde Park, London.[7]
Personal flag of the Australian Defence Force chief
Flags of the Australian Army
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2018)
The order of precedence for the Australian Army is as follows: the Army banner, standards, guidons, the Sovereign's colours, regimental colours and banners. The order of precedence among the various flags that goes: the Army banner; the Banner of Queen Elizabeth II; the Banner of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother; the Banners of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip; the Banner of Princess Anne; the Banner of Princess Alice and Banners of the Governor-General.[8]
Banners
The first banners issued to Australian units were Union Jacks made of silk in recognition of service during the Boer War. These did not feature a date, cypher or badge as are usually found on banners. Sovereign's banners and those of corps that have the monarch as colonel in chief or captain general are royal blue silk and other banners crimson. In 1956, Lady Gowrie, widow of Australia's tenth governor general, Lord Gowrie VC, offered his baronial banner to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps. It was presented by Governor General Field Marshal Slim during a parade involving squadrons from the 1st Armoured Regiment, 1st/15th Royal New South Wales Lancers and the 8th/13th Victorian Mounted Rifles at Puckapunyal on 15 June 1957. The Military Board decided in 1966 that the officer training unit should have a banner. Governor General Lord Casey gave his approval to its being made the vice-regal banner, presenting it at Scheyville on 8 October 1967. It featured a crimson field with the governor general's insignia and the year 1967 on the obverse. Since then, various elements of the Australian Army have adopted banners, especially following the 1969 publication of Australian Army Military Regulations and Orders (AMR&O) 172, where it was authorised that any corps or unit be entitled to both a Sovereign's banner (including those already having standards, guidons and colours) and training establishments that do not have colours to a governor general's banner. Additionally, any corps not having standards, guidons, or colours may receive a banner from a member of the royal family (other than the monarch) or the governor-general.[9]
On 10 March 2002, there was a parade held at the Australian War Memorial to mark the centenary of the Australian Army. The English red silk Australian Army banner was placed on the Stone of Remembrance before being presented by the governor general, Sir William Deane, and received by the regimental sergeant major of the Army, Pedro Rosemond. It features a gold fringe, gold and crimson cords and tassels and is mounted on a pike with a British royal crest finial. On the obverse, it bears the Coat of arms of Australia and the dates "1901–2001" in gold in the upper hoist. The reverse bears the rising sun badge of the Australian Army along with seven campaign honours on small gold-edged scrolls: South Africa, World War I, World War II, Korea, Malaya-Borneo, South Vietnam, and Peacekeeping.[10] Such presentations continue with the Royal Australian Corps of Transport receiving a banner on 1 June 2013 from Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal as colonel in chief at Amberley.[11]
Corps flags
Flag of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
All members of the Australian Defence Force up to the rank of lieutenant colonel are allocated to corps. These flags reflect the various corps colours and, with the exception of the Royal Australian Engineers and the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, feature the corresponding badge. Not all corps are of sufficient scale and degree of activity to have flags.[12]
The order of precedence for corps is as follows:
The Corps of Staff Cadets;
The Royal Australian Armoured Corps;
The Royal Australian Regiment of Artillery;
The Royal Australian Engineers;
The Royal Australian Corps of Signals;
The Royal Australian Infantry Corps;
The Australian Army Aviation Corps;
The Australian Intelligence Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Chaplains Department;
The Royal Australian Corps of Transport;
The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Dental Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;
The Royal Australian Army Educational Corps;
The Australian Army Public Relations Service;
The Australian Army Catering Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Pay Corps;
The Australian Army Legal Corps;
The Royal Australian Army Corps of Military Police;
Not all regiments and units have adopted flags. State regiments have opted to retain distinguishing colours. The Royal Australian Regiment flag was authorised in 2003 and first paraded on Anzac Day 2004, and there are flags for its nine battalions. There are also various unit and sub-unit flags, including for the 1st Health Support Battalion; 11th Combat Service Support Battalion; 'A' Field Battery, Royal Australian Artillery; 'A' Squadron 10th Light Horse Regiment; Squadron Flag, Royal Australian Corps of Signals and Independent Squadron, Australian Army Aviation Corps.[14]
The order of precedence for Royal Australian Infantry Corps regiments is as follows:
HMCS Protector of the Commonwealth Naval Forces circa 1901.The Australian flag is hoisted as a battle ensign on HMAS Hobart during the invasion of Guadalcanal during World War II.
The pre-federation colonial navies flew British blue ensigns defaced with the relevant local badge. Outside of colonial waters, these ships were commissioned into the Royal Navy and used the British white ensign. In 1901, the colonial navies were integrated into the Commonwealth Naval Forces and consequently flew the Australian flag.[17] Following the formation of the Royal Australian Navy, on 5 October 1911, Naval Order 78/1911 directed all vessels to fly the British White Ensign on the stern and the flag of Australia on the Jackstaff.[18][19][18] The Argus newspaper, edition of 29 July 1911, had furthermore carried a notice that the "navy orders that the Australian flag is to be the saluting flag at all reviews and ceremonial parades on shore", with it also being required that the Union Jack is flown at the saluting point "when representatives of His Majesty the King review the Commonwealth forces."[20] However, the practice of RAN captains flying the Union Jack continued, as was the case at a review of HMASMelbourne at Fremantle in 1913. Following a public demonstration by the Australian Natives Association, the government took action to phase in the 1911 naval regulations.[21] The British White Ensign was finally replaced by a distinctively Australian White Ensign on 1 March 1967.[18] Prior to this time, it was not unknown for RAN captains to fly the Australian flag from the foremast of single-masted ships and the mainmast of two-masted ships as the battle flag when at action stations instead of the Royal Navy white ensign as happened at the battle of the Cocos between HMAS Sydney and the German cruiser SMS Emden.[22]
The Royal Australian Air Force shared the sky blue ensign of their British counterpart from 1922. An Australian variant was adopted in 1948. It featured a titled southern cross to accommodate the downsized roundel previously occupying the fly-half. The RAAF roundel was last modified in 1982 with the creation of an Australian roundel featuring a stylised leaping red kangaroo in place of the concentric red disk.[4]
The order of precedence for the RAAF is as follows: the Queen's colour for the RAAF, unit Queen's colours, Squadron standards, and the Governor-General's banner. The order of precedence among the various Queen's colours is as follows: the Queen's colour for the RAAF; RAAF School of Technical Training; RAAF academy; RAAF College; Central Flying School; School of Air Navigation; No. 3 Aircraft Depot; No. 1 Flying Training School; No. 1 Aircraft Depot; No. 2 Aircraft Depot and No. 503 Wing.[23]
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reviews the 5th Australian Division at Ebblinghem, 29 August 1917. The Australian flag can be seen on the right, and the Union Jack in the background.
In 1908, Australian Army Military Order No 58/08 ordered the blue "Australian Ensign" to replace the Union Jack at all military establishments. From 1911, it served as the saluting flag of the Australian army at all reviews and ceremonial parades (M.O.135), with the Union Jack being reserved for "all occasions when a representative of His Majesty the King reviews the Commonwealth forces" (M.O.391).[25][26][27] By traditional British understanding, the blue ensign was reserved for official government use although the red ensign, formerly the popular favourite with the general public,[28] was nevertheless still to be seen in military circulation until after the 1953 legislation, meaning the 1st and 2nd Australian Imperial Forces served under both the blue and red versions.[29]
Extract from the Australian Army Military Orders manual.
World War I
The Australian flag was associated with an act of war for the first recorded time as it flew above the fort at Queenscliff in Victoria, which opened fire to prevent the German steamer Pfalz from leaving port on 6 August 1914.[30][31][32][33] General Birdwood dispatched an Australian flag now on display at the Australian War Memorial to the 15th Infantry brigade with orders that it be flown over Harbonnières, an honour that the commander of the 59th battalion bestowed on the first man to reach the objective, 22-year-old Private Ernest Forty.[34][35] In 1918, as the 2nd Division entered the Belgian town of Charleroi, the locals turned out to greet them waving Australian flags made out of brown paper bags.[36] The children of Villers-Bretonneux still maintain the tradition of raising the Australian flag in memory of the Australians who died in liberating the area in World War One.[37] The Australian flag was flown above the general headquarters during the Hundred Days Offensive.[38]
World War II
The Australian flag flying after the fall of Lae in World War 2
There were a number of Australian flag raisings in the Pacific and Middle Eastern theatres during the Second World War. It was flown over Kokoda in 1942[39][40] and Lae in 1943 where "The Australian flag was hoisted on the pole of the control tower on Lae airfield and American and Australian troops gave victory cheers as the flag floated in the breeze".[41] There has since been a commemorative plaque laid at Lae with the inscription reading: "Here on 16th September 1943 the Australian National Flag was raised by Commander 25th Aust. Inf. Bde to mark the capture of this important base from the Japanese."[35]
On 24 February 1945, The Mail in Adelaide published a photograph under the heading "OUR FLAG ON THE PHILIPPINES" of an Australian flag with the caption stating that: "The first Australian flag to reach the Philippines was draped in front of Australia House, residence of Australian war correspondents. They look very happy about it."[42]
The Australian flag was raised on Linkgas beach during the invasion of Tarakan.
Some of the best-chronicled flag raisings took place during the invasion of Tarakan in May 1945. In the Australian War Memorial collection is a photograph of a flag-raising ceremony that took place after the landing at Lingkas, Tarakan, in the Netherlands East Indies on 1 May 1945, with the caption stating: "Happy soldiers of the 9th Australian Division raise the Australian flag on a bamboo pole on the first day of Operation Oboe One, the Division's successful attack and landing on Tarakan Island then occupied by Japanese forces."[43]
It was also reported on 8 May 1945 in the Melbourne Argus under the headline "AUSTRALIANS CAPTURE TARAKAN AIRSTRIP: Victorian Battalion in Thick of Fight" that, after using tanks as mobile artillery in a struggle that lasted over five days:
That night the troops who had won the air strip enjoyed their first night's unbroken rest since they landed on the island at dawn on Tuesday. They forgot their weariness, their sweat-sodden clothes, and unshaven faces, in the cheer they gave as they watched the Australian flag and their own battalion emblem being hoisted over the strip.[44]
Lieutenant K. McKitrick raising the Australian flag after victory in the battle of Tarakan in world war 2
At the end of the battle of Tarakan the Perth Sunday Times Lieutenant K. McKitrick appeared on the front page of the 20 May 1945 edition, raising the Australian flag on Sadau Island under the headline "OUR FLAG ON TARAKAN" with the caption reading: "A.I.F. VETERANS of the 9th Division fly an Australian flag on Tarakan Island (Borneo) on which, today's cables say, they have achieved their objectives."[45]
At the 1946 London Victory Parade there were Australian flags strung across the thoroughfare and carried by the Australian Contingent. It is featured along with the flags of allied nations in a portrait commissioned by the Australian War Memorial to mark the occasion.[46][47] There was also a report of the Australian flag being flown over Japan in April 1946 along with other Commonwealth of Nations flags.[48]
Korean and Vietnam Wars
The Australian flag is raised on Hill 323. After the Viet Cong proceeded to erect a battle flag nearby, the battalion HQ received a request for ground clearance from a US warship lying off the shore to enable them to open fire on the enemy position.
The first Australian flag to fly in Pyongyang during the Korean War was hoisted by Lieutenant W.L. Brodie OC of the Australian Visitors and Observers Section over a dwelling that had previously been occupied by the Mongolian Embassy to North Korea.[50]
During the Vietnam War, the headlines "Hill 323 Under Aust. Control" and "Australian flag over base" appeared in a Sydney Morning Herald report dated 23 March 1968 stating that task force troops Lance Corporal David Halliday and Private John Scott had "wedged the Australian flag in a clump of rocks on Hill 323 in the middle of an abandoned Vietcong supply base."[51] In the Australian War Memorial collection is a photograph of Warrant Officer Class One Jim Geedrick, an Indigenous serviceman from Rockhampton who was an adviser with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Regiment of the South Vietnamese Army, raising the Australian flag on Anzac Day 1969, after missing the ceremony held at Da Nang held by the Australian Army Train Team, Vietnam. According to Geedrick, such displays were rare as "every time I put the flag up they shoot holes through it."[52] At the 1965 memorial for Kevin "Dasher" Wheatley, after making his last stand in the Vietnam war that earned him a posthumously awarded Victoria Cross, a South Vietnamese officer would pin a valour medal to the Australian flag covering his casket upon which was placed a wreath.[53][54]
Other flags associated with military forces in Australia
The Union Jack is raised outside a supply depot of the 9th Australian division on Tarakan, 2 May 1945.
There have been other flag designs and individual specimens that have historically been associated with the Australian Defence Force and the former British colonial forces in Australia. There was no distinguishing flag for Australia until the 1901 Federal Flag Design Competition, and the various pre-federation military forces used British and local colonial flags up until the Boer War.[55] In 1802, there was an incident where the third governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King (1758–1808), ordered Lieutenant Charles Robbins, RN, to set out from Sydney in a tiny armed schooner, the Cumberland, with a crew of seventeen in search of a French surveying expedition. The French were finally encountered on 14 December on King Island. As the naturalists were busy collecting insect and plant samples, Robbins landed, and his party marched to the back of the French camp. He then posted three men in front of a tree who, upon the Union Jack being raised, fired three volleys and gave three cheers before it was audibly announced that the island was a possession of His Majesty King George III.[56]
The Australian Army's oldest battle honour dates from Suakin in 1885. It was originally an honorary distinction granted by King Edward VII in 1907 to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian infantry regiments. Their colonial predecessors, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiments of the New South Wales contingent, had essentially constituted the infantry contingent from that colony in the Sudan war. This honour was subsequently passed to the 1st battalion (The East Sydney Regiment), 3rd battalion (The Werriwa Regiment), 17th battalion, and 20th battalion (The Parramatta and Blue Mountains Regiment). This honour is now held by their present-day descendant, the Royal New South Wales Regiment.[57]
British colonial forces and militia
The first surviving reference to military colours in Australia was by Mary Easty, in connection with Major Grose being sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, who wrote that: "the Colour of the N.S.Wails [Corps] was Displaeyed for the first time on this Ground."[58] Only one British unit stationed in the colonies, the 39th (Dorset) regiment, has been identified as receiving colours which were presented by Governor Darling on 16 May 1831. There were eighteen locally raised units to receive colours prior to Federation. It appears the first such ceremony took place on 20 June 1855 at the Sydney Domain, involving a flag or banner rather than colours being presented to the Volunteer Force of New South Wales.[59]
In the collection of the Power House Museum in Sydney, there is what appears to be a banner that features the royal cypher of King George IV, which is embroidered with the words "Royal New South Wales Veteran Corps", which arrived in the colony in 1826.[58]
The Australian War Memorial holds the regimental colour of the Richmond Company of the Victorian Volunteer Rifles Corps that was presented at the Richmond cricket ground on 2 February 1862.[60]
On 30 September 1861, the Buckingham Rifles were presented colours at the Hobart Domain that are now on display at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.[61]
The Bathurst Volunteer Rifles were presented with colours by the Countess of Belmore, wife of Governor the Earl of Belmore, also in attendance at the ceremony held on 3 June 1869, that are now under preservation at the Bathurst Museum.[62]
Boer War
HMQS Mosquito flying the Queensland flag circa 1901.
The Australian colonies all dispatched contingents to fight in the Boer War. The Imperial government acknowledged this service by issuing a number of colours, also known as honourable insignia or King's banners, being Union Jacks made of silk.[63]
The King's banner presented to the New South Wales Lancers is under preservation at the Lancers' Linden House Museum.[63]
There is a photograph of a flag covering the grave of Breaker Morant in Pretoria, South Africa, during the Boer War in 1901 that is believed to have been the predominately red ensign.[64]
1st Australian Imperial Force
There are a number of Union Jacks, Australian ensigns and regimental banners associated with the first world war still under preservation at the Australian War Memorial, Imperial War Museum and in other collections.
According to Corporal Edward Watson, the first Australian flag taken to the western front during the First World War was a red ensign he received from Prime Minister Billy Hughes as a departing gift to the Imperial reserves. It was present at the Battle of Mons where there were reports German forces were held up at a crucial time as a result of the appearance of the Angels of Mons.[65]
The Australian War Memorial holds the Australian flag that was raised along with the Union Jack by the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force at Kawieng, New Ireland, in September 1914.[66]
Also under preservation is the Australian flag carried by General Monash's lance bearer in the 1919 London Victory Parade.[35]
Maitland has noted that "postcards were hugely used during the Great World War and often displayed Australia's National Flag"[27] with the Polygon Wood scene by Alfred Pearse sold to raise money for the Australian Comforts Fund.[67] It was inspired by an event that actually took place during the battle of the Menin Road on 20 September 1017 where message was sent "Consolidating objective. Australian flag flying on Anzac House."[34] Kwan has concluded the scene also contains artistic license in that the flag itself was constructed of paper measuring 7.5cm x 10cm and struck to a can of bully beef that was "blown to pieces by a shell later that day."[34] The event was reenacted at an Australian National Flag Day eve ceremony held in Martin Place, Sydney.[68]
Gallipoli flags
The first flag to be carried ashore by the 1st AIF during the Gallipoli landings was the banner of the 12th Battalion 3rd Brigade, which has been restored and is now on permanent display at the Imperial War Museum in London.[69]
The University of Queensland's Emmanuel College has an Australian flag that was taken to Gallipoli and France by Reverend E.N. Merrington. Following the armistice, it was flown over the Australian General Headquarters.[35]
There is also an apparently bullet-ridden Australian flag on display at the Geraldton RSL club that returned to Australia after being taken to Gallipoli and France.[70]
Once on display at the now-closed Adamstown RSL was a red ensign believed to have been taken by a local soldier to Gallipoli.[71]
There is a small printed cotton red ensign in the Australian War Memorial collection that was taken to Gallipoli by Sergeant Percy Earnest Virgoe, who served in the 4th Light Horse regiment.[72]
There is a Union Jack on display at Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle that was presented to the 13th battalion on behalf of the Ulster Association of New South Wales and flown at Gallipoli.[73]
At St Barnabas' Church of England in Fairfield[which?] is an army-issued Union Jack bearing a full circle of green leaves edged with a yellow thread in the centre on a dark ground. Inside the wreath are the initials G.V.A., with the letters G and A being intertwined in yellow thread. This device is surmounted by a crown also in yellow thread. The accompanying plaque reads: "This flag was recovered from General Birdwood's Headquarters by Cpl. A.H. Thomas, 12th Australian Light Horse, at the evacuation of Gallipoli on the 18th December, 1915 and presented to St Barnabas' Church of England, Fairfield, as a memorial. 29.7.62.".[74]
There was a ceremony Australian War Memorial on 11 April 2000 where Alec Campbell, the last surviving Gallipoli veteran, symbolically presented an Australian flag to a serving member of the Australian Defence Force. It remains under preservation in Canberra and has been raised at Gallipoli every Anzac Day since.[75]
2nd Australian Imperial Force
An extract from a report of the flag raising ceremony at Tarakan airfield during the Second World War.The hero of the battle of Sattelberg Tom Derrick has the honour of raising the Australian red ensign after the action for which he was later awarded the Victoria Cross in 1943.
There are a variety of Australian military flags dating from the Second World War still on permanent display to the public being held by the Australian War Memorial, the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, other institutions and private collections.
The Australian flag flying outside the residence of the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Charles Abbott, during the 19 February 1942 Japanese bombing raid on Darwin became the first to be damaged on home soil and is now on public display at the Australian War Memorial.[77] In 1946 it was displayed alongside the blue ensigns which had flown at Villers-Bretonneux in 1917 and onboard HMAS Sydney during her victory over the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1940 for the peace treaty ceremonies.[38]
The Bega Pioneers Museum holds two red ensigns that were at Gallipoli and the siege of Tobruk. The latter has been signed by over 200 personnel and it is thought that these ceremonies took place aboard a troop ship.[78]
An Australian flag believed to have been used by the 2/23rd battalion and raised at Linkgas beach was discovered during a pause for the national salute appeal after being featured on an Australian Flag Society Facebook promotional logo.[79][80]
POW camp flags
In 1945, at the end of the war, there were multiple reports of Australian flags being made in prisoner-of-war camps. In one such report dated 18 June 1945, the Canberra Times correspondent on Labuan Island stated that after the Australians in the camp were liberated, there were found "a few knapsacks, some old boots, and photographs, also an Australian flag."[81] According to Maitland, there are at least four POW flags associated with Changi prison on Singapore Island still under preservation.[82]
This POW flag appeared on the front page of the Argus newspaper, 15 September 1945 edition.
There was a POW camp flag from Naoetsu that was hand-sewn from pieces of coloured parachutes used to drop supplies to the Australians whilst still detained by the Japanese.[83]
The first Australian flag to fly over Singapore after news of the imminent Japanese surrender was received in August 1945 is held by the Australian War Memorial.[84]
According to an eyewitness statement, also in August 1945, there was an Australian flag that had been concealed by an Australian prisoner "raised over a group of skeletal sick Australians in a Japanese POW camp in Thailand and all wept unashamedly."[85] There is an entry for a POW flag held by the Australian War Memorial from the number 8 camp in Saigon.[86]
There is another photograph of ex-POWs displaying an Australian flag constructed while they were in captivity as published on the front page of the Argus, edition of 15 September 1945.[87]
In the foyer of the Essendon Civic Centre, there is an Australian flag on display that was originally presented to the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion at Puckapunyal by the mayor of Essendon. It was used as a burial flag for members of the battalion after they became prisoners of war in 1942 when the Allied forces capitulated in Java.[88]
Another Australian flag said to have originated in Changi is on display at the Heritage Lodge, being unveiled at a ceremony in 2008 attended by ex-Changi prisoner Henry Cook, who believes the specimen was constructed after his stay of several months in the camp and was quoted as saying "We suffered for that flag."[89]
The Returned and Services League holds the Strawbridge red ensign that is said to have been used as a POW flag at Changi prison.[90][91]
At the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance, there is a Union Jack on display that was used as a POW and burial flag in Changi prison. Donated in 2004 by Ron and Barbara Walker, it was unveiled in the Hall of Commons on 11 February 2005. It flew over the Sultan's palace in Jahore, located in southern Malaya, until 1941 when it was removed by Captain Ken Parsons of the 2/3rd Motor Ambulance Convoy, as the Japanese Imperial Army advanced during World War II. Prisoners at Changi retained the flag after the fall of Singapore, breaking it out for funerals and other ceremonial occasions. During the years 1942-1945, the flag was defaced with over one hundred signatures, of which 91 were Australians, including 33 Victorians, 36 New South Welshmen, 16 Queenslanders and 2 Western Australians. The remainder may be members of the liberating forces and the foreign patients of Australian medical units with one message saying "Xmas 1942. Wishing Capt Parsons speedy release and everything good for the coming year. From the patients."[92]
Related Research Articles
The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who is subordinate to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) who commands the ADF. The CA is also directly responsible to the Minister for Defence, with the Department of Defence administering the ADF and the Army.
Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of Australia's part-time military force. These units were gradually mechanised either before or during World War II, although only a small number undertook operational service during the war. A number of Australian light horse units are still in existence today.
The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial and museum dedicated to all Australians who died during war. The AWM is located in Campbell, a suburb of the Australian capital of Canberra. The grounds include five buildings and a sculpture garden. Most of the museum galleries and commemorative areas are contained in the Memorial Building.
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms.
The following is a list of historical military colours, standards and guidons in different countries that do not exist today.
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible.
The history of the Australian Army is the culmination of the Australian Army's predecessors and its 120-year modern history. The Army has its origins in the British Army and colonial military forces of the Australian colonies that were formed prior to the Federation of Australia. These were gradually united into federal units between 1899 and 1903; thus forming the beginning of the Australian Army. The colonial forces were combined and formed the basis of the new army, when the Commonwealth of Australia was founded on 1 January 1901. The modern history of the Army began with its founding at the start of the 20th century as the colonial armies were officially united as the Commonwealth Military Forces. In 1916 the title 'Australian Military Forces' was adopted and remained its official name until 1980, after which it became known as the Australian Army.
The 9th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment is a Reserve light infantry battalion of the Australian Army, raised and based in the state of Queensland. It is part of the Royal Queensland Regiment and is currently attached to the 11th Brigade of the 2nd Division. 9 RQR can trace its history as far back as 1867 with the establishment Queensland Volunteer Rifle Corps, although it was not until 1911 that it was designated as the "9th Battalion". Over the course of its history, the battalion has served Australia in a number of conflicts including The Boer War, World War I and World War II, while more recently, members of the battalion have been involved in various peacekeeping operations and exercises around the Pacific region.
Enoggera Barracks is an Australian Army base in the northwestern Brisbane suburb of Enoggera in Queensland, Australia. It was officially established in the early 20th century when the area was used for field training, although the area was used by military units as far back as the mid-19th century. Since then it has been developed into a modern military base, which is now home to units of the 7th and 11th Brigades as well as the headquarters of the 1st Division and the 16th Aviation Brigade.
Unit colour patches are a method of identification used by the Australian Army, used to indicate which unit a soldier belongs to.
The 19th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Although the unit's numerical designation was bestowed upon it during World War I, the unit can trace its origins back to 1860 when a Volunteer Rifle corps was raised in South Sydney. During World War I, the 19th Battalion was raised as a unit of the Australian Imperial Force, attached to the 5th Brigade, of the 2nd Division. The unit was formed in 1915 and was first sent to Gallipoli where it fought against the Turks, before being withdrawn from the peninsula and being sent to France in early 1916, where it served in the trenches along the Western Front. Over the next two years the battalion fought in many major battles and won numerous battle honours. In April 1918, it took part in defending against the German Spring Offensive, before the Allies launched their own last-ditch effort as part of the Hundred Days Offensive. The battalion was disbanded in October 1918 due to manpower shortages in the AIF and most of its men were sent to reinforce the other three battalions of the 5th Brigade.
The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army. The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps. The corps was formed by the amalgamation of the various colonial engineer corps of the states and territories of Australia in 1902 and since then has served in various conflicts including World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. The corps has also served on numerous peacekeeping operations and was heavily involved in the Australian contribution to the war in Afghanistan.
The flags of British India were varied, and the British Empire used several different banners during the period of its rule in the Indian subcontinent. Flags with the Star of India emblem in their design are often referred to as the Star of India flag, and were used to represent India itself and high offices in the government of India. The Viceroy's Union Flag banner, featuring the star emblem, was officially considered the "Flag of India," and the Red Ensign bearing the star was also used as an Indian flag, particularly at international events. The Royal Indian Navy also flew a blue jack flag bearing the Star of India. The East India Company, which ruled India prior to 1858, used a flag featuring the Union Jack with red and white stripes.
William Charles Scurry, was an Australian soldier who invented the self-firing "drip rifle" while serving as a private in the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War. He was decorated for his invention and was later commissioned and served as an officer during the fighting on the Western Front, where he commanded a mortar battery before being wounded in action.
The 13th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Originally raised for the 1st Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, it was formed just six weeks after the start of the war. Along with the 14th, 15th and 16th Battalions which were recruited from New South Wales, it formed the 4th Brigade. The battalion saw service initially at Gallipoli before being transferred to France in 1916. For the next two years it fought in the trenches of the Western Front, earning numerous battle honours in the process.
The 57th Infantry Regiment or simply 57th Regiment was a regiment of the Ottoman Army during World War I. In response to the landing at Anzac Cove of Australian and New Zealand forces on 25 April 1915 the 57th Regiment counterattacked, slowed the Allied advance and lost about half of its personnel. Mustafa Kemal later noted that the 57th Regiment was "a famous regiment this, because it was completely wiped out".
The 2/48th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army which served during the Second World War. Raised in Adelaide in South Australia in August 1940, the battalion formed part of the 26th Brigade and was initially assigned to the 7th Division, although it was later transferred to the 9th Division in 1941 when it was deployed to the Middle East. While there, it saw action during the siege of Tobruk and the First and Second Battles of El Alamein before being returned to Australia to take part in the fighting in New Guinea following Japan's entry into the war.
Lieutenant Colonel John Charles Robertson was a senior officer in the Australian Army who served in both the First and Second World Wars.
The President's Colour Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit of India. It is also known as Nishaan, which is an emblem that is worn by all unit officers on the left-hand sleeve of their uniform.
The following is a timeline of the flag of Australia.
↑ M.O.58 (1908) Attention is directed to Statutory Rule 27/08 published in M.O. 58/08. The Australian Ensign will accordingly be flown at all flag stations throughout the Commonwealth. M.O.135 (1911) It is directed that in future, the Australian Flag is to be used as the saluting flag at all reviews and ceremonial parades.
Cayley, Frank (1980). Flag of Stars (2nded.). Adelaide: Rigby.
Goodman, Rupert (1998). Don't change our flag: An exposure of false and misleading arguments. Tingalpa: Boolorong Press.
Kwan, Elizabeth (2006). Flag and Nation: Australians and their National Flags since 1901. Sydney: University of New South Wales. ISBN0-86840-567-1.
Maitland, Gordon (2015). The story of Australia's flags: Our flags, standards, guidons, colours, banners, battle honours and ensigns. Pymble: Playbill Printworks. ISBN9780992515416.
Odgers, George (1989). Navy Australia: An Illustrated History. Frenchs Forest: Child and Associates.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
