57th Battalion

The 57th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 18 February 1916 as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Half of its recruits were Gallipoli veterans from the 5th Battalion, and the other half, fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 5th, the 57th was predominantly composed of men from the suburbs of Melbourne. The battalion became part of the 15th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division.

Having only arrived in France in late June, the 57th became embroiled in its first major battle on the Western Front on 19 July, without the benefit of an introduction to the trenches in a “quiet” sector. The battle of Fromelles was a disaster. Fortunately for the 57th it was allocated a supporting role and suffered relatively light casualties compared to its sister battalions. This, however, meant that 57th carried the burden of holding the line in ensuing days for the battalion. Despite its grievous losses, the 5th Division continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months.

Early in 1917 the battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, but it was spared having to assault it. It did, however, defend gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt. Later in the year, the AIF’s focus of operations switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium. The 57th’s major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September.

With the collapse of Russia in October 1917, a major German offensive on the Western Front was expected in early 1918. This came in late March and the 5th Division moved to defend the sector around Corbie. During this defence, the 57th Battalion participated in the now legendary counter-attack at Villers-Bretonneux on 25 April. When the Allies launched their own offensive around Amiens on 8 August, the 57th Battalion was amongst the units in action, although its role in the subsequent advance was limited. The battalion entered its last major battle of the war on 29 September 1918. This operation was mounted by the 5th and 3rd Australian Divisions, in co-operation with American forces, to break through the formidable German defences along the St Quentin Canal. The battalion withdrew to rest on 2 October and was still doing so when the war ended. The battalion disbanded in March 1919.

Colour Patch

Colour patch for 57th Battalion

Glossary

15 Brigade ; 1st Australian Imperial Force ; 5 Division ; Battle of Amiens ; Battle of Fromelles ; Battle of Villers Bretonneux ; Expansion and re-organisation of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in Egypt ; German Spring Offensive ; Hindenburg Line ; Polygon Wood ; Second Battle of Bullecourt ; St Quentin Canal ; Third Battle of Ypres

Battle Honours

Casualties

  • 505 killed, 1253 wounded

For more information please see the Roll of Honour, Wounded and Missing, First World War Nominal Roll and Embarkation Roll databases.

Commanding Officers

Decorations

  • 2 DSO, 1 bar
  • 17 MC, 1 bar
  • 12 DCM
  • 63 MM, 2 bars
  • 7 MSM
  • 21 MID
  • 6 foreign awards

For more information please see Honours and Awards database

Collection Items

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References

  • AWM4/23/74/1: February 1916 unit diary
  • R.S. Corfield, Hold hard, cobbers: The story of the 57th and 60th and 57/60th Australian Infantry Battalions 1912-1990, Volume 1 1912-1930, (Glenhuntly: 57/60th Bn (AIF) Association, 1992).