Hat badge: Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train

A fouled anchor.

The Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (RANBT), originally intended as a horse drawn engineering unit, was raised in Melbourne in February 1915. Three hundred Naval Reservists were selected and began training in horsemanship, engineering and pontoon bridging. The RANBT sailed from Melbourne in June and it was originally intended that the unit would be sent to the Western Front to join members on the Royal Naval Division there. Instead, when the men reached Egypt a decision was made to employ them in support of the Gallipoli campaign and they arrived at Suvla Bay on 7 August.

The main RANBT camp was set up in an area that became known as Kangaroo Beach, and the men were made responsible for a variety of logistics tasks such as building and maintaining wharves and piers, unloading stores, water supply and repairing engineering equipment. These activities took place under enemy artillery fire. Before the unit was evacuated to Egypt in December 1915 it suffered 2 killed and 60 wounded.

In Egypt in 1916 the RANBT operated swinging pontoon bridges in the Suez Canal zone. A detachment built two piers at El Arish in December to assist in the supply of advancing troops. Complaints about the unit's non-combatant duties caused the RANBT to be officially disbanded at the end of March 1917. Its men were given the option of returning to Australia or joining AIF units.

The men of the RANBT were issued with the same khaki uniforms and headdress as members of the AIF. Ratings wore an oxidised anchor badge at the front of their slouch hats, similar, smaller collar badges and oxidised 'RANBT' titles on their shoulder straps. Senior sailors generally retained their navy cap badges while adopting the RANBT anchor collar badges and shoulder titles. Officers mostly wore army officer's khaki service dress with the addition of RAN gold laced blue shoulder straps to show rank. RAN officer's peaked caps and badges were retained but the crown of the cap was covered in khaki fabric. In 1916 all ranks adopted a cloth colour patch, worn at the head of each sleeve, showing a red anchor on a dark blue ground.