Battle Honours

The First World War

1914–1918

When the First World War began, thousands of Australians volunteered for the Australian Imperial Force. They served at Gallipoli, on the Western Front and throughout the Middle East in a conflict that would leave an enduring mark on Australia.

Gallipoli

On 25 April 1915, Australian and New Zealand troops landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The campaign continued for eight months under conditions of extraordinary hardship.

Some 8,709 Australians died during the Gallipoli campaign. Although the campaign did not achieve the military result the Allies had sought, the courage, endurance and mateship displayed by those who served became deeply embedded in Australia’s national story.

The Western Front

From 1916, Australian divisions fought on the Western Front in France and Belgium. Fromelles, Pozières, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux, Hamel and Mont St Quentin became names permanently linked to Australian service and sacrifice.

By the end of the First World War, more than 60,000 Australians had lost their lives. For a young nation with a population of fewer than five million people, the loss was profound and touched communities across the country.

The Second World War

1939–1945

Australians served across Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South-East Asia and the Pacific during the Second World War.

Australian sailors, soldiers and aviators fought in campaigns including Greece and Crete, Tobruk and El Alamein, Malaya and Singapore, Milne Bay, Kokoda and the wider campaigns in New Guinea and the Pacific.

Tobruk

In 1941, Australian troops formed a major part of the Allied garrison defending the Libyan port of Tobruk. The defenders endured months of siege, artillery fire and repeated attacks. The Australians who served there became famously known as the Rats of Tobruk.

Kokoda

In 1942, Australian and Papuan forces fought to stop the Japanese advance across the Owen Stanley Range towards Port Moresby. The Kokoda campaign was fought through mountains, jungle, mud, disease and exhaustion and became one of the defining Australian campaigns of the Pacific War.

More than 600 Australians were killed during the Kokoda campaign and more than a thousand were wounded. The courage and extraordinary support of Papuan soldiers and carriers were also critical to the campaign.

Courage
Endurance
Mateship
Sacrifice

Korea

1950–1953

Australia joined the United Nations effort in Korea following the outbreak of war in 1950. Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force personnel served throughout the conflict.

More than 17,000 Australians served during the Korean War. Of those, 340 were killed and more than 1,200 were wounded.

Kapyong

In April 1951, soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment helped hold the Kapyong Valley during a major Chinese offensive. Despite heavy pressure, the Australians maintained their position and helped stop a breakthrough towards Seoul.

Kapyong remains one of the most significant battle honours carried by the Royal Australian Regiment.

Malaya and Indonesian Confrontation

1948–1960  •  1963–1966

Australian forces served in South-East Asia during the Malayan Emergency and later during Indonesian Confrontation. Army, Navy and Air Force personnel supported Commonwealth and Malaysian forces through jungle operations, maritime patrols, aviation and regional security duties.

Much of this service occurred far from public attention, but it remains an important chapter in Australia’s post-war military history and its long-standing relationship with the nations of South-East Asia.

Vietnam

1962–1972

Australian military personnel served in Vietnam in combat, training, aviation, naval, medical and support roles. More than 60,000 Australians served during the war.

Long Tan

On 18 August 1966, D Company, 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment fought a major action in a rubber plantation near Long Tan in Phuoc Tuy Province.

Heavily outnumbered and fighting through torrential rain, the Australians held their position with the support of artillery and the later arrival of a relief force. Eighteen Australians were killed and 24 wounded.

The courage demonstrated at Long Tan has made the battle one of the best-known actions of Australia’s involvement in Vietnam.

Coral and Balmoral

Between May and June 1968, Australian forces fought a series of major engagements around Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral north-east of Saigon.

The battles involved some of the largest and most sustained combat experienced by Australian forces during the Vietnam War. The names Coral and Balmoral remain powerful reminders of the courage and sacrifice of those who fought there.

The Modern Australian Defence Force

From 1976

The Australian Defence Force was formed in 1976, bringing the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force together under a unified defence organisation.

In the decades since, Australian personnel have continued to serve in combat operations, peacekeeping missions, regional security operations, humanitarian emergencies and disaster response.

The Gulf War

1990–1991

Australia deployed naval forces to the Middle East as part of the international response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Australian ships conducted interception, escort, surveillance and support operations in the Persian Gulf.

Somalia

1992–1993

Australian forces deployed to Somalia during the humanitarian crisis of the early 1990s. Under Operation Solace, Australian soldiers helped establish security around Baidoa so humanitarian assistance could reach communities affected by conflict and famine.

East Timor and Timor-Leste

From 1999

In 1999, Australia led the International Force East Timor — INTERFET — following violence surrounding East Timor’s vote for independence.

Thousands of Australian personnel served as part of international efforts to restore security and support the people of East Timor. Australian forces later returned during periods of instability and continued supporting the developing nation of Timor-Leste.

Afghanistan

2001–2021

Australian forces served in Afghanistan in special operations, reconstruction, mentoring and training, aviation, force protection, logistics and coalition support roles.

Forty-one Australian Defence Force personnel died during operations in Afghanistan. Many more returned home carrying physical and psychological injuries from their service.

We remember those who served, those who were wounded and those who never returned.

Iraq and the Fight Against Islamic State

2003 onwards

Australian forces participated in coalition operations in Iraq from 2003 and later returned to the Middle East as part of the international campaign against Islamic State.

Operation Okra

Through Operation Okra, Australian personnel contributed air power, training, command, intelligence and support capabilities to coalition operations in Iraq and Syria.

Peacekeeping

Since 1947

Australian peacekeepers have served around the world since 1947. Soldiers, sailors, aviators, police and civilians have worked in places affected by war and instability to observe ceasefires, protect communities, support elections, deliver humanitarian assistance and help rebuild nations.

Australians have contributed to missions in locations including Indonesia, Kashmir, Cyprus, Cambodia, Rwanda, the Middle East, Bougainville, Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Sudan and South Sudan.

Peacekeeping is different from conventional warfare, but it can demand the same qualities of courage, discipline, restraint, professionalism and commitment to others.

Humanitarian Service

Australian Defence Force personnel also respond when communities face natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

Across Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific, ADF personnel have provided evacuation, engineering, medical, aviation, maritime, transport and logistical support following cyclones, floods, bushfires, earthquakes, tsunamis and other disasters.

Whether carrying a rifle, flying an aircraft, sailing a ship, rebuilding a road, delivering medical assistance or helping a community recover — service remains service.

More Than Names on a Wall

Gallipoli. Pozières. Villers-Bretonneux. Tobruk. Kokoda. Kapyong. Long Tan. Coral. Balmoral.

To some, they are names from history.

To veterans and their families, they represent people.

They represent young Australians who left their homes and families, people who relied upon their mates in circumstances few of us will ever experience, and generations who accepted the responsibility of service.

Some came home to parades. Others returned quietly. Some carried injuries that could be seen, while others carried wounds that were not.

And some never came home. That is why we remember.

Their Legacy Continues

Every generation of Australian servicemen and women inherits a legacy created by those who served before them.

That legacy is not defined only by battles won or medals awarded. It is found in courage when circumstances are difficult, endurance when the road is long, mateship when someone needs support and sacrifice when duty demands more than words.

For veterans, remembrance is personal. It is the names we recognise, the stories we tell, the mates we still think about and the empty places left by those who are gone.