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User:IronBattalion/Legislation

History of the Australian Army

/The history of the Australian Army is the culmination of the Australian Army's origins and 120-year modern history. The Army has its roots 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.

For more than 80 years after the establishment of the first British colony, the only professional soldiers in Australia were members of British regiments sent to garrison the continent. By the time that the garrisons were withdrawn in 1870, the six separate self-governing colonies in Australia already had their own separate, part-time reserve units, known as militia or "volunteers". Following economic hardships and subsequent industrial action that was broken up by the colonial forces, the Australian colonies became distrustful of permanent professional standing armies. They preferred a large citizen force and militia that was trained by a small professional force as a defence policy, compared to a large professional force that was supplemented by reserve forces, with this attitude lasting for an extensive period until the postwar period following World War II.

The Australian Army has been involved in many international conflicts, including the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, the occupation of Japan, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and Borneo Confrontation, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq./

Origins

/In January 1788, following the arrival First Fleet, the accompanying New South Wales Marine Corps came ashore to become the first modern military force on the Australian continent. The Corps was tasked with the stated purpose to protect the colonists and provide order to the Colony of New South Wales through policing and guarding the transported convicts; they officially relieved from duty on 18 December 1791. In 1790, the regiment was reinforced by the New South Wales Corps (NSW Corps), more infamously known as the Rum Corps.^[1] The regiment was assisted by local 'loyal associations' – free settler militias formed in 1801 in response to fears of a convict uprising. Furthermore, the Governor's Body Guard of Light Horse was established in 1803 by the Governor of New South Wales from citizens of the colony. A company of the NSW Corps accompanied colonists to Van Dieman's Land. After a continued series of disobedient behaviour by the Rum Corps, including the infamous 'Rum Rebellion', the regiment was replaced by the 73rd (Perthshire) Regiment of Foot in 1810;^[1] this would also coincide with the disbandment of the militias. /

Multiple regiments would serve in Australia between 1810 and 1870.

/Amidst the colonisation of Australia, parts of the colonial forces participated in the Australian frontier wars, which were a period of conflicts and massacres against the population of Indigenous Australians. One of the most brutal episodes in this period of Australian history was in 1828, when the Governor of Van Diemen's Land declared martial law and initiated a conflict called the Black War that lasted until 1832.^[2]/

In 1829, a detachment of the 63rd Regiment of Foot helped to establish the Swan River Colony, later the Colony of Western Australia, with multiple locally serving British regiments sending reinforcements to the fledgling colony. Shortly after Swan River's creation, it was mandated that all settlers were required to serve with the, locally raised, Swan River Volunteers.

In 1836, a handful of Royal Marines accompanied the Governor of South Australia when the Colony of South Australia was created. Only in 1840, was the Royal South Australian Volunteer Militia raised to protect the colony; it was the first locally raised unit of the colonies of Australia. Following the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854, between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Russian Empire, multiple local volunteer units were raised out of fear of a Russian invasion; however, after the cessation of hostilities, interest quickly faded in maintaining these units. Again that same year, South Australia would raise the precursor to the Adelaide Regiment of Volunteer Rifles, and, in December, the colony of Victoria, with the 12th and 40th regiments' help, put down the Eureka stockade.

During the New Zealand Wars, British troops stationed in Australia, in addition to volunteers from the continent, were sent to the Colony of New Zealand to put down Maori resistance over land sales. Due to the regiments being sent elsewhere, serious questions were raised about the need for the Australian colonies to bear the costs and provide for their own defence.

In 1860, following the Separation of Queensland the previous year, the Colony of Queensland established the Queensland Volunteer Force. In 1860, New South Wales raised the Volunteer Sydney Rifle Corps and supporting units, with a later reorganisation in 1868 changed the force to a regimental and battalion structure; with the infantry component named as the 1st Regiment, New South Wales Volunteer Rifles. The Adelaide Regiment of Volunteer Rifles was formed on 16 April 1860.

Following the Cardwell Reforms of the British Army, all British regiments withdrew in 1870, whereby the Australian colonies were required to defend themselves without British intervention.

West Australia Mounted Volunteers

1st Battalion, Western Australian Volunteers

In 1878, the Tasmanian Volunteer Force was formed

notably

Sudan War

On 11 October 1899, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State declared war on the United Kingdom following tensions between the two factions and it signaled the start of the Second Boer War. All Australian colonies offered contingents to fight in the war due to their status under the British Empire, with a majority of these units comprising cavalry.

Boxer Rebellion

Formation

In March 1903, the Commonwealth Military Forces was formed under the Defence Act 1903 with the amalgamation of the colonial units under federal control.

Universal Service Scheme

Early conflicts

First World War

On 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia, for refusing an ultimatum issued after the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated; the Russian Empire denounced this, and began mobilisation. Following this, on 31 July, the German Empire issued ultimatums to France and Russia to stop mobilisation efforts, which was ignored. On 1 August, Germany declared general mobilisation and declared war on Russia, with troops sent to occupy the neutral Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and demanded passage through the Kingdom of Belgium. On 4 August, Britain declared war on the Central Powers, after Germany violated Belgium neutrality by invading the country.

When informed of British intentions to declare war, Australian Prime Minister Joseph Cook subsequently pronounced that "When the Empire is at war, so is Australia at War", and later offered a expeditionary force of 20,000 men to the British government's complete disposal; this offer was formally accepted on 6 August. Cook's sentiment was also expressed by the leader of the Australian Labor Party, and soon to be Prime Minister, Andrew Fischer, who espoused that Australia would "defend [Britain] to the last man and the last shilling". Recruitment for this expeditionary force would begin on 10 August, with it being designated as the First Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 15 August. Upon formation, the force consisted of the 1st Division and the 1st Light Horse Brigade. Though, within months the recruitment had grown to over double the original promised amount.

Australian Naval & Military Expeditionary Force (AN&MEF) was formed in response to a British request to invade German colonial possessions in the Pacific, with one battalion (1000 men) and 500 naval reservists acting as infantry attached to the force. They departed from Sydney on 15 August, and reached Rabaul by 11 September whereby they landed a detachment to destroy a wireless station at Bita Paka

Gallipoli campaign.

William Birdwood

Western Front

John Monash

Battle of Épehy

Battle of St Quentin Canal

Middle East

Battle of Beersheba

Harry Chauvel

Interwar period

Brudenell White

Second World War

On 1 September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded the Second Polish Republic on grounds of false flag incidents. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had previously agreed upon a military alliance with Poland and subsequently declared war on Germany.

Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced that it was his "…melancholy duty to inform you officially that in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia is also at war…".

Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF)

Battle of the Litani River

Battle of Beirut