The Spirit of the Forty-Second

The Spirit of the Forty-Second
Narrative of the 42nd Battalion, 11the Infantry Brigade, 3rd Division, Australian Imperial Forces, during the Great War 1914-18. 186 pages with illustrations and honour roll. The 42nd Battalion was raised at Enoggera, on the outskirts of Brisbane, in December 1915 and became part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. The battalion became known as the "Australian Black Watch". This association was recognised with a bagpipe band. After training in Australia and Britain, the 42nd deployed to France on 26 November 1916 and in 1917, the operations of the 3rd Division were focussed on the Ypres sector of Belgium. The 42nd participated in major battles at Messines on 7 June, Warneton on 31 July, Broodseinde on 4 October, and Passchendaele on 12 October. On 20 September 1918 the 42nd was ordered to disband to provide reinforcements for other battalions. Its men mutinied winning the Battalion a temporary reprieve. On 2 October the order to disband was once again issued. The men still disobeyed, but pressure from the AIF hierarchy eventually forced compliance.