25th/49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment

Australian Army infantry battalion

The 25th/49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment (25/49 RQR) is a Reserve light infantry battalion in the Australian Army, based in the state of Queensland. Although it was officially formed in 1997, the unit can trace its lineage back to units that were formed in 1875 as part of the colonial defence force of the state of Queensland. Additionally, in order to preserve the honours and traditions of the Australian Imperial Force, the battalion is the custodian of the battle honours awarded to two battalions that were formed for service during World War I. Following the end of the war, these units were raised again as militia units. During World War II, these battalions were called upon to participate in the fighting in the Pacific. Following the end of the war, these units were disbanded although they were later re raised as part of the Citizen Military Forces, which was the forerunner to the Australian Army Reserve that exists today. In 1960, the Pentropic division was introduced into the Australian Army and many of the old CMF units were disbanded or subsumed into the newly raised state based regiments. As a result, the previously existing 25th Battalion became part of the 1st Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment while the 49th Battalion became a special conditions unit responsible for training national servicemen who were unable to meet their training obligations due to their location. In 1965, however, the Pentropic division was discontinued and it was decided to reintroduce the regional numerical designations of many of the CMF battalions. In 1997, with the cessation of the Ready Reserve scheme the 25th and 49th Battalions were amalgamated to form the 25th/49th Battalion, Royal Queensland Regiment. Up until 2007 the battalion was part of the 7th Brigade, headquartered at Enoggera Barracks in Brisbane; however, on 8 July 2007 the battalion was transferred to the 11th Brigade. It currently contains a mix of Reserve and Regular Army soldiers and has companies based across Southeast Queensland. In 2006, the Battalion provided the nucleus of a composite company of Reserve soldiers that deployed to the Solomon Islands as part of the United Nations Regional Assistance Mission. Individual members of the unit have also deployed to East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the round out and reinforcement program with the Regular Army.

While 25/49 RQR was officially formed in 1997, it can trace its history back as far as 1875. On 20 January 1875 the 8th Company, Queensland Volunteer Rifle Brigade was formed in Toowoomba, Queensland, in order to meet the defence needs of the newly independent state of Queensland. This unit would later become part of the 4th Queensland (Darling Downs) Regiment, although when the colonial defence forces were amalgamated with the Commonwealth Military Forces following federation, the unit was disbanded in 1902. As a result, it was decided that the previously existing units of the Australian Military Forces, also known as the Militia, would not be sent overseas, but that instead new units, consisting entirely of volunteers, would be raised as part of the Australian Imperial Force. Two units were raised at this time, which are a part of the 25/49 RQR's narrative: the 25th Battalion and the 49th Battalion, which were both formed initially with a majority of Queensland based volunteers. It suffered almost four thousand casualties, including 1,026 killed and 2,821 wounded (including gassed). The battalion was broken up in October 1918 to provide reinforcements to the 26th Battalion. The 49th Battalion, AIF, was formed in Egypt in early 1916 as part of an expansion of the AIF that occurred after the Gallipoli Campaign. It formed part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and served on the Western Front. Having arrived in the conflict after the 25th Battalion, the 49th suffered fewer casualties, having 769 killed and 1,419 wounded. It was disbanded in 1919.

Following the end of World War I, the AIF was officially disbanded in 1921 and responsibility for the defence of Australia returned to the Citizen Military Forces (CMF). It was decided that the CMF would be re organised along similar lines to the AIF and that numerical designations and unit identities of the AIF be maintained within the CMF. In 1930, as a result of manpower shortages, the 25th Battalion was briefly amalgamated with the 49th Battalion to become the 25th/49th Battalion but was then delinked in 1934. Prior to World War II the 49th Battalion was amalgamated with the 9th Battalion to form the 9th/49th Battalion and tasked with defending South East Queensland. With the outbreak of World War II the battalion was again delinked.

When World War II broke out in 1939 the fighting was initially confined to Europe and the Middle East. Once again it was decided to raise an all volunteer force for service overseas, this time known as the Second Australian Imperial Force. The militia would again be used to carry out home defence duties. This changed, however, in 1941–42 when the Japanese attacks in Malaya and at Pearl Harbor brought the threat of war much closer to Australia. The decision was made to bring part of the AIF back to Australia; however, in order to defend against a possible Japanese drive through Papua, elements of the Militia were sent to serve as garrison troops. As the situation worsened in 1942 a number of these units found themselves in the front lines. In 1965, the Pentropic structure was abandoned and in an effort to restore some of the local connections of CMF units, the original numerical designations were restored. With the Pentropic reorganisation, the 49th Battalion was re raised as a remote area special conditions unit responsible for training national servicemen who, due to their residence in remote areas, had difficulty meeting their training obligations. In 1966, the battalion was re raised as full battalion again, as part of the Royal Queensland Regiment. In 1991, the 49th Battalion became a Ready Reserve Battalion and following the cessation of the Ready Reserve scheme in 1997 it was once again amalgamated with the 25th Battalion to become the 25th/49th Battalion. Since 1997 members of the battalion have deployed to Malaysia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, The Solomon Islands, Egypt, Bougainville, and Iraq. The battalion forms part of the 11th Brigade, which is force assigned to the 2nd Division, and it is still currently headquartered at Enoggera.