The 33rd Battalion was formed in January 1916 at a camp established at the Armidale showground in New South Wales.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The bulk of the battalion’s recruits were drawn from the New England region and thus it was dubbed “New England’s Own”. The Battalion’s first, and only, commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Morshead.
Colonel (then Major) Harold Fletcher White, of Bald Blair, became the commanding officer of D Company of the 33rd.
The 33rd Battalion became part of the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Australian Division. It left Sydney, bound for the United Kingdom on 4 May 1916 on the troopship HMAT Marathon.
They arrived in England in early July, and the battalion spent the next four months training at Lark Hill on the Salisbury Plains.
They crossed to France in late November, and moved into the trenches of the Western Front at Armentieres for the first time on 27 November, 1916, just in time for the onset of one of the worst winters ever experienced in northern Europe.
The Battalion had to wait until the emphasis of British and Dominion operations switched to the Ypres (Ieper) Sector of Belgium in mid-1917 to take part in its first major battle: this was the battle of Messines, launched on 7 June, 1917.
The battalion held the ground captured during the battle for several days afterwards and was subjected to intense artillery bombardment. Holding the line at Messines was far worse than taking it.
The battalion’s next major battle, along with other battalions comprising the 3rd Division, was around the Passchendaele area in October, 1917.
This battle was fought in a quagmire, caused by a combination of the British artillery bombardments followed by incessant rain and the water-logged clay soil.
Passchendaele became one of the most notorious killing fields of the Western Front.
The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Divisions captured Broodseinde Ridge (near Passchendaele) on 4 October 1917. It was a vital victory. But, then it began to rain.
Five days later the 2nd Australian Division suffered heavily in a further attack in the mud.
Finally, on 12 October, another attack, involving the 3rd Division assisted by the 4th, was made against the village of Passchendaele atop the main ridge.
In the face of heavy fire, the men fought in the mire while struggling to keep up with their artillery barrages. Ground was taken but it could not be held.
In wretched conditions, with casualties mounting at an appalling rate, the Australians had to fall back. The troops were finally exhausted and could do no more; by 15 November they handed over to the Canadians.
In the drive towards Passchendaele, 35 men were lost for every yard or metre of the 5 miles (or 8 km) advance.
That’s 280,000 men who died in just a few months A full strength Battalion generally numbers 1,000. The 33rd was left with 231 soldiers.
For the next five months the 33rd alternated between periods of rest, training, labouring, and service in the line.
When the German Army launched its last great offensive in the spring of 1918 (March/April), the Battalion was part of the force deployed to defend the approaches to Amiens around Villers-Bretonneux.
It took part in a counter-attack at Hangard Wood on 30 March, 1918 and helped to defeat a major drive on Villers-Bretonneux on 4 April.
Later in 1918, the 33rd also played a role in the Allies’ own offensive. It fought at the battle of Amiens on 8 August (known as “Black Friday”), during the rapid advance that followed, and in the operation that breached the Hindenburg Line at the end of September, thus sealing Germany’s defeat.
The 33rd Battalion disbanded in May 1919.
Battle honours:
1917: Messines, Ypres (Ieper), Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele
1918: Somme (Villers-Bretonneux), Avre, Amiens, Albert, Mont St. Quentin, Hindenburg Line, St. Quentin Canal .