Description
Description: 46th Battalion (The Brighton Rifles) – Oxidised Single Collar Badge- 1930 to 1942.
Maker’s Name: N/A
Condition: Very Good
Comments: 46th Battalion (The Brighton Rifles) – Oxidised Single Collar Badge- 1930 to 1942. Complete with two lugs.
After the First World War the defence of the Australian mainland lay with the part-time soldiers of the Citizens Military Force (CMF), also known as the Militia. The Militia was organized to maintain the structure of the First AIF and kept the same numerical designations. The Militia units were distributed in the same areas the original AIF units were raised. Thus Melbourne’s 29th Infantry Battalion was the East Melbourne Regiment , while the 46th Infantry Battalion was the Brighton Rifles. Both battalions were raised in 1921. In 1930 the 29th was linked with the 22nd Infantry Battalion, forming the 29th/22nd. Although it was separated several years later, the 29th and 22nd maintained a close history, as both battalions and the 46th were part of the 4th Brigade and served together during the Second World War.
When the war started in September 1939, the 29th and the 46th held numerous training camps. However, with Japan’s entry into the conflict and a run of victories in South East Asia and the Pacific, the battalions training intensified and in March 1942 the 4th Brigade was sent to Queensland. In August the 29th merged with the 46th, thus forming the 29th/46th Infantry Battalion. The 4th Brigade, composed of the 29th/46th, 22nd, and 37th, spent just under a year in Queensland, first at Warwick and then Caloundra, Mount Gravatt, and in mid-September in the Maroochydore-Mooloolaba area.
