34th Battalion (Australia)

34th Battalion
Troops from the 34th Battalion at Picardie, 21 August 1918
Active	1916–1919 1921–1943 1951–1960
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~ 900–1,000 personnel
Part of	9th Brigade, 3rd Division
Nickname(s)	Maitland Own and Illawarra Regiment in 1919 after it was re-raised.
Colours	Purple and green
March	Blaze Away
Engagements	World War I Western Front World War II
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 34th Battalion was an infantry unit of 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF), which was established in World War I for overseas service. Formed in Australia in 1916, the battalion fought on the Western Front before being disbanded in 1919. It was later re-raised as a part-time infantry battalion in the Illawarra region of New South Wales during the inter-war years. During World War II, the 34th was amalgamated with the 20th Battalion and undertook defensive duties in Australia before being disbanded in 1944. Post war, the 34th was re-formed in the early 1950s before being subsumed into the Royal New South Wales Regiment in 1960.