15th Battalion (Australia)

15th Battalion
15th Battalion veterans march through Brisbane City on Anzac Day during 1954.
Active	1914–1919 1921–1930 1939–1946
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~800–1,000 all ranks
Part of	4th Brigade, New Zealand and Australian Division (later 4th Australian Division) 7th Brigade 29th Brigade
Nickname(s)	The Oxley Regiment
Motto(s)	Caveant Hostes
Colours	Brown over blue
Engagements	First World War Gallipoli campaign Western Front Second World War New Guinea campaign Bougainville campaign
Commanders
Notable commanders	James Cannan
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 15th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Formed in 1914 as part of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force from Queensland and Tasmanian recruits, the battalion fought during the Gallipoli Campaign and on the Western Front during the First World War. It was disbanded after the war in 1919, but later re-raised as a part-time Citizens Forces unit based in Queensland in 1921, consisting of a mixture of volunteers and conscripts. Economic pressures and limited manpower resulted in the battalion being amalgamated with other battalions a couple of times during the inter-war years. In mid-1939, as rising tensions in Europe led to an expansion of the Australian military, the battalion was re-formed in its own right. During the Second World War the 15th Battalion was mobilised for wartime service and initially undertook defensive duties in Australia before taking part in the fighting against the Japanese in New Guinea and Bougainville in 1943–1945. The battalion was disbanded in 1946 and never re-raised.