Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion
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The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was an
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
of the
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Initially raised as a
company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...
-sized unit in 1941, it was expanded to a full battalion in 1942 and was unique in that almost all of its enlisted men were
Torres Strait Islanders Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...
, making the battalion the only
Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
battalion ever formed by the Australian Army. The battalion was used mainly in the garrison role, defending the islands of the
Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, ˆzen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...
at the northern tip of
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, although in 1943 a detachment was sent to patrol
Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It contained ...
. Following the end of the war, the battalion was disbanded in 1946.


History

The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was initially formed as an independent infantry company of just over 100 men in May 1941, after the Australian government became concerned about the possibility of conflict in the Pacific and sought to free up other units for service elsewhere. Recruitment for the company was impacted by the pearling season, but by December 1941 the company was adequately manned and assumed a mobile reserve role; as enlistments continued to grow throughout early 1942 a labour company was also established, eventually adopting the title of the Torres Strait Employment Company.McKenzie-Smith (2018), p. 2264. In June 1942, following
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
's entry into the war the previous December, the decision was made to expand the unit and an appeal for further volunteers was sent out. The response from the Islanders was considerable, with 830 Torres Strait Islander men joining the ranks throughout the course of the war—almost every man eligible—a total equal to about one fifth of the population of the
Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, ˆzen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...
at the time. In addition, a further 40 Torres Strait Malays and Aboriginals were recruited. By July, the garrison in the Torres Strait was augmented with the arrival of the 14th Garrison Battalion, and the Torres Strait Infantry Company was allocated a reserve role in support of 'B' Company, 14th Garrison Battalion in defence of the Horn Island airfield. The Torres Strait Infantry Company was further expanded by absorbing the employment company, and on 1 March 1943, the unit was officially established as a full
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
Dennis et al (2008), p. 4. under the command of Major John Uther (Jock) Swain, with an authorised strength of 17 officers and 470 men.Ball (1996), p. 34. After receiving full infantry training to the same standard as units of the
2nd AIF The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial strength of one i ...
, the battalion carried out exercises with the 26th Battalion and the 5th Machine Gun Battalion on Prince of Wales Island. It was organised into four rifle companies, designated 'A' to 'D', and spread out across the Torres Strait, including Horn Island, Goode Island, and
Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately ...
, where it formed part of
Torres Strait Force Torres Strait Force was a military command unit of the Australian Army during the Second World War. Reporting directly to the First Army and consisting of infantry, artillery, anti-aircraft, engineers, medical and logistics units, it was respons ...
and served as an integral part of the Islands' defences against Japanese air raids. Later, in May 1943, due to the overwhelming number of recruits, a
pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a person who is among the first at something that is new to a community. A pioneer as a settler is among the first settling at a place that is new to the settler community. A historic example are American pioneers, perso ...
company consisting of 160 men was also formed. This meant that the battalion could be released from labouring and constructing tasks to focus on defence. Between October and December 1943, a detachment from the battalion was sent to
Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea (, ) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. It contained ...
, where they carried out patrol operations in search of Japanese occupation. On 23 December, they were involved in a skirmish with a group of Japanese, during which one member of the battalion was killed and six wounded. In mid-1944, the various elements of the battalion were brought together on Thursday Island as it was determined the outposts were no longer needed. At this time the battalion was reorganised, and formed a transportation company, which also took over responsibility for terminal operations and water transport. Due to the racial policies in place at the time, all officers and senior non-commissioned officers were white Australians, while the Torres Strait Islanders originally only received one third of the pay of white soldiers of equal rank. In response to this and other concerns, 'A', 'B' and 'C' Companies of the battalion briefly went on strike in late December 1943. In February 1944 the Army agreed to increase the soldiers' pay to two-thirds of that of white soldiers. The indigenous soldiers finally received full back pay for their war service in 1986. Despite the discriminatory pay scales the Islanders generally appreciated the Army's culture, as its discipline and hierarchy allowed them to be treated with respect by white soldiers. The unit was unique, being the only Indigenous Australian battalion ever formed by the Australian Army, and although a number of small irregular units were formed to provide surveillance of isolated parts of the northern Australian coast, the majority of Indigenous Australians who enlisted during the war served in integrated units, with the exigencies of wartime emergency resulting in significant changes both to official policy and social attitudes regarding the service of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in the military. The Torres Strait Island Light Infantry Battalion represented a significant contribution to the Australian war effort in terms of population, with the majority of able bodied Torres Strait Islander males of military age serving during the war. The battalion was disbanded in 1946, following the end of hostilities. A total 36 members of the battalion died on active service. 'C' Company of the 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment (51 FNQR) was established in the
Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, ˆzen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...
in 1987 as a
Regional Force Surveillance Unit The Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs) are specialised infantry units of the Australian Army Reserve responsible for patrolling northern Australia. Collectively, the RFSUs form the Regional Force Surveillance Group commanded by a Colonel ...
(RFSU) responsible for sovereignty patrols in the Torres Strait and providing security to the remote parts of Northern Australia. A number of descendants of men who served in the Torres Strait Light Infantry have served within 51 FNQR. The last surviving member of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion, Mebai Warusam, died in July 2023.


Commanding officers

The following officers commanded the battalion during the war: * Major John Uther Swain (1942–1944); * Major Charles Frederick Mayne Godtschalk (1944–1946).


See also

*
Donald Thomson Donald Finlay Fergusson Thomson OBE (26 June 1901 – 12 May 1970) was an Australian anthropologist and ornithologist. he is known for his studies of and friendship with the Pintupi and Yolngu peoples, and for his intervention in the Caledon ...
*
Kapiu Masi Gagai Kapiu Masi Gagai (c. 1894 – 21 August 1946) was a Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander man who worked as a pearler, boatman, mission worker and soldier during World War II. Biography Gagai was born in around 1894 or 1895, on Ma ...
*
Snake Bay Patrol The Snake Bay Patrol was an auxiliary reconnaissance unit made up of Indigenous Australian residents of Melville Island in the Northern Territory that was raised by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. The patrol was formed in 1942 and i ...


Notes


References

* * * * {{cite book , last=McKenzie-Smith , first=Graham , year= 2018, title=The Unit Guide: The Australian Army 1939–1945, Volume 2 , publisher=Big Sky Publishing , location=Warriewood, New South Wales , isbn=978-1-925675-146


External links


75th Anniversary of the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion: Thursday Island 16-17 March 2018
State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
. Infantry battalions of Australia History of Indigenous Australians Australian World War II battalions Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946 Queensland in World War II Indigenous Australians in the military