53rd Battalion (Australia)

53rd Battalion
Members of the Australian 53rd Battalion on 19 July 1916 before the Battle of Fromelles.
Active	1916–1919 1921–1937 1941–1942
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Infantry
Size	~800–1,000[Note 1]
Part of	14th Brigade, 5th Division 30th Brigade
Nickname(s)	West Sydney Regiment
Engagements	World War I Western Front World War II New Guinea campaign
Insignia
Unit colour patch

The 53rd Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Raised in 1916 for service during World War I the battalion served on the Western Front until the end of the war, before being briefly amalgamated with the 55th Battalion and then eventually disbanded in 1919. In 1921, the 53rd Battalion was re-raised and in 1927 adopted the title of the "West Sydney Regiment". In 1937 they were once again amalgamated with the 55th, forming the 55th/53rd Battalion (New South Wales Rifle/West Sydney Regiment).

In October 1941, during World War II, the two battalions were delinked and the 53rd was later deployed to New Guinea, where they took part in the Kokoda Track campaign. Poorly prepared and trained, and lacking up to date equipment, they did not perform well and were amalgamated with the 55th once more in October 1942, with whom they took part in further campaigns in New Guinea and Bougainville, before being disbanded in May 1946.

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