A facsimile reprint of the unit history of the 38th Battalion AIF, 10th Brigade, 3rd Division — a Victorian battalion raised at Bendigo in March 1916. Written by Eric Fairey and originally published by the Bendigo Advertiser in 1920, with a foreword by Prime Minister W.M. Hughes.
The 38th Battalion trained at Bendigo before an outbreak of cerebro-spinal meningitis forced the unit to relocate to Campbellfield. Crossing to France in November 1916 and entering the trenches in December, the battalion served through some of the most demanding operations of the Western Front — Messines in June 1917, then Broodseinde and Passchendaele in October 1917. At Broodseinde the battalion suffered 29% casualties; at Passchendaele, fought in torrential rain and desperate conditions, the casualties reached 62% — the battalion's heaviest losses of the war.
The 38th went on to serve through the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the Hundred Days Offensive, and the advance along the Somme Valley to the St Quentin Canal. The 38th was brigaded in the 10th Brigade alongside the 37th, 39th and 40th Battalions — the 40th being a Tasmanian unit, connecting this brigade history directly to Tasmanian military service.
At approximately 110 pages with black and white illustrations, this is a 1920 first-hand account written while the events were still fresh — Fairey had served in the battalion. This facsimile reprint makes a scarce original accessible.
CONDITION
Used, very good condition.
BOOK DETAILS
- Softcover.
- Approximately 110 pages.
- Black and white illustrations.
- Facsimile reprint of 1920 original.
- Published by the Bendigo Advertiser Pty Ltd and the Cambridge Press.
DELIVERY & IN-STORE PICKUP
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