First Edition History of the 15th Battalion in the Great War, 1914 - 1918
The 15th Battalion was raised from late September 1914, with three-quarters of its recruits from Queensland and the remainder from Tasmania. It formed the 4th Brigade alongside the 13th, 14th, and 16th Battalions, under the command of (then) Colonel John Monash, and landed at Gallipoli late on 25 April 1915. It went on to help hold the vital and costly Quinn's Post — a position named for the battalion's own Major Hugh Quinn, killed there leading a counter-charge in May 1915, and described by C.E.W. Bean as among the AIF's finest feats of the campaign. The battalion also took part in the attack on Hill 971 in August 1915 and reinforced the assault on Hill 60, remaining at Anzac until the December evacuation. After returning to Egypt, it was split to help form the new 47th Battalion during the AIF's 1916 expansion, before moving to France in June 1916 for two more years of Western Front trench warfare, fighting on through to the final weeks of the war in late September 1918.
Overall the battalion suffered roughly 1,200 killed and 2,500 wounded, and its members earned a Victoria Cross among other honours. Chataway's book covers this whole story in detail across 327 pages, with maps, illustrations, a roll of honour, honours and awards list, and a full unit nominal roll — a classic example of the veteran-compiled AIF battalion history.
Published: 1948 First Edition
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 327
Illustrations: Black & White
Condition: Used, Very Good
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