3rd Pioneer Battalion (Australia)
The 3rd Pioneer Battalion was an Australian infantry and light engineer unit raised for service during the First World War as part of the all volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Formed in Victoria in March 1916, the battalion subsequently undertook further training in the United Kingdom before arriving in France in late 1916. It later served on the Western Front in France and Belgium until the end of the war. Assigned to the 3rd Division, the 3rd Pioneer Battalion fought in most of the major battles that the AIF participated in between mid-1916 and the end of the war in November 1918. It was subsequently disbanded in early 1919.
3rd Pioneers on parade at Campbellfield, May 1916
Walter Peeler, the 3rd Pioneers' sole Victoria Cross recipient
The 3rd Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army. Existing during various periods between 1916 and 1991, it is considered the "longest serving Australian Army division". It was first formed during World War I, as an infantry division of the Australian Imperial Force and saw service on the Western Front in France and Belgium. During this time it fought major battles at Messines, Broodseinde Ridge, Passchendaele, Amiens, and the St Quentin Canal.
3rd Division troops around Lena Wood, 8 August 1918
The 108th Howitzer Battery in action around Bray, August 1918
Men from the 61st Battalion patrol along the Mosigetta River on Bougainville in March 1945
Troops from the 3rd Division cross the Hongorai River alongside Matilda tanks from the 2/4th Armoured Regiment in May 1945