The 8th Division was an infantry division of the Australian Army, formed during World War II as part of the all-volunteer Second Australian Imperial Force. The 8th Division was raised from volunteers for overseas service from July 1940 onwards. Consisting of three infantry brigades, the intention had been to deploy the division to the Middle East to join the other Australian divisions, but as war with Japan loomed in 1941, the division was divided into four separate forces, which were deployed in different parts of the Asia-Pacific region. All of these formations were destroyed as fighting forces by the end of February 1942 during the fighting for Singapore, and in Rabaul, Ambon, and Timor. Most members of the division became prisoners of war, waiting until the war ended in late 1945 to be liberated. One in three died in captivity.
Members of 'C' Company, 2/30th Battalion disembark at Singapore, from Johan Van Oldenbarnevelt (HMT FF), part of Convoy US11B, 15 August 1941.
The 2/19th Battalion marching down Castlereagh Street in central Sydney in September 1940
Gemencheh Bridge in 1945, where troops of the 2/30th Battalion, ambushed the Japanese 5th Division during the Battle of Gemas on 14 January 1942.
The Japanese landings on Singapore Island
A division is a large military unit or formation, usually consisting of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades; in turn, several divisions typically make up a corps.
A Priest 105mm self-propelled gun of British 3rd Infantry Division, 1944
Members of the Australian 6th Division at Tobruk, 22 January 1941
Headquarters of 11th Infantry Division of Bangladesh Army near Bogra
British soldiers from the 1st Armoured Division engage Iraqi Army positions with their 81mm mortar in Iraq, 26 March 2003.