2/14 Australian Infantry Battalion by W.B. Russell

The Second Fourteenth battalion: a History of
an Australian Infantry Battalion in the Second World War
By W. B. Russell

The 2/14 Battalion Association Inc. has reprinted the Battalion History which was initially written in 1948This latest issue is the third reprint.

The Battalion was raised in Victoria in 1940 and formed part of the 21st Brigade in the 7th Division. It saw service in the Middle East including North Africa and Syria. It was the first AIF battalion to relieve the CMF battalions on the Kokoda Track and where one of its members, Private Bruce Kingsbury, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the first won on Australian soil and the first of the South West Pacific Theatre.

It went on to serve with distinction at Gona, the Markham-Ramu including Shaggy Ridge before participating in the sea-borne landing at Balikpapan in Borneo. At the cessation of hostilities, the Battalion finally undertook a peace-keeping role in the Celebes until it returned to Australia and was removed from the Order of Battle on 22 January 1946.

Damour, Jezzine, Isurava, Efogi-Menari, Kokoda Trail, Gona, Shaggy Ridge, Borneo, Balikpapan

The book details the Battalion’s role in these battles and includes other aspects of its operational service. It includes detailed descriptions and maps of the various battles and the bravery of individuals such as Bruce Kingsbury and Charlie McCallum at Isurava, Claude Nye at Brigade Hill and Lindsay Bear at Shaggy Ridge. It also details the tribulations of the Buckler party cut off behind Japanese lines for six weeks after Isurava including the inspirational John Metson and the selfless sacrifice of Tom Fletcher.

The author, Bill Russell, served with the Battalion for the duration of the war and was the Battalion 2ic. He became an eminent Victorian educationalist after the war. On its publication, this book was recognised by the Australian War Memorial as the model upon which all World War Two unit histories should be produced.

Over 3000 Australian soldiers served in the 2/14 battalion including 226 who made the supreme sacrifice during the course of the war.

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