«BackHISTORY OF THE 9th BATTALION
To read the whole story about 9 RQR's long and distinguished military history in a separtae document click on the link below.
9th Battalion History 
SPRING HILL AND FORTITUDE VALLEY VOLUNTEER RIFLE CORPS
In March 1867 the "Spring Hill and Fortitude Valley Volunteer Rifle Corps" commonly referred to as the "Frogs Hollow Rangers" was formed under the command of Charles Lilley (later to be Queensland's fourth Premier). They too were unpaid but as an inducement for service, legislation was passed in 1868 approving land grants specifying that for a period of five years satisfactory service, ten acres (suburban) or fifty acres (country) could be made. This practice was continued for eight years and a total of 439 grants were made.
THE FIRST REGIMENT OF QUEENSLAND INFANTRY (1st QUEENSLANDERS)
The building up of both French and Russian Naval vessels in Pacific waters forced a review of the defences and by 1876 the Queensland Defence Force Infantry consisted of The First Regiment of four companies based in Brisbane, (generally known as "The First Queenslanders") The Second Regiment had troops in Ipswich, Toowoomba, Warwick, Maryborough and Rockhampton along with Artillery and Engineers. In time this expanded to the 3rd and 4th Regiment although they did not develop to the extent of the 1st Regiment due mainly to the population base in the south east of the state. In time the unit expanded to eight companies and briefly a second battalion was raised.
On the 29th of March 1886, Lady Musgrave presented the Colours of the First Regiment of Queensland Infantry (Moreton Regiment). The motto "PRO ARIS ET FOCIS" was adopted by the unit, (For God and our Homes).
In 1891, the unit along with others was called upon to provide support to assist the police in enforcing civil law in the shearers strike leaving Brisbane on the 26 March and remaining in the Barcaldine area until June.
GALLIPOLI
At 4.28 am on the 25th April 1915, the Battalion as part of the 3rd Brigade landed as vanguard of the covering force. The unit has the distinction of having the first man ashore, Lt. Duncan Chapman, an officer from Maryborough. The peninsula was held until 16 Nov 1915 with the unit losing 236 killed in action and 390 wounded. Upon the evacuation from Gallipoli the unit formed part of the defence of Egypt. While there, the battalion split in two, half the unit forming the 49th Battalion.
WORLD WAR TWO
2/9th Battalion AIF
War was declared on 4 September 1939 and the battalion was delinked, mobilised, and placed on a war footing and allocated to the 7th Militia Brigade, 3rd Division AMF (AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES). As with the first war, the AIF, (AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE) was again raised and their Battalions had a "2/" placed in front of their numeral, thus the 2/9th Battalion came into being as a unit of the 18th Brigade, initially of the 6th but later the 7th Australian Division.
The 9th Militia Battalion was used for garrison duty in Australia from 1939 until 1942 when, as part of the 7th Brigade it saw action at the Battle of Milne Bay in New Guinea.
In June 1940, the 18th Brigade arrived in England after having been diverted from the Middle East. They provided a ready reaction force in the event of a German Invasion during the period of the Battle of Britain. While there, like their WWI forebears, the 2/9th provided a Royal Guard for the King, this time, George VI, on a parade on Salisbury Plain.
In November 1940, with all threat of invasion gone, the Brigade (consisting of the 2/9th, 2/10th and the 2/12th Battalions) was reallocated to the 7th Division and moved to the Middle East. 1941 saw the 2/9th Battalions first action at the oasis of Giarabub, where 1250 Italian prisoners were taken and 70 killed in action. The unit then moved via Mersa Matruh to Tobruk where the 18th Brigade was placed under command of the Australian 9th Division, remaining there for the period of the siege against repeated attacks from Rommels Afrika Corps. The fact that they were a 7th Division brigade is the reason why they did not change their colour patch to a "T" shape as the 9th Division did.
In the counter offensive of May 1941, the 2/9th captured and held an enemy post, R8, in the Salient, being the only unit to do so.
Tobruk was held until the British 70th Division at the end of October 1941 relieved the 9th Division. The siege was lifted on 7 December 1941. The 18th Brigade finally caught up with their parent 7th Division in operations against the Vichy French in the mountains of Syria and Lebanon.
With the entry of Japan into the war in December 1941, Australian troops were recalled to defend their homeland. February 1942 saw the 2/9th withdrawing from the Syrian campaign and returning to Australia, prior to their move to New Guinea.
On 25 August 1942, the 2/9th moved to Milne Bay where they fought along side their Militia sister Battalion , inflicting the first land defeat of the Japanese of the war thus far . It was at the Battle of Milne Bay that Cpl John French of the 2/9th was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross on 4 September 1942.
The 2/9th fought in the Buna, Gona , and Sanananda campaigns in December of that year. Heavy fighting occurred at Cape Endaiadere and Sinemi Creek from 18 to 20 December. The Battalion lost 307 killed in action and 704 wounded in what has been called the battles of the northern beaches.
Returning to Australia to refit and reinforce, in early 1944 the 2/9th again moved to New Guinea to fight in the Ramu Valley, Shaggy Ridge campaigns in the Finnisterre Ranges. This was action along razor back ridges and spur lines culminating in the capture of Green Snipers Pimple, resulting in more casualties.
Their final campaigns saw them on the island of Borneo participating in the amphibious landings at Balikpapan and in the Riko river area. They remained there until the Japanese surrender on 14 August 1945.
During the course of the war the 2/9th Battalion had fought in the desert of North Africa, the snows of Syria and Lebanon, and the jungles and swamps of Milne Bay, Buna, Sanananda, Shaggy Ridge and Balikpapan. Their casualties were heavy; Killed in Action/Died of Wounds- 307. Wounded in Action-704.
It is estimated that during the course of the war, 4125 personnel passed through their ranks. To this day the 2/9th Battalion is the only AIF Battalion of World War 2 not to have its official history written. This is a great pity because they like their sister battalions of the 18th Brigade were the most travelled and experienced of all the World War 2 units.
9th Battalion AMF
The Battalion performed garrison duty in Australia from 1939 until 1942 where as part of the 7th Brigade, they moved to the Milne Bay area of New Guinea to counter a perceived threat of a Japanese landing. This proved to be correct. The danger was that if the Japanese had established a base on the eastern tip of New Guinea, it would have been a serious threat to the eastern flank of the fighting along the Kokoda Track being fought during the same period.
From late 1943 to early 1944 the 9th Battalion was in the Donadabu area and later that year moved to Bougainville and was involved in heavy fighting at Artillery Ridge, Little George Hill and Pearl Ridge. Further fighting took place at Mosiegetta, Hongorai River and Puriata River until the Japanese surrender.
Both the 9th and 2/9th Battalions were demobilised at the end of the war.