Welcome

It was February, 1915, and Australia was at War. South Australia's contribution formed the nucleus for the 27th Battalion AIF. Their Valliant adventures in Gallipoli, Egypt and in France stood them in good reputation in the Commonwealth.

After cessation of hostilities a written history was produced in 1921. The volume was composed and produced almost entirely by former members of the Battalion. Now almost 100 years after those fateful events this web site celebrates their contribution to our freedom in the 21st century.

This is their story...

Introduction

The 27th Battalion AIF was a South Australian unit raised in March 1915, within the 7th Brigade, 2nd Division of the Australian Imperial Force. Lt Col Walter Dollman VD (who had formerly served in the forerunner volunteer militia unit the 74th Infantry) was appointed Commanding Officer. Some 8 000 volunteers served in the Battalion during the war; 1169 of all ranks died on active service. The Battalion marched into the newly established Mitcham Camp south of the city of Adelaide, on 16 April 1915.

The 27th Battalion AIF was known as "Unley's Own", as many of the men who first enlisted in World War 1 were from the district. Lt Col Dollman who had served as Mayor of Unley, and it was down Unley Road that the troops marched to be greeted and celebrated at the Town Hall prior to their embarkation for Gallipoli and then the Western Front.

After weeks of intensive training, route marches, farewell parades in front of enthusiastic crowds, and rousing speeches by the Governor of the day and other dignitaries, the Battalion embarked on the HMAT Geelong on 31 May 1915, bound for Egypt where further training was undergone. In September the Battalion landed at Gallipoli where it remained until the evacuation in December. Thereafter the Battalion fought with distinction throughout the Western Front, first entering the battlefield of Somme in April 1916. Along with the 28th Battalion, the 27th were the first Australian troops in the front line on the Somme.

In 1921 the unit history, The Blue and Brown Diamond, was published. It was designed to be a memorial for the men who had served, and for those it had lost. Copies of the book are now yellowing, crumbling and rarely sighted.

With the help of a small Dept of the Army History Grant, we are building a digital repository of resources about the 27th to accompany a digitised copy of the original unit history. This site will house photographs, diaries, extracts from letters, and extracts from newspapers of the day (including reports from the Front, and obituaries).

We recognise that with what seems to be a constant if not increasing interest in men who served in World War 1, it is important to create a repository of information that can be developed and then easily accessed by family historians, teachers and students. We are interested in the personal stories of men of the 27th. We aim to record many of the personal and individual accounts, photographs and memorabilia linked to the 27th, which we know are held in shoeboxes or suitcases in the back shed of many South Australian homes.

We hope that this project will lead to a larger one that might encompass other conflicts, so that the site becomes an on-going memorial and resource for the contribution and involvement of South Australians at war.

We would be interested in hearing about any letters, diaries, photographs and other memorabilia connected with the 27th Battalion, which you may want copied and placed on this site. For further information contact:

Claire Woods claire.woods@unisa.edu.au or
Paul Skrebels paul.skrebels@unisa.edu.au

Navigation

From the main menu tabs above you may move to the various areas of the site:

• e-Book - an electronically enhanced version of Dollman, W and Skinner, H. M. (1921) The Blue and Brown Diamond : a history of the 27th Battalion Australian Imperial Force, 1915-1919. Lonnen and Cope, Adelaide (Note: As of Feb 2011 the first portion of the book up to and including Chapter 4 has been placed online. Other Chapters are to follow in the future).
• People - biographical and personal details of those involved.
• Places - maps and details of significant locations in the story of the 27th.
• Images - a collection of photographs, news articles, diagrams and maps from numerous private and public sources.
• Writings - The writings of the soldiers, their families and material from other sources such as explanatory notes and articles.
• Blog - a diary of entries containing updates, news and other information relevant to this web site and the 27th.
• Contact - for further information and details of those involved in this website project.