The 9th Battalion, Queensland’s first infantry unit raised for the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War, brought together men from various suburbs and regional towns—clerks, shopkeepers, shearers, and farmers who left behind their ordinary lives to answer the call to serve.
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Many of these early recruits had militia experience, including time with the 9/49th Battalion, and adapted quickly to military life. They assembled at Enoggera Army Camp—then known as Bell’s Paddock—where paddocks once used for grazing became grounds for drill and preparation as war loomed overseas.
The base at Enoggera has a longer military legacy, with the surrounding area used for defence purposes as early as 1855. The original camp was laid out across four training paddocks—Bell, Fraser’s, Rifle, and Thompson’s—and included several rifle ranges used by both militia units and civilian shooting clubs.
During the First World War, drill exercises echoed across its dusty fields, alongside other paddocks like Fraser’s, Rifle, and Thompson’s. The nearby Exhibition Showgrounds also buzzed with preparation. Ipswich lads, city workers, and country bushmen trained side by side.
Months later, their preliminary training was complete. The battalion was ready. Communities gathered to farewell the volunteers—fathers, brothers, sons—as they boarded trains and trams to Pinkenba Wharf. The scent of saltwater mingled with nervous excitement as families waved goodbye, not knowing if they would see their families again.
Australian troops bound for the Middle East and Europe travelled by ship. While some vessels sailed in convoys, others departed alone without naval escort. Even within convoys, departure dates were often staggered over several weeks, reflecting the logistical complexity of wartime transport.
Among the ships that carried Queensland’s sons to war was the Palermo, which departed from Pinkenba Wharf in May 1915. Like many troop transports, the Palermo had been hastily converted for war, its lower decks refitted with wooden stalls for horses.
The Men Who Served
Behind the battalion’s collective story are the personal histories of those who wore its uniform. Some names endure:
- Arthur Graham Butler, a physician and medical historian, joined the 9th as its regimental medical officer. He not only treated the wounded but later chronicled the war in one of Australia’s official medical histories.
- Major James Campbell Robertson, a stockbroker by profession, became second-in-command of the 9th Battalion. His leadership helped shape the unit in its earliest days.
- John Patrick “Jock” Tunn, a Scottish migrant who worked as an insurance agent and cabinetmaker in Brisbane, enlisted in 1916. He joined as part of the 23rd reinforcements and later saw action on the Western Front.
These men, like so many others, were drawn from all walks of life—bushmen and city workers, professionals and labourers. Their motivations varied: duty, adventure, mateship, or the belief they were defending the Empire. Whatever the reason, they would be forever marked by war.
In Egypt, they trained under the hot desert sun. Then, on 25 April 1915, the 9th Battalion made history—they were in the first wave ashore at Gallipoli, part of the first Anzac landing. Under gunfire and chaos, Queensland’s sons were among the first Australians to step onto that fateful beach.
The 9th Battalion served throughout the Gallipoli campaign before continuing service on the Western Front. Their journey ended in 1918, as peace was declared. Demobilisation followed, and men returned home to rebuild their lives.
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Today, their legacy is preserved through groups like the Ninth Battalions Association Inc., and places like the Milne Bay Memorial Library in Chermside, where the “First Ashore” display honours their sacrifice.
What began in Bell’s Paddock grew into one of the most defining chapters in Queensland’s military history—a story of everyday men who answered an extraordinary call.
Published 8-April-2025
