12th australian infantry regiment

[tarabelle]

Hey

So can someone tell me why I can't find out much about this regiment

T

And it's not mine and it might be for sale at some point

[Wmr-RHB]

Maybe because you ask the wrong question?

In my opinion the better question would be: Can you tell me something about this regiment?

As far as I know (but I live at the wrong side of the globe), this is a 1903-1908 badge. The 12th Australian Indantry Regiment was in 1903 created from 2nd Battalion, Tasmanian Infantry Regiment. In 1912 it became 92nd Infantry (Launceton Battalion) with a badge that had 92 instead of XII.

After the Great War it perpetuated the 12th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF as 12th Battalion. In 1927 12th Battalion (Launceton Regiment. The badge then got the XII back.

1936 linked into 12th/50th Battalion, becoming 12th/50th Australian Infantru Battalion (AIF) in 1943

In 1945 unlink and linked into 12th/40th Australian Infantry Battalion (AIF). Disbanded in 1946

Resurrected in 1948, perpetuating 2/12th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF and 2/40th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF.

In 1953 split up: 12th Infantry Battalion (The Launceton Regiment).

The 1960 reorganisation made it "A" Company (The Launceton Regiment), 1st Battailon, Tasmania Regiment (which became Royal Tasmania Regiment the same year).

In 1972 the 1st Battaion was split and one of the new Battalions was 12th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment.
In 1975 reduced to 12th Independent Rifle Company, Royal Tasmania Regiment.

In 1987 the old comrades were merged again in 12t/40th Battalion, Royal Tasmania Regiment.

I hope those from down-under will correct me.

[tarabelle]

LOLZ, yeah thats the right question
and that looks like the right answer too
Thank you
T

[Jackhr]

I don't like the badge ........ sand cast ????

Jack

1899 the first contingent of Tasmanians departed for the Boer War. The first two Victoria Crosses to be awarded to Australian Infantrymen were won by Pte Bisdee and Lt Wylly of the Tasmanian Bushman, in the same action near Warm Bad in 1900. For this campaign and following contingents, the Regiment holds the Honorary Distinctions of South Africa 1899-1902 and 1900-1902. In 1903 the titles of the Battalions were changed; in the South to the Derwent Infantry Regiment (Derwent Regiment), in the North to the 12th Infantry Regiment (Launceston Regiment) and in the North-West to the Tasmanian Rangers.
During WWI the 12th and 40th Battalions were raised as part of the Australian Imperial Force and served with distinction overseas. Their sacrifice earned the two Battalions three Theatre Honours and 25 Battle Honours. After the war the two Battalions were demobilised and reformed as Militia units.

At the outbreak of WWII the 2/12th and 2/40th Battalions were raised and once again deployed for overseas service. During the war the Battalions earned two Theatre Honours, a Campaign Honour and 13 Battle Honours. The 2/12th Battalion was present at the Defence of Tobruk and also at Milne Bay where the first defeat on land was inflicted on the Japanese.

The 2/40th Battalion gave distinguished service but was captured in Timor and suffered tremendous hardship in various prisoner of war camps. Read a personal account of this time at Timor POW.

The militia was maintained during WWII and the direct descendant of the 12th Battalion, the 12th/50th Battalion, served in York Force and the Northern Territory. During this same time the 40th Battalion served in Darwin. On 2 May 1945 the 12th/50th Battalion was amalgamated with the 40th Battalion and became the 12th/40th Battalion. This Battalion formed the bulk of Timor Force that accepted the surrender of the Japanese forces from the commander of the 48th Japanese Division at Koepang on 3 October 1945. It returned to Australia on 19 March 1946 and was disbanded on 29 May 1946.

On 1 July 1948 the 12th/40th Battalion was raised again as part of the Citizen Military Forces. On 30 June 1951 this Battalion was separated and became the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Tasmania Regiment. On the 1 July 1960, The Tasmania Regiment was granted the Royal prefix and became The Royal Tasmania Regiment. In 1960 a reorganisation of the CMF reduced the Battalions to two companies: The Launceston Company and The Derwent Company. In January 1965 both Companies were amalgamated to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Tasmania Regiment, however, in 1972 this Battalion was split and formed the 12th and 40th Battalions. In 1975, as a result of the Miller Report on the CMF, they were reduced to the 12th and 40th Independent Rifle Companies (IRC). These two units continued to operate until 30 November 1987.

[slick_mick]

The badge is a horrible sand cast thing. But I have seen some legit sandcast badges out of Tasmania from that period. The 12th Light Horse had a sand cast badge during that time as well.

Mick

[akiko]

Were they lugs on the back like the one on the left and the right has been repaired?

[tarabelle]

Thanks all

The badge was part of a lot that had some very good badges in it and yes I've asked the owner and the lug has been repaired

T

[badgecollector]

please dont tell me that sand cast badges were legit for this period.
really? just dont believe this badge would have ever been sand cast. makes no sense. they were made in melbourne and the Uk. no reason supply would be a problem
never seen a legit 1903-12 period sand cast badge and as far as i know, there are none in the older and bigger collections around the country.
bc

[badgecollector]

Originally Posted by tarabelle

Thanks all

The badge was part of a lot that had some very good badges in it and yes I've asked the owner and the lug has been repaired

T

what else came with it?

[tarabelle]

Originally Posted by badgecollector

what else came with it?

Uuum were those types of badges not always made I thought they were

T

[badgecollector]

Originally Posted by tarabelle

Uuum were those types of badges not always made I thought they were

T

sorry T
what are you asking?
you mentioned this badge came with some other badges. what were the other badges?
and NO i dont believe any 1903-12 badges were sand cast. all die struck
bc

[tarabelle]

Originally Posted by badgecollector

sorry T
what are you asking?
you mentioned this badge came with some other badges. what were the other badges?
and NO i dont believe any 1903-12 badges were sand cast. all die struck
bc

Oh the badges I don't know but I can ask, I was looking at other posts and I think there was cos it makes sense that things got lost and broken so had to be fixed or made and why would this badge have been made and then had a mug repaired ? I saw posts that talked about army being in other countries and not being able to get supplies and would get what they could where they could so makes sense cos you couldn't be running about with no cap badge or other badges
Also I read that in WWI when they were waiting for badges they would use their buttons on the cap badges
T

[badgecollector]

Originally Posted by tarabelle

Oh the badges I don't know but I can ask, I was looking at other posts and I think there was cos it makes sense that things got lost and broken so had to be fixed or made and why would this badge have been made and then had a mug repaired ? I saw posts that talked about army being in other countries and not being able to get supplies and would get what they could where they could so makes sense cos you couldn't be running about with no cap badge or other badges
Also I read that in WWI when they were waiting for badges they would use their buttons on the cap badges
T

hi T
if the badge got lost or broken it was replaced by another. no need to cast up a replacement which to be honest looks crap.
this badge dates from 1903-12. the australian army wasn't at war or in other countries at this time. this badge pre dates WW1
the AIF in WW1 in the majority wore the rising sun badge. certainly this badge shouldn't have been worn in WW1.
the history of the unit has already been posted.
i am yet to see any evidence that any tasmanian badges from this period were sand cast, even the 12th LHR
i would never have a sand cast badge from this period in my collection, but if you believe some others and your happy with it then go for it.
bc

[tarabelle]

Hey and happy hump day

I actually looked about sand cast and saw a post of yours where you were asking others opinions, you seem very convinced there wasn't any sand cast badges, but did you manage to get any evidence there wasn't any ?

And the badge is what it is.....a sand cast badge
And other contributors in the thread have a view that there were sand cast badges

Have a lovely day

T

[fairlie63]

Hello Tarabelle,

Living in Tasmania and having seen some very nice collections and examples of Launceston Regiment badges I'm afraid I will have to go with badgecollector on this one.

Although the existing militia and volunteer units of the six former Australian colonies were organized into the reserve component of the Australian Army in 1903, it was not until the middle of that decade that many of these badges and other items of Commonwealth design were issued. There was no need for sand cast badges to replace anything, we had a badge making industry for many years turning out quality items even prior to Federation (1901). In 1912 the designations of all the infantry and light horse regiments changed and their badges ceased to be issued at public expense. Many new, and some old, units did not wear badges after this year at all, other than the battalion or regimental number.

Thus this pattern of badge was only issued for a limited number of years in any case and sand cast ones don't feature amongst the collections I have seen.

In 1914 when the Australian Imperial Force was raised, the 12th Battalion was partially recruited in Tasmania (HQ, MG Sec, and four companies). It was the practice for many of those early AIF personnel to wear collar badges of their former Regiments and Corps - quite unofficially, and the war diaries of units in Egypt are full of edicts banning the wearing of these badges, coloured hat bands, and all the other paraphernalia that us undisciplined colonials used to express our individuality.

What might have happened is that some former members of the 12th Australian Infantry Regiment serving in the 12th Battalion had a batch of such badges made up in Egypt. I'm not familiar with construction methods of Middle Eastern cast badges, perhaps somebody can give us a rundown on the copper lug cast into the badge itself.

What I will say in regard to the replaced lug/wire loop, is that it is almost identical to a wire loop/lug/shank that has begun to appear in recent years on cast light horse badges, poor die-struck badges using perhaps Stokes dies with incorrect gauge of metal, etc. Some of those badges have appeared on previous threads.

Regards,
Keith