720 men of the Battalion were killed in action and 1,557 were wounded
Faithe JonesThe 50th Battalion was raised in Egypt in March 1916 as part of the “doubling” of the AIF. Veterans of the 10th Battalion comprised half its new recruits with the remainder being fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the make-up of the 10th Battalion, the new recruits came predominantly from South Australia and thus it became the third purely South Australian infantry battalion abroad (despite being commanded by a Queenslander for much of its existence). Three South Australian Aborigines are known to have served in the Battalion.
The Battalion arrived in France in June 1916 and, in 1918, took part in the attack on Villers-Bretonneux. The 50th ceased to exist as a separate entity in March 1919 when it combined with the 51st Battalion.
In total, 720 men of the Battalion were killed in action and 1,557 were wounded.
