Whose Name We Share

22 Chapter 2: The Inter War Years After the Great War, the battery had disbanded but the 103 rd Battery would make a comeback throughout the interwar years. It would be re-raised on the 31 st March 1921 in Western Australia as a Citizen Militia Force unit. To make up the numbers for a new battery the Militia would post members from the 8 th , 38 th and 39 th Batteries. Despite popular belief, the Battery was not raised in Sydney, NSW in 1919. The Army as a whole during this time called for a reorganisation. The new system would adopt a divisional structure, where individual units would be re-designated and segregated into new areas in 1921. Military Order 95, adopted in 1921, saw that the 103 rd would be raised with the 3 rd Field Brigade. To assist with the raising of the battery in terms of manpower, members from the 8 th , 38 th and 39 th batteries would be drawn in to make up the numbers. Finding a new home in Guildford, Western Australia the Battery was back in full swing. For clarification, this Battery was not resurrected. This chapter explains the exploits of the entirely new CMF sub unit that bore the name 103 Howitzer Battery. Similarly, the post war 3 rd Field Brigade was not the same Brigade that fought in the war. These were CMF units and sub units. This is about those who shared our name. Following the war, many members of the public still felt the swelling prides of nationalism and patriotism. As such, support for the Army was still very strong – despite the horrible “shell shock” most returned members experienced. The duty Australia performed in the Great War was seen as remarkable and for the most part many members of the public took pride in knowing that the Anzacs sacrificed so much for the young country Australia was. In light of the public attitudes towards the military, it made for a very welcoming community that made their towns open and hospitable to the soldiers – and by extension the gunners of the 103 rd Battery