and in conjunction with several other Militia machine gun companies, it was used to form the 6th Machine Gun Battalion. Although there were reductions amongst the home forces as the war progressed, the 17th Battalion remained on the Australian order of battle until 6 April 1944 when it was disbanded, having not seen active service during World War II, as the Australian Army sought to reallocate manpower back to industry or to other units that were engaged in combat operations in the Pacific. In 1948, the battalion was re-raised as part of the Citizens Military Force, and was amalgamated with the 18th Battalion to form the 17th/18th Battalion (The North Shore Regiment). Upon reforming, the battalion was entrusted with the World War II battle honours of the 2/17th Battalion, in which many members of North Sydney Regiment had enlisted. The Australian Army was reorganised along Pentropic lines in 1960, and the battalion became 'B' Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (2 RNSWR). The battalion also formed the nucleus of 2 RNSWR's support company and regimental band. When the Pentropic divisional structure was abandoned in 1965, the battalion was reformed in its own right as the 17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment. This lasted until 1987 when another reorganisation of the Australian Army Reserve led to the unit's amalgamation to form the 2nd/17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment. Battle honours The 17th Battalion received the following battle and theatre honours: Suakin 1885. Boer War: South Africa 1899–1902. World War I: Suvla, Gallipoli 1915–16, Egypt 1915–16, Somme 1916–18, Pozières, Bapaume 1917, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde, Poelcappelle, Passchendaele, Hamel, Amiens, Albert 1918, Mont St Quentin, Hindenburg Line, Beaurevoir, France and Flanders 1916–18. World War II: North Africa 1941–42, Defence of Tobruk, El Adem Road, El Alamein, South-West Pacific 1943–45, Lae–Nadzab, Finschhafen, Scarlet Beach, Defence of Scarlet Beach, Jivenaneng–Kumawa, Liberation of Australian New Guinea, Sio, Borneo, Brunei, Alam el Halfa. Lineage The 17th Battalion's lineage is as follows: 1860–1868 — 1st Regiment New South Wales Rifle Volunteers (St Leonards Volunteer Rifles) 1868–1876 — The Suburban Battalion, New South Wales Volunteer Rifles 1876–1878 — 2nd Regiment Volunteer Rifles 1888–1893 — St Leonards Reserve Rifle Company 1895–1901 — North Sydney Company, 1st Regiment New South Wales Volunteer Infantry 1901–1903 — 1st Infantry Regiment 1903–1908 — 1st Australian Infantry Regiment 1908–1912 — 1st Battalion, 1st Australian Infantry Regiment 1912–1913