Raised at Claremont, Western Australia, in February 1916, the battalion formed part of the 11th Brigade, which was part of the 3rd Division, which was formed as part of an expansion of the all-volunteer Australian Imperial Force (AIF) that took place at the end of the failed Gallipoli Campaign. Its first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge. After a period of training in Australia, in June 1916 the 44th, with an authorised strength of 1,023 men, embarked on the transport Suevic, and was transported to the United Kingdom where the 3rd Division underwent a further period of training on Salisbury Plain before crossing the English Channel to France in November 1916, where they joined the other four infantry divisions of the AIF. The following month, the battalion entered the front line for the first time. Throughout the winter of 1916-17, the battalion rotated between manning the front line, and conducting training or manual labour in the rear areas.