55|53 Battalion | Between the Wars
53rd Battalion
At the re-formation and remodelling of the Home Militia in 1927 the 53rd were given the territorial title of "The West Sydney Regiment" with the motto" Be Prepared" and in 1933 the motto was altered in favour of "USQUE-AD-FINEM" - "All The Way To The End".
55th Battalion –
On return to Australia in 1919 the 55th battalion was disbanded.
In 1927 it was decided that the great traditions of the overseas fighting force should be preserved. The result was that units serving with the 1st AIF would be given an identity that passed on the WWI traditions.
The N.S.W. Irish Rifles (1895-1912) a voluntary militia unit was renamed the 33rd Infantry Regiment in 1912 as a result of a systematic reorganisation of the Army in Australia. In 1927 the 33rd Battalion was renamed the 55th Militia Battalion and was given the territorial title of - New South Wales Irish Rifles. The motto of the Irish Rifles -"Faugh-a-Ballagh" (Clear the Way) was deleted in favour of the 55ths "Animo-et-Fide" (by Courage and Faith).
Source: A History of the 55/53rd Battalion was compiled and published in the 1990’s by Alec Bell who was for over 30 years the president of the Association. Alec included material from Frank Budden’s Book ‘That Mob’
After the First World War the defence of the Australian mainland lay with the part time soldiers of the Citizens Military Force (CMF), also known as the Militia. The Militia was organized to maintain the structure of the First AIF and kept the same numerical designations. The Militia units were distributed in the same areas in which the original AIF units were raised. The Sydney's 53rd Infantry Battalion was the "West Sydney Regiment".
During the 1930s little was spent on defence and the Militia had few volunteers. On 1st August 1937 the 53rd merged with the 55th Infantry Battalion, forming the 55th/53rd Infantry Battalion.
In October 1941 the battalions were separated, to take account of the coming conflict with Japan. This was short lived as following the campaign on the Kokoda Track on 15 October 1942 the two Battalions merged again. (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U60969).