Following this the battalion undertook garrison duties in Australia before being deployed to New Guinea where they took part in the Huon Peninsula campaign.

The 35th Battalion was originally raised during the First World War in December 1915[2] as part of efforts to expand the size of the Australian Imperial Force from two infantry divisions to five following the Gallipoli campaign.

Sailing from Sydney on 1 May 1916, they arrived in the United Kingdom in early July and undertook further training before being transferred to France in November 1916 along with the rest of the 3rd Division.

[2] As a result of these losses, the battalion was withdrawn from the front line and placed in reserve for the next five months as they were brought back up to strength.

[2] The German spring offensive in early 1918 saw them gain a considerable amount of ground as the Allies were forced back.

Their final involvement in the war came in September when the battalion was called upon to provide reinforcements for the joint Australian–American operations to breach the German line.

[5] They had been severely depleted and were suffering from acute manpower shortages as a result of the combination of a decrease in the number of volunteers from Australia and the decision to grant home leave to men who had served for over four years.

[7] In 1921, the decision was made to reorganise the Australian Army to perpetuate the numerical designations and battle honours of the AIF units that had fought during the First World War.

[10] In 1929, due to the economic downturn of the Great Depression coupled with the manpower shortage that resulted from the discontinuation of the compulsory training scheme, the decision was made to amalgamate a number of infantry battalions at this time.

[9] During the inter-war years, alliances were approved with the British Northumberland Fusiliers and the Canadian The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment).

[14] During this time the Militia were called up in cohorts for periods of continuous training, however, it was not until early 1942, as the strategic situation in the Pacific deteriorated, that the 35th Battalion was required for full-time service.

Further training was scheduled, however, the following month the 8th Brigade was moved to Western Australia where they were employed on garrison duties along the coast, occupying defensive positions between Bunbury to Geraldton.

During this time a large number of the battalion's personnel were either repatriated to Australia or transferred to other units for subsequent service.