During World War I many of its members volunteered for overseas service and saw action at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in France.

During World War II the battalion was employed on garrison duties in Australia, although many of its members volunteered for overseas service and fought in campaigns in North Africa, the Middle East and New Guinea.

[1] The regiment was formed at Albert Park, with a parade ground at Victoria Barracks, and was originally raised as a corps of unpaid volunteers as part of the colonial Victorian Military Forces.

[1] Initially the regiment was only issued with a limited about of equipment and had to parade in plain clothes for almost a year until uniforms could be provided.

[1] Upon the outbreak of World War I the decision was made not to deploy the previously existing militia units to the fighting overseas due to the provisions of the Defence Act 1903 which precluded sending conscripts outside of Australia.

[1] This battalion fought at during the Gallipoli campaign and on the Western Front and many of the men continued to wear the VSR's distinctive Glengarry caps.

[1] In 1948, the 5th Battalion (Victorian Scottish Regiment) was re-raised as part of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF), which was the forerunner to the Australian Army Reserve.

[1] Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel George Warfe, a highly decorated officer that had previously served with a number of commando units during the war, the battalion was headquartered at Hawthorn and had depots at Dandenong, Kew, Armadale and Surrey Hills.