 After a brief stay in Sydney where the battalion ’ s equipment deficiencies were made good and some reinforcements were received from local recruit training depots , they embarked again on 10 January in company with HMAS Canberra , and proceeded through the Bass Strait . As they were under way , the troops were kept occupied with training on the Bren light machine gun and the Thompson sub @-@ machine gun , quantities of which were hastily added to the battalion ’ s equipment scale . They reached Fremantle , Western Australia , on 15 January and overnight , a large number of 2 / 4th men defied orders to stay aboard ship and went ashore to spend time with their families ; when the Aquitania sailed the next day , 94 men were left behind . The situation in Malaya was grave as the Japanese were steadily pushing the British and Commonwealth defenders south down the peninsula and as the gravity of the situation dawned upon the Australian government , a knee @-@ jerk reaction saw the dispatch of 150 partially trained reinforcements from Northam . They arrived just as the Aquitania departed , being ferried out to Rottnest Island where they joined the ship ’ s company late in the afternoon of 16 January . Although the reinforcements made good the men that had been left behind , they were only partially trained and ill @-@ prepared for the fighting that would follow . 
 After a brief stay in Sydney where the battalion ’ s equipment deficiencies <a href='uninflect' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> made good and some reinforcements <a href='uninflect' title='2'><mark>were</mark></a> received from local recruit training depots , they embarked again on 10 January in company with HMAS Canberra , and proceeded through the Bass Strait . As they <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> under way , the troops <a href='uninflect' title='4'><mark>were</mark></a> kept occupied with training on the Bren light machine gun and the Thompson sub @-@ machine gun , quantities of which <a href='uninflect' title='5'><mark>were</mark></a> hastily added to the battalion ’ s equipment scale . They reached Fremantle , Western Australia , on 15 January and overnight , a large number of 2 / 4th men defied orders to stay aboard ship and went ashore to spend time with their families ; when the Aquitania<a href='been_done' title='6'><mark></mark></a> sailed the next day , 94 men <a href='uninflect' title='7'><mark>were</mark></a> left behind . The situation in Malaya was grave as the Japanese <a href='uninflect' title='8'><mark>were</mark></a> steadily pushing the British and Commonwealth defenders south down the peninsula and as the gravity of the situation dawned upon the Australian government , a knee @-@ jerk reaction saw the dispatch of 150 partially trained reinforcements from Northam . They arrived just as the Aquitania departed , being ferried out to Rottnest Island where they joined the ship ’ <a href='null_genetive' title='9'><mark>s</mark></a>company late in the afternoon of 16 January . Although the reinforcements made good the men <a href='null_relcl' title='10'><mark>that</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='11'><mark>had</mark></a> been left behind , they <a href='uninflect' title='12'><mark>were</mark></a> only partially trained and ill @-@ prepared for the fighting <a href='null_relcl' title='13'><mark>that</mark></a>would follow . 
After a brief stay in Sydney where the battalion ’ s equipment deficiencies was made gud and some reinforcements was received from local recruit training depots , they embarked again on 10 January in company with HMAS Canberra , and proceeded through da Bass Strait . As they was under way , the troops was kept occupied with training on the Bren light machine gun and the Thompson sub @-@ machine gun , quantities of which was hastily added to tdabattalion ’ s equipment scale . They reached Fremantle , Western Australia , on 15 January and overnight , a bigass number of 2 / 4th men defied orders to stay aboard ship and went ashore to spend time with their families ; when the Aquitania done sailed thdaext day , 94 men was left behind . Thedatuation in Malaya was grave as the daanese was steadily pushin the Bdaish and Commonwealth defenders south down the peninsula and as the grdaty of the sitdaion dawned upon the Austdaian government , a knee @-@ jerk reaction saw the dispatch of 150 partially trained reinforcements from Northam . They arrived just as the Aquitdaa departed , being ferried out to Rottnest Island where they joined the ship ’  company late in the afternda of 16 January . Although the reinfordaents made good the men done been left behind , they was only partially trained and ill @-@ prepared fir the fighting would follow .