 The 28th Battalion was subsequently allocated to the 7th Brigade, which besides the 28th and several support units, also consisted of the 25th, 26th and 27th Battalions, which were drawn from the states of Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia, and which completed their training separately before joining each other in Egypt.With an authorised strength of 1,023 men, the battalion's first commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Collett.After completing rudimentary training, the 28th embarked on the transport "Ascanius" on 9 June and sailed from Fremantle to Egypt via the Red Sea.