At the time that the British were in need of troops for the North Russian Relief Force (NRRF) men from the Australian Imperial Force were still in Britain waiting for transport home. 150 of these men were convinced to stay behind and were discharged from the Australian Imperial Force. They then re-enlisted in the British Army for one year. This was the only way that they were able to serve since the Prime Minister William Hughes had made it clear that no Australian troops would be involved in the intervention.
The Australian volunteers were put into the 45th Battalion and 201st Machine Gun Battalion under the command of Sadlier-Jackson. Even though they gave up their ties to the Australian Imperial Force, they continued to wear their Australian uniforms and there were two majority Australian companies in the 45th Battalion. The NRRF took all responsibility for the men while they served for a year, but Australia did agree to repatriate all the men after their term of service in Russia.
With World War I over, the concern was no longer about warehouses of supplies or re-opening the Eastern Front. Instead the focus was now giving the Allied forces still in Russia a safe way out of the country, and to try and give the White Army a better position in the fighting so that they might be able to defeat the Bolsheviks on their own. The NRRF was put on the offensive at the rail and river systems of the Dvina. The goal was to push the Red Army back so that the Allies forces could withdraw safely.
In August 1918, Major General Ironside launched an offensive against the 6th Red Army. The offensive which included the NRRF was very successful, defeating the Bolshevik forces and taking numerous prisoners. However, the success many have been because the Bolsheviks were not expecting an attack and had no intention of disrupting the Allied withdrawal. There were several engagements in which the Australian volunteers were involved, including at Troitsa, Obozerskaya, Seltsoe, and Emtsa.
On August 10, 1919, at Seltso one of the largest engagements of the entire Allied intervention occurred which included the Australian companies of the 45th Battalion. Sadlier-Jackson’s brigade ended up fighting a large Bolshevik force through marshy swamps. Both sides were confused and struggled through the battle. Mountain guns were impossible to move through the swamp and Sadlier-Jackson needed an observational balloon for situational awareness. The Allied forces were able to fight their way through with bayonets and re-occupy Seltso. It was at this battle that Australian Corporal Arthur Sullivan won the Victorian Cross for saving several men who were drowning while he was under fire.
Another Victoria Cross was awarded to Sergeant Samuel Pearse who cut through barbed wire while under heavy fire in order to clear a path for others to come through during the assault on Emsta in late August. The victories at Seltso and Emsta were enough to ensure that all of the Allied troops in Russia would be able to safely withdrawal. By October, all Allied troops were out of Russia and the Australian involvement in North Russia ended.