1st Royal Australian Engineers Training Centre

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Brief History

In August 1942, with the return of troops from the Middle East, 1st Royal Australian Engineers Training Centre was formed at Kapooka to centralise all engineer training, absorbing training units from Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria, and the RAE training staff from Tasmania and South Australia. The centre developed to include 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th RAE Training Battalions, and also served as a home for units either returning from overseas or on completion of their jobs in Australia.

In February 1943 a Water Transport {Small Craft) Training Depot was raised at Clifton Gardens in NSW, and later a Water Transport (Large Craft) Training Depot was raised at Victoria Point in Queensland before they amalgamated to form a separate Water Transport Training Centre in April 1944.

In March 1944 the training centre was re-organised with the 1st and 2nd Battalions comprising four small companies each for training specialist skills while the 3rd and 4th Battalions, at only company size training new recruits. A Transit & Details Depot and a Bridging Wing were also separate units. The centre continued to train sappers until the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Vivienne Dittman 10 Jan 1944 - 18 Apr 1945

Trainees

• Philbert John Charles Morel 24 Sep 1943 - 10 Mar 1944
• John Mangan 7 Apr - 9 Jul 1944

1st Royal Australian Engineers Training Battalion

• Donald Roberts Scott
• Ernest Woolhead 29 Aug - 30 Oct 1944

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.613 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018