2/2nd Australian Field Park Company

148' (45.1m) Truss Suspension Bridge AWM 055427

Brief History

The 2/2nd Field Park Company was formed during June 1940 at the Northam Camp as an Engineering unit to support the 7th Australian Infantry Division, but transferred toteh 6th Division, leaving soon after for the Middle East. Their first base was Qastina in Palestine before moving to Aniriya in November. In December they moved to Maaten Bagush and from there supported attacks on Bardia and Tobruk. They remained in Tobruk for a short time only before moving to Tecnis from where they repair infastructre. In March 1941 they were withdrawn to Egypt to prepare for a move to Greece.

On 10 Apr 1941 they embarked on SS Pennland for Greece, arriving several days later to find the German invasion well advanced and their role became to demolish key infrastrucure to slow the German advance and to deny them ready use. At the end of the month they were evacuated to Crete where they given an infantry role Kalives as part of Cremor Force. They also supplied large parties of men to work on the docks at Suba Bay until the German invasin forced a withdrawl from the island. However, during the evacuation significant numbers of men were left behind to enter captivity. Those that survived returned to Egypt and moved to Hill 69 Camp in Palestine for retraining and re-equiping. In June 1941 the unit was renamed 2/22nd Australian Field Park Company.

With Australian troops heavily engaged in the Syrian Campaign, this unit moved to Rayak from where they supported first the Briish 6th Division, and then the unit that replaced them, the Australian 6th Division. Recalled to Australia following Japan's entry into the war, they

Unit Personnel

• † Francis James Marchant 10 Jun 1940 - 19 Apr 1941
• Alexander William Turner 10 Oct 1945 - 1 Dec 1945