16th Australian Infantry Training Battalion

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Brief History

Formed at Helwan in Egypt in September 1940, it drew its staff from units in the 16th Infantry Brigade Group. Once formed it moved to Beit Jirja in Palestine to train the reinforcements arriving from Australia for the units in the brigade. In March 1941 the battalion moved to Kilo 89 in April 1941 and in August the training units moved to Nuseirat before joining the general recall of troops to Australia when Japan entered the war. Arriving in Adelaide in May 1942, they camped at Nairne before moving to Balcombe in Victoria in July, and then to Dubbo in New South Wales in August 1942 where they began training reinforcements for the 16th Infantry Brigade Group. In September the training units were centralised at Cowra they concentrated on more advanced Infantry Training. In January 1944 they moved to Bathurst, continuing training until March 1945 when the brigade moved to Greta where they remained until the end of the war.

Battalion Personnel

• Douglas Victor Wilkinson

Trainees

• Maxwell John Buckingham 6 Jun - 19 Jul 1944
• Keith Butcher 6 Jun - 30 Jul 1944
• Ernest Woolhead 6 Jun - 29 Jul 1944
• Albert Henry Dyson 7 Jun 1944 - 19 Jan 1945
• William James O'Meagher 8 Jun - 10 Sep 1944
• Harold George Bell 23 May 1945 - ??
• Douglas Victor Wilkinson 6 Jun - 21 Oct 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 6 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 6.243 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018