11th Australian Base Workshop

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Brief History

In May 1942 the New Guinea Line of Communication Area Ordnance Workshop was raised in Port Moresby from a draft of newly arrived workshop reinforcements, increasing in number with further drafts that arrived in late 1942. It was renamed New Guinea Line of Communication Area Workshop in December when taken over by AEME. In April 1943 they were at '17 Mile' before being re-organised in June as the 11th Advanced Workshop. Following the capture of Lae, it (Lae) became the focus for further advances, and Port Moresby was downgraded. By July 1944 this unit had been reduced to 188 personnel with some men being sent to other units in New Guinea before the unit moved back to Queensland in September 1943.

Following leave, the unit re-assembled at Rocklea in Queensland where it expanded to 912 personnel and became 11th Australian Base Workshop, with a detachment at Mt Gravatt. It comprised a HQ unit plus three companies. The Armoury and General Company had sections for armoury, workshop machinery, armaments, wireless and signals equipment, radar, medical and dental equipment as well as a foundry and woodworking facilities. The Vehicle Workshop Company had four vehicle workshop sections, two vehicle reconditioning sections, a vehicle recovery section and a tyre repair section. The Engine Equipment Workshop Company had two engineer equipment sections to work on heavy earthmoving machinery.

The unit continued to operate at Rocklea until the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Roy Kershaw 7 Jul 1945 - 1 Feb 1946

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.604 & 5.605 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018