No. 1 Reserve Personnel Pool RAAF

10 Jun 1943 Townsville, Qld. Members of No. 1 RPP, RAAF at the Aitkenvale base, working in the vegetable garden. AWM NEA0012

Brief History

The No. 1 Reserve Personnel Pool (1RPP) became a separate unit on 12 Nov 1942, at 'The Weir', near Townsville. During the first month of operation, 1101 personnel were posted in and 1013 posted out. During the month working parties were supplied to the Army, for petrol and bomb loading; to a shipping and stores unit; to an air transport command; and to the contractor of the new camp site. After heavy rain flooded tents during December, the unit moved to a new site at Aitkenvale. During the first few months, time was spent on constructing buildings and establishing the new site. Several courses were run with training in field craft; knowledge and use of rifles, bayonets, sub-machine guns and grenades; and advanced aerodrome defence training.

A total of 666 personnel were moved from the unit by air, and 115 by sea, during May 1943. Destinations of those flown out included Port Moresby, Milne Bay, and Horn Island. Malay language lectures were conducted during August 1944. During September 1944, 2337 personnel arrived at the unit, and 2550 departed on posting to units in North-Eastern Area, Northern Command, North-Western Area, 10 Operational Group and Southern Area. No 1 Reserve Personnel Pool was disbanded on 15 Apr 1946. From the unit's formation in November 1942, 133,606 personnel transited through the unit.

Passing through

• William John Martin (16379) 13 - 25 Oct 1943
• William John (Jack) Hart MID 16 - 18 Sep 1944
• John Chadwick Meachem 17 - 18 Sep 1944
• James Brian McGurk 30 Sep - 7 Dec 1944
• Raymond George Bunney 19 Feb - 8 Apr 1945 & 4 Dec 1945 - ?? Jan 1946
• William Kenneth Watson 21 Feb - 11 Mar 1945
• Lloyd Ryder Hughes 9 - 15 Jul 1945
• Frederick Matthew Howlett 18 Nov 1945 - 13 Jan 1946

Notes

Content has come from Units of the Royal Australian Air Force - A Concise History - Volume 9 Ancillary Units pp 144 & 145 - Australian Government Publishing Service - 1995