6th Australian Casualty Clearing Station

Oct 1943. Kamkambun, New Guinea. Lae Main Dressing Station.

Brief History

6th Casualty Clearing Station was raised at Enoggera, Queensland in October 1941 and had relocated to Chermside by December when the army was mobilised. They moved to Ipswich to service troops in South Queensland. With the arrival back from the Middle East of the 2nd AIF, the 6th Casualty Clearing Station moved to Haughton Valley (between Charters Towers and Townsville) in May 1942. In March 1943 they left a Light Section at Stanley before the rest of the unit moved to Ravenshoe. The Light Section relocated to Cluden, Townsville in April in order to continue to service the troops around Townsville. At that time the unit was renamed 106th Australian Casualty Clearing Station.

Called on to service the 9th Australian Infantry Division's attack on Lae, they unit moved to Milne Bay, Papua in August 1943 before moving to Oro Bay in September. Here the heavy Section relieved 10th Field Ambulance, while the Light Section moved to Lae to run the Main Dressing Station. By November the whole unit was in Lae. In February 1944 the unit moved to the Heldsbach Plantation to relieve the 2/2nd CCS and to support base units in the Finschhafen area. In late 1944 as part of the relief of all US units in New Guinea, the 106th Australian Casualty Clearing Station moved to Torokina on Bougainville to service the base troops. During May 1945 they absorbed the 24th Hospital Laundry Service and remained at Torokina until the end of the war.

Patients

• Ralph Godfrey 1 - 7 Jan 1943

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 4 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, pages 4.096 & 4.097 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018