3rd Australian Field Regiment

AWM 078071 - A Short 25-pounder near Danmap, New Guinea, Jan 1945

Brief History

The 8th Battery, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade served during WW1 at Gallipoli and in France utilising 18 pounder guns. With the commencement of WW 2 Western Australia was again tasked with providing a Battery for the 3rd Field Regiment. Formed as the 6th Battery 2/3rd Field regiment, it relocated to NSW to undertake training. Destined for the Middle East, enroute it was diverted to the UK where it remained until it was re-equipped with 25 pounders, and then sent to the Middle East in December 1940. Subsequently it was used in Greece where it was forced to leave its guns behind when hastily evacuated to Crete. In Crete part of the unit acted as Infantry, while others manned captured Italian artillery pieces at Retimo. 129 men from the battery were captured with the German capture of Crete, spending the rest of the war in POW camps (one other had been captured in Greece).

Those who escaped formed the nucleus of a reformed battery in Egypt which returned to Australian in 1942. Following a period of jungle training in Australia it was redeployed to the Aitape-Wewak region of New Guinea.

Unit Personnel

• Arthur John Saw 2 Feb - 16 Jun 1944