126th Australian General Transport Company

28 Apr 1944 Port Morseby. Supplies being loaded onto a 126th Tpt Coy truck from SS Montoro. AWM 072738

Brief History

This unit was formed at Somerset Dam in Queensland in April 1943. It comrised a Company HQ, four Transport Platoons, a two section workshop and two Relief Driver Increments. One of hte transpor tplatoons transferred to the 2/104th General Transport Company in July and the remainder moved to Enoggera in July 1943.In November 1943 the unit left for Port Moresby to service loval untis before moving to Lae in May 1944.In July they left a detachment at Lae but the rest moved to Madang in July. In September the company returned to Lae.

In November 1944 the 126th Australian General Transport Company reorganised with two transport platoons, and an amphibious vehicle increment driving DUKWs. In March 1945 it comrised 57th Transport Platoon, 58th Transport Platoon and 126th Workshop Platoon. In June 1945 the HQ element moved to Moem, remaining there until the end of the war. Five members of thsi unit were Mentioned in Despatches. Two members of this unit died from illness while posted to the unit, and one other drowned.

Unit Personnel

• Frederick Thomas Orton Miller 8 Dec 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, pages 5.198 & 5.199 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018