5th Anti-Aircraft Battery (M)

5th Anti-Aircraft Battery (M)

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Brief History

Raised in Perth as a Militia unit in March 1940, it commenced full time duty in March 1941 as the 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery with positions at Skinner street, Buckland Hill (429 Gun Station) and Scotsman Hill to cover Fremantle Port. In February 1942 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery was split to form 29th Anti-Aircraft Battery, with new sites established at East Fremantle Oval and North Fremantle.

With 29th AA Battery establishing a HQ element it moved to South beach and controlled the Skinner street and Scotsman Hill sites. 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery now controlled 417 HAA Gun Station on Rottnest, 419 HAA Gun Station at Buckland Hill, 421 HAA Gun Station at East Freemantle and 422 HAA Gun Station at Buckland Hill.

In January 1943 5th Anti-Aircraft Battery left for Darwin to defend the Hughes and Strauss Airfields using 421 and 422 Gun Stations. Concentrating at Hughes it was then restructured as the 135th Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery with A and B Troops. In May 1944 they moved to Long Airfield, but in July returned to Hughes. With the decrease in need to defend against Japanese aircraft, in November 1944 the 135th HAA battery left for Wallgrove in New South Wales where personnel were released for other tasks and the unit was disbanded in May 1945.

Unit Personnel

• Frederick Joseph Powell 11 Sep 1940 - 24 Nov 1941
• Alfred Hansford Fuller 29 Dec 1941 - 21 Aug 1942
• Leon Ernest Aubrey 8 Jan - 17 Sep 1942
• James Sydney Truscott 2 Jan 1943 - 15 Apr 1944
• Albert Chamberlain 15 Aug 1943 - 7 Sep 1944

Notes

This unit evolved to become the 135th Australian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery during 1943. Therefore Truscott and Chamberlain served withit in its later form.