4th Australian Field Ambulance

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Brief History

The 4th Australian Field Ambulance was raised at Bonegilla, Victoria in December 1941 as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Group. In March 1942 they moved to Warwick in Queensland, and then in May to beenleigh. In July they moved to Tinana. In September they moved to Nambour as the Brigade was now providing defence to the northern approaches to Brisbane. At this time they had detachments at Forest Glen and Yandina. In October 'A' Company was sent to Thursday Island and then to Red Island Point to service the units in the Torres Strait. They returned to the main unit in January 1943.

In February 1943 they left for Milne Bay in PNG with the 4th Infantry Brigade Group. When the unit moved to Red Beach to support the troops attacking Lae, they left 'A' Company behind at Milne Bay. After the capture of Lae, they moved there in October, before moving to Simbang in November during the attack on Finschhafen, and then moved northwards supporting the 4th Brigade to Sailum, where 'A" Company rejoined them in March 1944. With the capture of Madang they moved there in April 1944.

In October 1944 the unit returned to Australia (Strathpine, Qld) for leave and retraining before shipping to Jacquinot Bay on the south coast of New Britain in January 1945. In May a detachment went with the 37/52nd Australian Infantry Battalion to the north coast, based at Nantambu. In September they moved to Rabaul as part of the 4th Infantry Brigade Group that accepted the Japanese surrender of Rabaul.

Patients

Lae, New Guinea

• Edwin Reed Marshall 5 - 7 Dec 1943

Rabual New Britain

• Sidney John Thomas Buggins 14 - 19 Sep 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 4 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 4.063 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018