12th Australian Advanced Ordnance Depot
From Our Contribution
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Brief History
The original unit was a pre-war civilian manned Northern Command Ordnance Depot which had a number of depots around the Brisbane area, and at Selheim near Charters Towers. During 1941 it was increasingly manned by uniformed troops and in May it was militarized. In January 1942 the Selheim detachment became part of the Northern Command Advanced Ordnance Depot Another change in March 1942 saw the Selheim detachment renamed 31st Australian Forward Ordnance Depot, and in April the return of troops from the Middle East saw the depot expanded and re-labelled as the 12th Australian Advanced Ordnance Depot in June. At the Charters Towers site there existed a Depot H|Q, the No. 1 Sub Depot (Motor Transport Spares), the No. 2 Sub Depot (Clothing & General), No. 3 Sub Depot (Ammunition) and the Returned Stores Depot. A number of sub units were formed at Charters Towers and sent to locations in North Queensland and New Guinea. In January 1943 new facilities had been constructed at Baronta (on the Flinders Highway west of Prairie) and the HQ unit along with No 2 and No 3 Sub Depots moved there with No 1 Sub Depot joining them in August 1943.
With reduced troop numbers in the Townsville area, the unit 12th Australian Advanced Ordnance Depot reduced in size and by Mid 1945 it was under the control fo the 13th Advanced Ordnance Depot at Tolga (north Atherton). At the end of the war it was being reorganized as 131st Australian Forward Ordnance Depot.
Unit Personnel
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