134th Australian Brigade Workshop

1 May 1945 at Strathpine, 2 Sec 134th Brigade Workshop - AWM photo 089119

Brief History

This unit began life as the 108th Independent Brigade Group Ordnance Workshop when it was raised in January 1942 at Bushmead in Western Australia to work with the 13th Infantry Brigade Group. It moved to Ascot in March and in April to Melville, where they came under the 55th Division Ordnance Workshop. In May it moved to Chidlows and then to Moora for a time before moving to Bellevue in June, before settling down at Dandaragan in July 1942. They were renamed 3rd Section, 55th Division Ordnance Workshop in August and in November to 13th Infantry Brigade Section, 4th Infantry Division Ordnance Workshop. With workshops transferring to AEME in December, their parent unit was renamed 4th Infantry Division Workshop.

After moving to Chidlows in January 1943 the unit moved with the 13th Infantry Brigade to the Northern Territory in March, and to Adelaide River in April where it was renamed A Brigade Group Section (2) of the 12th Australian Infantry Division Workshop. In July they were re-organised as the 134th Australian Brigade Workshop' before moving to the southern brigade area 100 kilometers south of Darwin in September to join the 2nd Infantry Brigade Group. When that group left the Northern Territory, the 134th Brigade Workshop reassembled after leave at Chermside in Queensland during November, joining the 1st Base Sub Area then organising for a role in the island north and west of New Guinea.

In February 1945 the unit moved to Strathpine, and in May they left for the staging area on Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies. Following the landing at Labuan, the 134th Australian Brigade Workshop joined the 8th Base Sub Area at Labuan in June 1945 where they remained until the conclusion of the war.

Unit personnel

• Stanley George Jarick 22 Jan - 9 Sep 1942
• Vesey Fitzgerald 24 Mar 1942 - 27 Sep 1945
• Harold Chamberlain 17 Apr - 29 Dec 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.564 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018