2/3rd Australian Field Butchery Platoon
From Our Contribution
 Australian Army butchers working at the Manbulloo Abattoir | |
Brief History
n March 1944 the 2/1st Australian Field Butchery Company at the Cape River Meat works near Townsville was re-organised to form the 2/2nd Australian Field Butchery Platoon, 2/3rd Australian Field Butchery Platoon and the 2/4th Australian Field Butchery Platoon. With the later remaining to supply the army's beef requirements in North Queensland, in June 1944 the 2/3rd Australian Field Butchery Platoon moved to Katherine in the Northern Territory to work with the 2/3rd Australian Field Butchery Company to supply beef to the army and air force in the Northern Territory. In July 1945 the unit sent detachments for meat preparation duties to Adelaide River, Vesey's and Noonamah where they remained until the end of the war.
The Australian Army constructed the Manbulloo Abattoir near the Katherine River on Manbulloo Station during WW2 as part of their strategy to feed the troops in the area by slaughtering local cattle. They erected 46 buildings, including two mess huts used by the engineers who serviced the abattoirs. There were chilling rooms, barracks, mess halls and poultry yards.
Aboriginal stockmen would drive cattle to the abattoir from the Pine Creek area, Mataranka and Manbulloo. By the end of 1944 up to 700 head per week were being slaughtered at the abattoir.
Unit Personnel
Notes
Some of the content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.286 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018