2/67th Australian Light Aid Detachment

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Brief History

Formed during August 1940 at Liverpool in New South Wales with other LADs to be attached to 8th Infanty Division units, and intended to be attached to the 8th Division Cavalry Regiment. It was re-allocated in October to join the 9th Infantry Division, and they embarked for the Middle East in December 1940. On arival they were based at Ikingi Maryut in Egypt, but in March 1941 they moved to Libya before withdrawing into Tobruk ahead of the German advance in April. They were able to avoid being caught in the seige, moving back to Ikingi Maryut in September before moving to Julis in Palestine during November. They were transferred to Syria when the 1st Australian Corps were returned to Australia. However, with the German advance on Egypt they were rushed back to the El Alamein region until the successful British breakout in November. At this point they moved back to Julis in Palestine and prepared for their own return to Australia in January 1943.

Following a period of leave the unit's members gathered at Kairi in North Queensland before participating in the assault on Lae in New Guinea, with the 2;67th Aust LAD' being based at Buna from August until after Lae was captured. They moved to Finschhafen in November 1943, and then to Kelanoa in December. In march 1944 they were withdrawn to Ravenshoe in North Queensland until early 1945 preparing for a role in the islands to the north. In April 1945 the unit moved to the staging area on Morotai before moving to Labuan Island of the coast of North Borneo where they remained until the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Vesey Fitzgerald 28 Sep - 9 Dec 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.476 & 5.477 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018