4th Australian Infantry Division Provost Company

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Brief History

Raised at Mt Martha, Victoria in November 1941, the unit was mobilised in December before moving to Balcombe in January 1942. In March some of the unit moved to Western Australia with the 6th Infantry Brigade Group. The rest of the unit followed in April camping at Bushmead. At the time the units that arrived earlier moved to Geraldton while those servicing the 2nd Infantry Brigade Group were at Guildford. In Jun 1942 the unit absorbed the 13th Independent Brigade Provost Platoon and in July =moved to Moora with sections at Geraldton, Mingenew and Dandaragan.

With reducing troop numbers in Western Australia, the 4th Division HQ move to control troops in the Townsville area in April 1943, and the 4th Infantry Division Provost Company settled at Brookhill. When the 4th Infantry Division HQ element moved to Cape York in September, the Provost Company left a detachment at Townsville, and moved to Burster Creek and absorbed the detachment of the 5th Infantry Division Provost Company that was at the time located at Mewrauke in Dutch New Guinea. With the threat to the Torres Strait considerably reduced the 4th Infantry Division HQs moved back to Australia in October 1944.

After leave the Provost Company assembled at Redfern and worked in the Sydney metro area until disbanded in April 1945. The detachments left behind in Townsville and Merauke continued under other unit headquarters until disbanded in mid to late 1945.

Unit Personnel

• Harold Stanley Jenkins 1 Jul 1942 - 7 May 1945