55th Division Ordnance Workshop

[[File:]]

Brief History

In February 1942 the 55th Division Ordnance Workshopwas formed at Mt Martha to work with the 4th Infantry Division. It included a HQ element and main workshop as well as a 2nd Brigade Section and a 6th Brigade Section which were attached to their respective brigades. 55th Division Ordnance Workshop moved to Western Australia in April 1942 with the 4th Infantry Division establishing workshops at Melville and then Bushmead in May. 2nd Brigade Section moved to Moora in June and Geraldton in July when the main workshop moved to Moora with the 6th Brigade Section at Mingenew. Renamed again in November, this time to 4th Infantry Division Ordnance Workshop. With AEME taking over all workshop functions the HQ unit was at Bellevue and had been renamed 4th Infantry Division Workshop in December 1942.

In April the 6th Infantry Brigade Section did not follow the 6th Infantry Brigade Group to Queensland, but moved to Bellevue where in April 1943 they were re-organised to form the 120th Independent Brigade Group Workshop which then became the 120th Brigade Workshop in June, working with the 3rd Aust Corps. In early 1943 the 4th Infantry Division was redeployed, and the 6th Infantry Brigade Section had been converted to the 120th Independent Brigade Group Workshop, the 2nd Infantry Brigade Section had transferred in March 1943 to the 2nd Infantry Division and the remnants of 4th Australian Infantry Division Workshop were disbanded.

Unit Personnel

• Vesey Fitzgerald 10 Sep - 25 Nov 1942
• Stanley George Jarick 10 Sep 1942 - 19 Apr 1943

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.554 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018