69th Australian Mobile Searchlight Battery

Brief History

Formed as the 69th Anti-Aircraft Company RAE at Fort Largs in Adelaide in August 1942. They moved to Whyalla to work with 26th Aust Anti Aircraft Battery to protect the steel works and ship yards. In May 1943 searchlights transferred from the Royal Australian Engineers to the Royal Australian Artillery Corps, and became the 69th Australian Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battery. Given the reduced likelihood on enemy action impacting South Australia, the battery was brought up to strength and then transferred to Western Australia where they joined the Fremantle defences, with their Battery HQ at Beaconsfield. In September 1943 they became the 69th Australian Mobile Searchlight Battery.

In June 1944 the battery moved to Batchelor in the Northern Territory to join 55 Composite Anti-Aircraft Regiment covering airfields at Batchelor, Gould and Coomalie Creek. In August the battery moved to Noonamah to cover the Livingstone, Strauss, Sattler and Hughes airfields By November 1944 the air threat to Darwin was low enough to allow the air defence units to be withdrawn from the airfields and 69th Australian Mobile Searchlight Battery returned to Adelaide where it was disbanded in January 1945.

Battery Personnel

• Harold George Bell 1 Oct 1943 - 27 Sep 1944 & Dec 1944 - 22 Jan 1945