9th Australian Infantry Division Signals Company

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Brief History

In September 1940, with the decision to form the 9th Australian Infantry Division with troops that had been aboard the Third Convoy detoured to England, a reduced scale 1 Company, 9th Infantry Division Signals was formed in Essex. Most of the unit subsequently left the UK in January 1941 for Julis in Palestine. The 9th Division's advance into Cyrenaica and subsequent withdrawal to Tobruk meant that the Signals Company was there until it was relieved by British troops between August and October 1941. The unit reassembled in Julis, Palestine before moving to Tripoli in Syria when 1st Australia Corps was withdrawn to Australia. With the German advance to the Egyptian border the 9th Australian Division was rushed back to Alexandria in Egypt. It participated in the defence of the El Alamein Line from July to September and in the offensive during October/November before returning to Palestine in December. They left teh Middle East in January 1943 and after leave assembled at Kairi in north Queensland in April for training in jungle warfare.

The unit moved to Milne Bay in August, and landed east of Lae in September before moving into Lae after its capture. The next move for the 9th Division was to Finschhafen, and the signals unit was at Langemark Bay in October. In December they moved to Kiligia as the division moved along the coast, and then to Kelanoa in January 1944 where they were relived by their 5th Division equivalent unit. Returning to Australia they enjoyed leave before reassembling at Kairi in north Queensland in April to prepare for a role north of New Guinea. Detachments of the Signals moved to Morotai in Morotai in April before landing at Tarakan in May. The rest of the unit arrived in Morotai in April/May 1945 and landed on Labuan in June. The unit remained on Labuan until the end of the war.

During their service with this unit, 17 men lost their life: eleven were killed in action; two died of wounds received; two died in accidents; and two to illness.

Unit Personnel

• Alexander Rhone 1 Sep 1945 - 16 Feb 1946
• William George Law

Individual Honours

• 1 x Officer of the Order of the British Empire
• 1 x British Empire Medal
• 1 x Distinguished Conduct Medal
• 2 x Military Medal
• 36 x mentioned in Despatches

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 4 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 4.291 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018