Fortress Engineers, Fremantle Fixed Defences
From Our Contribution
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Brief History
This unit based at Kingston Barracks on Rottnest Island was formed in 1941 from units with both permanent and militia soldiers. It had a separate sub-unit in Albany to service the coastal batteries there. Originally guns were manned by Artillery troops and maintained by detachments of Engineers. There were several iterations before a reform in May 1943 saw the transfer of some Engineering duties to the Artillery staff and the renaming of the balance of the unit to Fortress Engineers Fremantle. In September 1943 the unit name changed again to 8th Australian Anti-Aircraft & Fortress Company.
With the reduction in likelyhood of Japanese raids on Fremantle the unit was increasingly used on general works projects. In June 1945 they moved to Queen Street Drill Hall where they remained for the duration.
Unit Personnel
- Ernest John Peters Sep 1941 - 1 May 1943
- John Blair 12 Nov 1941 - 5 Jan 1943
- Donald Walter Cumming 12 Dec 1941 - 1 May 1943
Notes
Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018