Swanbourne Battery

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Brief History

In 1938 two 6 inch guns from Fort Forrest at Fremantle were moved to Swanbourne. During the 1940 re-organisation of coast defence units the permanent gunners and militia men manning the guns were formed into a unit called Swanbourne Battery. It was one of three batteries that provided close defence of the Fremantle port and Gage Roads anchorage. In 1943 an internal reorganisation saw the RAE men become members of the Artillery. From early 1943 VDC soldiers from B Company 1st (Perth) VDC Battalion began training in coastal artillery work and individually were detached to Swanbourne Battery. In November the VDC members were converted to Swanbourne Battery (VDC), a shadow unit that was capable of manning the guns with minimal AMF gunners. The strength of the unit was reduced during 1944, and in September the VDC unit was absorbed into Fremantle Coast Artillery (VDC) which continued to man one gun until they were placed on a care and maintenance basis in March 1945.

Unit Personnel

• Jack Bell 16 Feb - 16 Mar 1941

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.170 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018