Western Australian Line of Communication Area Workshop
From Our Contribution
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Brief History
Western Command Ordnance Workshop was mobilised in December 1941 at a range of locations including Swan Barracks and Murray Street, with a detachment at Northam. In April 1942 the unit was renamed Western Australian Line of Communication Area Ordnance Workshop]] and in May 1942 it moved to a consolidated site at Bushmead. By July staff numbered 16 Officers and 365 men when 5 officers and 30 men were transferred to form the 9th Advanced Ordnance Workshop. When AEME took over the workshop role, the unit was named Western Australia Line of Command Workshop In June 1943 a detachment was sent to Port Hedland, but during 1944 the numbers of troops in WA declined sharply, reducing the workshop workload and thus their manning strength. In September 1944 they absorbed three radio maintenance units allowing them to form a radar section. In the January 1945 re-organisation they absorbed the Fortress Workshop Fremantle and became Western Australia Area Workshop with 7 Officers and 243 men/women. The unit was organised with an area workshop section, the fortress workshop section, the radar workshop section and two mobile armoury sections. They moved to Melville in May and the 342nd LAD was formed in June with the unit continuing to operate from Melville until the end of the war.
Unit Personnel
- Joseph Huntley Ball 3 Feb - 12 Sep 1941
- Florence Hall 8 Jun 1943 - 15 Nov 1945
- Patricia June Somerfield 1 Mar 1945 - 15 Oct 1945 - ex Fortress Workshop, Fremantle
- Mervyn Henry Lees 30 Apr - 19 Dec 1946
Notes
Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.603 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018