2/96th Australian LAD

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Brief History

Light Aid Detachments were small elements of Workshop units, comprising one officer and 20-30 enlisted personnel who provided 2nd Line repair and recovery support to forward units in a formation (Brigade). They augmented the repair and recovery resources (referred to as '1st Line') within the units of the Brigade.

The LAD would comprise a number of specialist trades determined by the nature of the Brigade unit's principal equipment (particularly numbers and types of vehicles and armaments).

The 2/96th Australian Light Aid Detachment was formed in September 1941 at Northam and was attached to the 2/10th Armoured Regiment. It moved with the Regiment to Puckapunyal in Victoria in October 1941 for training and then to Greta in New South Wales in June 1942. In July they were on the move again, this time to Wee Waa to participate in the large scale Armoured exercises. In October they moved to Gunedar before departing for Western Australia where they arrived in Mingenew in January 1943. In August they moved to Moora, and in June 1944 to Northam where the 2/10th Armoured Regiment was disbanded during November. However, 2/96th LAD had survived and was sent to Chermside in Queensland to await another role, joining the 10th Base Workshop at Moorooka in February 1945. They were disbanded in May 1945.

Unit Personnel

• Donald George Martin 29 Jun - 3 Jul 1943

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 5 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 5.490 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018 & Virtual War memorial Australia website - 2nd AIF Light Aid Detachments, accessed 18 Feb 2023