1st Royal Australian Engineers Training Centre

Brief History

The 1st RAE Training Battalion was one of four that comprised the 1st RAE Training Centre that was established following the return of the 2nd AIF from the Middle East. It was formed at Kapooka in New South Wales in August 1942 to centralise engineer training, absorbing the eastern states engineer training depots and the AIF (ME) Training Battalion. The WA unit became the 2nd RAE Training Centre due to isolation, but it was also absorbed in August 1943. The Centre served as a home for units either returning from overseas or on completion of their jobs in Australia.

In February 1943 a Water Transport {Small Craft) Training Depot was raised at Clifton Gardens in NSW, and later a Water Transport (Large Craft) Training Depot was raised at Victoria Point in Queensland before they amalgamated to form a separate Water Transport Training Centre in April 1944.

In March 1944 the training centre was re-organised with the 1st and 2nd Battalions comprising four small companies each for training specialist skills while the 3rd and 4th Battalions, at only company size training new recruits. A Transit & Details Depot and a Bridging Wing were also separate units. The centre continued to train sappers until the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Vivienne Dittman 10 Jan 1944 - 18 Apr 1945

Trainees

• Philbert John Charles Morel 24 Sep 1943 - 10 Mar 1944
• John Mangan 7 Apr - 9 Jul 1944

1st Royal Australian Engineers Training Battalion

• Donald Roberts Scott
• Ernest Woolhead 29 Aug - 30 Oct 1944
• Ronald Arthur Grafham 31 Jul - 27 Sep 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.613 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018