106th Australian Casualty Clearing Station

Oct 1943 Kamkamun, Lae area. Tented wards for Main Dressing Station AWM photo 079514

Oct 1943 Kamkamun, Lae area. Tented wards for Main Dressing Station AWM photo 079684

Brief History

This unit was raised as the 6th Australian Casualty Clearing Station in October 1941 at Enoggera, Queensland before moving to Chermside in December, and then soon after to Ipswitch. When the 2nd AIF returned from Egypt, the unit moved to Haughton Valley inland from Townsville in May 1942 to support the 5th Infantry Division. In January 1943 they left a Light Section at Stanley and moved to Ravenshoe. In April the Light Section moved to Cluden, while the unit was renamed 106th Australian Casualty Clearing Station and moved to Ravenshoe. To support the 9th Australian Infantry Division in its attack on Lae, the Heavy Section moved to Milne Bay in August 1943 and then to Oro Bay in September, while the Light Section moved to Lae, joined by the rest of the unit in November 1943.

In February 1944 the unit was located on the Heldbach Plantation, supporting base units at Finschhafen. In late 1944 the 106th Australian Casualty Clearing Station moved to Torokina on Bougainville to service the Australian troops who had replaced US troops that were being released for the invasion of the Philippines. They remained at Torokina unti the end of the war.

Individual Honours

• 13 x Mentioned in Despatches

Patients

Ravenshoe

• John Patrick Whitaker 13 - 27 Jun 1943