21st Field Company

12 Jul 1943 Bridge over Lavian Creek Mlne Bay AWM photo 054541

Brief History

Formed in Melbourne in late 1940 as 21st Army Field Company, they mobilised at Geelong in December 1941. Earlky work involved building beach defences on the western edge of Ort Phillip Heads. In February 1942 the unit moved to Point Lonsdale, and then in June to South Queensland. In October their base moved to Toowoomba.

In January 1943 they moved to Oro Bay New Guinea, with an outpost working on road construction at Emboga. In April they moved to Port Moresby where they were renamed 21st Australian Field Company. In May they move to Bisiatabu to expand the base facilities. In Jmid1943 they moved to Milne Bay , and in May 1944 relocated up the coast to Buna. The unit then returned to Australia for a rest, re-establishing itself at the Kapooka RAE Training Centre.

In mid 1944 they assembled in South Queensland earmarked for operations north of New Guinea, but in the meantime were located at Strathpine. As part of the 7th Australian Infantry Division, they were to participate in the landing at Balikpapan. In May they moved to Morotai, and in July landed at Balikpapan where they remained for the rest of the war, developing facilities for the 7th Division. One member of the unit died from an accident in New Guinea.

Unit Personnel

• Robert Thomas Buckenara 30 Oct 1944 - 12 Oct 1945

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.458 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018