29th Australian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery

[[File:]]

Brief History

Formed in Fremantle during February 1942 by splitting the 55th AA Battery, their HQ element was not formed until July when it moved to South Beach to control the 418th Gun Station in Skinner street, and the 420th Gun Station at Scotsman's Hill. In November 1942 Battery HQ 29th AA Battery moved to Buckland Hill in November 1942 and added the 417th Gun Station at Rottnest to their unit, as well as a month later the 419th Gun Battery at Buckland Hill.

When the HQ 22nd AA Battery arrived in March 1943 they took over the 420th and 423rd AA Gun Stations from the 29th Heavy AA Battery, which in turn took over the 450th Gun Station at East Fremantle, and the 451st Gun Station at North Fremantle. The 29th Australian Anti-Aircraft Battery had now become the 109th Australian Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery withthe 418, 419,450,451 and 420 Gun Batteries.

In early 1943 troop numbers in WA began to decrease as the threat of a landing or raid on Perth/Frenatle diminished and VDC soldiers began ther training so that they could take over manning the Gun Stations, supplemented by regular army NCOs. As the threat diminished even more gun stations began to close, and Battery HQ moved to the Artillery Barracks, Fremantle. 419 HAA Troop and 450 HAA Troop weredisbanded and 451 moved to Buckland Hill. Buckland Hill was handed over to other troops and 51 HAA troop was disbanded, while Battery HQ and 418 HAA Troop managed the remiaing sites on a care and Maintenance basis until the end of the war.

Unit Personnel

418th Gun Station

• George Millman 21 Nov 1942 - 10 Jan 1943 & 28 Mar - 13 Apr 1943

419th Gun Station

• George Millman 31 Aug - 21 Nov 1942

420th Gun Station

• Roy Searle Williams 14 July 1941 - 29 Nov 1944

423rd Gun Station

• George Millman 11 Jan - 25 Mar 1943

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.270 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018