5th Australian Anti Aircraft Battery
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Brief History
This Militia unit was raised in March 1940 in Perth. It assumed full time duties in March 1941, with gun positions at Skinner street, Buckland Hill and Scotsman Hill, and later at East Fremantle Oval and North Fremantle. In July 1942 the gun sites they were responsible for were reduced with the arrival of the 29th Anti Aircraft Battery which took over control of Skinner street, and the Scotsman Hill gun emplacements. 5th AA Battery were responsible for the newly named 417 Heavy Anti Aircraft Gun Station at Rottnest, 419 Heavy Anti Aircraft Gun Station at Buckland Hill, 421 Heavy Anti Aircraft Gun Station at East Fremantle Oval and 422nd Heavy Anti Aircraft Gun Station at North Fremantle..
In November 'X' Anti Aircraft Battery was formed from troops in the 5th Anti Aircraft Battery, and was sent to establish gun positions at Exmouth. When relieved it returned to Perth to join the rest of the unit which then left for Darwin in January 1943. The unit established itself south of Darwin to protect airfields at Strauss and Hughes. Restructured at Hughes as 135th Australian Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery. With diminished need as the Japanese were pushed further from Australia, in November 1944 the battery concentrated at Long before leaving for Wallgrove Camp in NSW during December 1944 where the battery was gradually dispersed before being formally disbanded in May 1945
Unit Personnel
- Percy John Powell 11 Sep 1940 - 3 Jan 1943
- Roy Searle Williams 14 Jul 1941 - 29 Nov 1944
- Leslie Charles Peters 22 Apr 1942 - 25 Nov 1943
- Frederick Charles Lawrence 4 Feb 1943 - 9 Feb 1944
- William Albert Nicholls 4 Feb 1943 - 21 Feb 1945
Notes
Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 3 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 3.247 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018