5th Division (Australia)

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The 5th Division was a Militia unit of the Australian Army. During World War II the division was mobilised for the defence of North Queensland in 1942, when it was believed that the area was a prime site for an invasion by Japanese forces.

Most of the division was concentrated in the Townsville area, although the 11th Brigade Group was detached for the defence of Cairns and Mareeba.

In 1943-45, the division took part in the New Guinea campaign.

1 History
2 1921-42
- 2.1 1942
3 1943-45
4 References

[edit] History

[edit] 1921-42

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[edit] 1942

The division was formed in 1942 at Marist Brothers College, Ashgrove, Brisbane. (A plaque in the college commemorates its formation there. )

An advanced party of 25 officers and 55 ordinary ranks from the divisional headquarters arrived in Townsville on 30 April 1942, along with an advanced party of 40 members of the 29th Infantry Brigade. They travelled by train and were initially accommodated at the Townsville Showgrounds Staging Camp.

The infantry and field regiments were distributed widely around the Townsville area including, Aitkenvale, Antill Plains, Castle Hill, Jimmy's Lookout, Belgian Gardens and Mount Louisa.

The Headquarters for the 5th Australian Division were located at Aitkenvale in Townsville in May 1942. In December 1942, the Headquarters was located in a reinforced concrete bunker at Roseneath. 5 Div Signals were also located at Roseneath.

Maj Gen Edward Milford was appointed Commanding Officer of the 5th Division in mid-1942, under Lt Gen James Durrant, Commander in Chief Northern Command (Queensland). Durrant promoted the evacuation of non-essential civilians and a scorched earth policy in the event of invasion, to the local town and shire councils and the Chamber of Commerce. They began plans for the demolition of airfields and other vital defence facilities in north Queensland such as the Townsville Harbour facilities and road a rail bridges.

If communications with Northern Command were severed, the 5th Australian Division commander was to assume command of all Allied forces services (except bomber aircraft). For this purpose an Operations Room was set up at HQ 5 Div.

In the event of an invasion, the 5th Division would have had the following responsibilities:

attack any enemy force landing between Rollingstone and the Bohle River and/or advancing from the north.

creating a holding force in the Clevedon-Woodstock Hill area with the task of opposing an enemy landing in Bowling Green Bay, and halting any advance towards Townsville

the blocking of roads connecting the coast and inland from Ingham (through Mount Fox) and from Moongobulla (through Mount Spec)

demolitions in the Ingham area and, if necessary, the destruction of the Mount Spec and Mount Fox roads.

the manning of beach defence guns for the defence of beaches between Bohle River and Rollingstone, and between Houghton River and Chunda Bay.

[edit] 1943-45

On August 23, 1943, the division, under Maj. Gen. Edward Milford moved to the north coast of New Guinea, to take over the Salamaua campaign in its dying stages. The division occupied Salamaua on September 11.

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