13 Field Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers
Encyclopedia
13 Field Squadron is a Reserve
unit of the Royal Australian Engineers
of the Australian Army
. 13 Field Squadron provide the combat engineering
capability of the Western Australia
based reserve 13th Brigade.
at Guildford
in Western Australia. The Company was not deployed during the First World War, although 100 of its personnel were attached to the First Australian Imperial Force
and served at Gallipoli with the 2nd Field Company and in Palestine
and France
with the 6th Field Company.
In the Second World War the Company served in Darwin
in March 1943 before being deployed to New Britain
in October 1944, where its major assignment was the construction of a 10,000 ton jetty. It was disbanded after the war in 1946 until it was reraised as the 13th Field Squadron, Citizens Military Force (the precursor to the Army Reserve). It adopted the mascot of a 'little red devil' in the early 1960s, and was made part of the 13th Brigade on the 1st February 1988.
The Squadron's primary role is to provide support to the elements of 13th Brigade, most often the Royal Western Australia Regiment
.
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen Military Forces, the Militia and, unofficially, the...
unit of the Royal Australian Engineers
Royal Australian Engineers
The Royal Australian Engineers is a corps of the Australian Army . The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Staff Cadets, Armoured and Artillery Corps...
of the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. 13 Field Squadron provide the combat engineering
Combat engineering
A combat engineer, also called pioneer or sapper in many armies, is a soldier who performs a variety of construction and demolition tasks under combat conditions...
capability of the Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
based reserve 13th Brigade.
History
13 Field Squadron trace their origins to the 7th Field Company formed in 1907. In 1909 it was renamed the 4th Field Company and changed again to the 6th Field Company in 1910, and finally the 13th Field Company on 1 July 1912. The unit's first major operation was constructing a suspension bridge over the Helena RiverHelena River
The Helena River is a tributary of the Swan River in Western Australia. The river rises in country east of Mount Dale and moves to the north west to Mundaring Weir, where it is dammed...
at Guildford
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
in Western Australia. The Company was not deployed during the First World War, although 100 of its personnel were attached to the First Australian Imperial Force
First Australian Imperial Force
The First Australian Imperial Force was the main expeditionary force of the Australian Army during World War I. It was formed from 15 August 1914, following Britain's declaration of war on Germany. Generally known at the time as the AIF, it is today referred to as the 1st AIF to distinguish from...
and served at Gallipoli with the 2nd Field Company and in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with the 6th Field Company.
In the Second World War the Company served in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
in March 1943 before being deployed to New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
in October 1944, where its major assignment was the construction of a 10,000 ton jetty. It was disbanded after the war in 1946 until it was reraised as the 13th Field Squadron, Citizens Military Force (the precursor to the Army Reserve). It adopted the mascot of a 'little red devil' in the early 1960s, and was made part of the 13th Brigade on the 1st February 1988.
Structure
The 13 Field Squadron is structured with two combat engineer troops, a training troop and a support troop.- 1 Troop (Combat Engineers)
- 2 Troop (Training Troop)
- 3 Troop (Combat Engineers)
- Support Troop (Includes carpenters, clerks, cooks, drivers and other support and engineering personnel)
The Squadron's primary role is to provide support to the elements of 13th Brigade, most often the Royal Western Australia Regiment
Royal Western Australia Regiment
The Royal Western Australia Regiment is a reserve infantry regiment of the Australian Army consisting of two battalions, the 11th/28th Battalion and the 16th Battalion...
.