FLINDERS NAVAL DEPOT
LATER HMAS CERBERUS
NEAR CRIB POINT, MORNINGTON PENINSULA, VIC
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII

HMAS Cerberus is located on Hann's Inlet near Crib Point on the Mornington Peninsula, in Victoria. It started in 1921 and was initially known as the Flinders Naval Base and became the Flinders Naval Depot in 1925. It later became known HMAS Cerberus. The site was home to the Royal Naval College from 1930 through to 1958.

Many temporary buildings were erected at Flinders Naval Depot during WWII.

At a meeting of the Local Defence Co-ordinating Committee held at Headquarters, Southern Area, RAAF on Wednesday 6 May 1941 at 10am, the was resolved for the defence of Flinders Naval Depot and No. 1 Initial Training School (RAAF) at Somers:-

"The Committee having considered the security of the area including Flinders Naval Depot and Somers knowing that certain personnel and weapons are available at these stations recommends that the Local Military Commander be given responsibility for a combined co-ordinated defence scheme embracing the security of both stations."

The 4th Division was responsible for the South Eastern Sector of the 3rd Military District which was divided into three Zones:-

• Western Zone (included Flinders Naval Depot and RAAF Somers)

• Gippsland Zone

• Eastern Zone

The troops allocated to the Western Zone were:-

• 2nd Infantry Brigade

• 425 Volunteer Defence Corps

• Covering Force:-

  • 5 Battalion

  • 6 Battalion and Ancillary Troops

all under the command of Brigadier 2nd Infantry Brigade.

The Flinders Naval Depot had the following resources:-

• 450 rifles

• 8 light Machine Guns

• 4 Medium Machine Guns (.303 Vickers)

• 4 0.5 Medium Machine Guns

• 4 3 Pounder Guns

• 2 12 Pounder Guns

• 1 3.7" Howitzer

• 4 Field Pieces

• Sufficient men to carry all arms

• sufficient Motor Transport to carry 200 men

On 8 September 2024 I received the following information from James Ashburner about some of the WWII defences located at Somers about 2 miles SSW of Flinders Naval Depot.

While I do not know anything about the defences at Flinders Naval Depot itself, I have direct knowledge of part of its Wartime defences (at nearby Somers).

There were two Bren emplacements that I know of. The easterly one was on the escarpment seaward of what is now Kelburn Court; it seemed to have 2x Bren dugout emplacements. The westerly was on the higher, more prominent escarpment where Tasman Rd commences its S-bend.

That westerly escarpment emplacement had:-

2x Bren emplacements;
1x Oerlikon 20 mm on concrete block ring-mount, and
1x Bofors 40 mm on a massive concrete block.

This was at the end of Coora Close. In 1969-70 my father and I found quite a scattering of .303 brass (Brens), 2x Oerlikon brass, and 1x live 40 mm shell.

We “somewhat unwisely” picked up that Bofors shell and took it to FND, which caused quite some commotion. Navy tried to refuse it, but my father (ex-WW2 Naval Reserve) firmly told them we did not want it. There followed a Dad’s Army set of bureaucratic SNAFUs, because any UXO above the high-tide mark was an Army responsibility.

After a day or two, Army contacted us and came with the latest gee-whiz gadgetry, “metal detectors”, to search our block. This was not especially successful and they returned to do a thorough search using rakes. They found more live ammunition, and another Bofors live shell.

Somers also hosted the RAAF’s No.1 Initial Training School Somers, at the far western end W of Lord Somers Road. It became and still is the Somers School Camp.

I still have the two Oerlikon brass that I found that summer day.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank James Ashburner for his assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 10 September 2024

This page last updated 11 September 2024