11th Replacement Control Depot in Australia during WW2

11TH REPLACEMENT CONTROL DEPOT, USAAF
AT CAMP MURPHY, VIC
THEN CAMP MUCKLEY, QLD
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII

The Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Air Corps, 11th Replacement Control Depot was constituted and activated via a Secret Letter Adjutant General's Office, Washington D.C., file number AF 320.2 (2-11-42), dated 11 February 1942. It started as an Organisation on 25 February 1942, under General Orders Number 18, Headquarters Army Air Base, Mitchel Field, N.Y.

It was established with personnel from Air Corps units that were stationed along the Eastern Sea-coast from Dowd Field, Banger Maine to Langley Filed, Virginia. Colonel Roy E. Rice was placed in command of the 11th Replacement Control Depot. The Table of Organisation called for 22 Officers and 81 Enlisted Men but upon activation personnel numbered 10 Officers and 41 Enlisted Men.

Colonel Rice released command of the Organisation under secret orders to Lieutenant Colonel William N. Noblett on 8 March 1942. The Unit sailed from San Francisco, California on the ship "Klipfontaine" on 11 March 1942 and arrived at Melbourne, in Victoria on 4 April 1942 and they were billeted at Camp Pell. They relocated to Camp Murphy in the Melbourne Cricket Grounds on 6 April 1942.

The following text is from the "History 11th Replacement Control Depot, A.C." (AFHRA file Reel A0205):-

"Prior to activation of unit, 10 Detachments under the command of Major James E. Murphy organized at Camp Edwards, Mass. Detachments numbered two-thousand-one-hundred and fifty-four (2154) enlisted men and 12 Officers. Detachments embarked at Boston, Port of Embarkation on the H.M.S. "Queen Mary", and sailed from Boston 18 February, 1942. Arrived at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 28 March, 1942. Entire shipment entrained at Sydney immediately following disembarkation. Destination of movement was Camp Darley, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia. Arrival at Camp Darley was on 29 March, 1942. Transfer if troops from Camp Darley to Camp Murphy was begun on 7 April, 1942, and completed 19 April, 1942."

14 August, 1942, one-thousand one-hundred and seventy-three (1173) casuals arrived on the transport "Mount Vernon" at Sydney, New South Wales, and immediately entrained for Camp Murphy, arriving 15 August, 1942. 1 September, 1942, five-hundred and thirty-four (534) casuals arrived at Melbourne, Victoria, on the transport "Poelant? Lau". 24 September, 1942 six-hundred and fifty-nine (659) casuals arrived at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on the transport "Tjisadane", and on 21 September, 1942, three (3) officers and thirty-seven (37) enlisted men, with Captain John Van Benschoten in Command, were ordered to Brisbane, Queensland as an advance detachment to receive and command the casual who arrived on the 24th. This advance detachment arrived at Brisbane, Queensland on the 26th of September and were attached to Camp Doomben, thence to Camp Ascot on the 30th. On 29 September, 1942 three-hundred and eight (308) casuals arrived at Brisbane, Queensland on the transport "Klipfontaine".

24 September, 1942, detachment of 200 Enlisted men and 2 Officers, under command of Captain Walter Osborne, left Camp Murphy for McIntyre Field, Tocumwal, New South Wales, for the purpose of guarding the filed and military stores thereat, arriving there the same date. This mission being accomplished on November 20, 1942, the detachment entrained at Tocumwal, N.S.W., on that date and rejoined the parent unit at Camp Muckley, Queensland, on November 24, 1942.

Camp Muckley, Brisbane, Queensland was designated as the new and permanent location for the 11th Replacement Control Depot on the 13th of October 1942,. The advance party, with casuals, was ordered to move immediately from Camp Ascot and to establish the new home of the 11th Replacement Control Depot at Camp Muckley - same being accomplished on 13 October, 1942.

On 28 October, 1942, orders were received to move the 11th Replacement Control Depot from Camp Murphy, Melbourne, Victoria to Camp Muckley, Brisbane, Queensland by three echelons. The 1st echelon of four (4) officers and one-hundred and seventy-seven (177) enlisted men under the command of Major Charles B. Marvin, A.C., departed from Melbourne, Victoria at 11:50am on 28 October, 1942 for Camp Muckley, Brisbane, Queensland arriving at 6:30am on 1 November 1942. Major Melvin A. Kelley with three (3) officers and one-hundred and thirty-one (131) enlisted men of the 2nd echelon departed from Camp Murphy, Melbourne, Victoria at 1:50am on 29 October, 1942 and arrived at Camp Muckley, Brisbane, Queensland at 3:50pm on 1 November, 1942. Major Ralph L. Mentag, A.C., with rear echelon on seventeen (17) enlisted men remained at Camp Murphy, Melbourne, Victoria until 3 November, 1942 for the purpose of policing and returning all property to the Melbourne Cricket Club, obtaining a proper clearance for same. The rear echelon arrived at Camp Muckley, Brisbane, Queensland at 2:05pm on 6 November, 1942.

Pursuant to WD Letter AG dated 7 November, 1942 Secret Orders of 11 July, 1942, a rear organization of and within the 11th Replacement Control Depot was authorised on 19 November, 1942 with Colonel Peter N. Skanse in command. The change called for required: (1) The formation of a Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, and (2) The formation of three (3) separate companies: Companies A,. B. and C.

The softball team of the 11th Replacement Control Depot at Camp Muckley was called the "Muck-ups".

As mentioned earlier upon activation personnel in the 11th Replacement Control Depot numbered 10 Officers and 41 Enlisted Men. Below is a table showing the net increase and decrease in numbers month by month in 1942:-

At the end of December 1942 the numbers on strength were 455 enlisted men and 57 officers.

The "Allotment of USAAF Units in Australia on 27 May 1942" shows the following entry for the 11th Replacement Control Depot:-

These Wings: The History of a Unit in Foreign Service.
A year with the 11th Replacement Control Depot, United States Army Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area.
(Does anyone have a copy of this?)

	Net Increase		Net Decrease
	Enlisted Men	Officers	Enlisted Men	Officers
March	1566	10	1	1
April
May			1072	1
June		9	39
July			249	14
August	459	3
September	39	10
October			724	9
November	676	25
December		25	199

176th Sig. Rptg. Co. 22nd Transport Sq. 1st Chem. Co. (Serv. Avn) 61st Mat. Sq. 370th Mat. Sq. (Reduced)	Camp Robinson Essendon Geelong Geelong Laverton
11TH REPLACEMENT CONTROL DEPOT Hq. Sq. 1st Sq. 2nd Sq. 3rd Sq. 4th Sq. 5th Sq. 6th Sq. 7th Sq. 8th Sq. 9th Sq. 10th Sq. 11th Sq.	Camp Murphy " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " " "