Units list of the Australian Military Police from 1939 to 1951

By

Australian Military Police History Web Site, 2001 and Information on Units and Colour Patches supplied by Keith Glyde from his book 'Distinguishing Colour Patches of the Australian Military Forces 1915 to 1951 - A Reference Guide'

This story will cover the period 1915 to 1951 and traces the evolution and raising of all Provost (MP) units that served during the period. Although the information refers to colour patches worn by Australian Provosts during the specified period and this original story was linked to images of the colour patches this story is only about the lineage behind Australian MP units and there are no colour patch images to view. This is an invaluable resource to historians on the lineage to MP units. Special thanks must go to Mr Keith Glyde of Tasmania who graciously allowed me to reproduce this article of the colour patches from his book 'Distinguishing Colour Patches of the Australian Military Forces 1915 to 1951 - A Reference Guide' which can be purchased from the Australian War Memorial or any good book store. I urge any serious militaria collector to get a copy of this book as the information is very useful and helpful when collecting colour patches.

The following information has not been altered by me and is an exact retype of the original information from Mr Keith Glydes book. Thanks must go to Pam Corby at AMPTC who took the time and effort to retype this information to make the story complete.

    1. 16th Aust. Independent Brigade Group Provost Platoon, 1944: Formed from 2nd Aust. Division Provost Company in May 1944 for the 5th Aust. Infantry Brigade Group, and was disbanded in August 1944.

B.2nd Aust. Division Provost Company: Western Australian manufactured example, post 1942, although it has not been established that this colour patch was issued.

 ¹ HQ 3 Aust. Corps Memo Q3/5/3. Dated 11.1.1941. AA(Vic): MP 742/1, item 61138

² Telephone discussion with Mr Alan Turnley on 26.4.1996.

³ An example of this patch is held with the relative correspondence in AA(Vic): MP 508/1, item 36/756/63.

 

Note: The 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Aust. Independent Provost Platoons were raised in 1945 and wore No. 1658.

  1. 1st Aust. Armoured Brigade Provost Platoon, 1943-1944: Formed in December 1943 from personnel of 1st Aust. Armoured Division Provost Company, and was absorbed by 3rd Aust. Corps Provost Company in September 1944.
  1. AWM 54, item 89/3/5

 Line of Communication Provost Companies

Note: It should be noted that no authorities have been located for the following eight colour patches, however they are stated to have been approved by MGO Minute B6104, Schedule B, dated 26.1.1944. This is not an authority but simply lists the colour patches approved for the Aust. Army Provost Corps and five other major Arms as at that date. 5 It is unlikely that they were issued prior to the end of 1942. Stocks of all these patches were held by 2 Base Ordnance Depot in early 1947. The first reference to patches for line of communication area provost units in Australia was made in late 1942 when HQ Queensland L of C Area sought authority for No.1498 to be approved for all such units on the basis that most of the Second A.I.F. formations had been concentrated in Queensland following their return from the Middle East. It was felt that this colour patch would be known to members of the A.I.F. who would therefore be more respectful of the authority of provost personnel than was currently the case.

 

 

5 Department of the Army (MGO Registry) File 36/2/41, dated 26.1.1944

Detention Barracks

Personnel on the staff of detention barracks and guard compounds in Australia wore the colour patch of the headquarters of the L of C Area to which they were allotted. This has been confirmed in the case of 8th Aust. Detention Barracks (Geelong and Bendigo, Victoria) by a former member of the staff of that unit. Detention barracks and guard compounds were transferred to the Aust. Army Military Prisons and Detention Barracks Service in May 1943.

 

Miscellaneous