History - Military Police Victoria

This document was found at the RACMP Museum, October 2001. The author of this document is unknown or the date that it was written. The last paragraph of the document claims that the author conducted research at the Australian Archives in Middle Brighton, Victoria. Researched by Antony Buckingham, MP History Website

Military Police have been associated with Victoria for about as long as the Corps has been in existence. Although records are sketchy it is known that there was a Second Provost Unit at Broadmeadows and Light Horse RPs at Seymour during WW1.

Between the wars there were no Military Police Units as such but rather as in the case before the war Provost Staff attached to each HQ for duties as directed. However, with the declaration of hostilities in 1939 the Corps once again was raised and expanded. In Melbourne the Area Provost Marshal Lt Col. Faulkiner raised a Section of Provost at the showgrounds (mainly of seconded police) as a nucleus for further expansion.

By 1943 the Corps consisted on 173 Officers and 4197 ORs in all theatres. At this time Victoria was without doubt a major centre of Provost Activity, with the PM-A(Col Murphy) situated at Victoria Barracks above what is now the Officers Mess.

Of some interest is the fact that the Army Provost School was at Fort Gellibrand and Darley in Victoria. Although originally Provost training was done by the Army Provost School and two Provost Training Companies (NSW & VIC), by 1943 all training was done at the school, which also provided a mobile wing for training of personnel in New Guinea.

The Operational Provost Unit at this time was organised around the Victorian Line of Communication Area. The Provost Services in the VIC L of C Area were as follows:

HQ Vic L of C Area (339 Swanston St)

APM (Lt Col)                          1

Captain Provost                    1

Sub Areas

Melbourne (DAPM Capt)     1

Albury (DAPM Capt)            1

Ballarat (DAPM Capt)          1

L of C Coys                           2

The Provost Coys in question were the 3 and 10 L of C Provost Coys with HQ in Victoria St, City and 291 Dandenong Road Windsor respectively. The latter Depot accommodated 3 Officers, 8 Sgts and 64 ORs. Also by the end of 1942 there was a SGT and 18 ORs at Albury. Although the actual organisational breakdown is not clear there were also Provost in Bendigo with the HQ at corner of Forest and barnard Sts and at Puckapunyal.

The 3 L of C Provost Coy was also responsible for manning the Melbourne Metropolitan Holding Centre at Royal Park. As a response to the strains that this entailed the Holding Centre became the 1st Australian Guard Compound - Australian Provost Corps in January 1943 with a separate establishment of 1 Officer and 48 ORs of fit 'B' class Provost personel withdrawn from Provost Units. There were also Detention Barracks in Geelong and Bendigo under the control of the APM but the evidence suggests that in Victoria, at least, these were manned by Garrison Troops.

As a rough guide the Provosts in Victoria L of C Area had the following tasks in addition to those already mentioned:

With the end of the war there was a drastic reduction and reorganisation of the Corps. The Victorian L of C was reformed into Southern Command. In place of the previous Provost Units the 3MD Provost Coy was formed. A idea in the reduction of strength that this entailed can be gained by considering that in 1947 it was reduced from 2 Officers and 49 ORs to 2 Officers and 36 ORs. At this stage the Coy consisted of HQ at Batman Ave and Detachments at Albury and Puckapunyal. Also at this time it is worth noting that the OC was a Captain who also performed the duties of the DAPM.

The advent of National Service in the early 1950s changed this situation with a major expansion of Provost Units within Australia. By 1951 Southern Command Provost Company had a Major as OC and an establishment of 3 Officers and 75 ORs. By this time the Unit had moved from Batman Ave to Coburg and from there to Royal Park Barracks, Royal Park. Following this the Unit was moved to Marine Parade, Abbotsford in 1955 as an integrated ARA/CMF Unit where it remained for 17 years.

In 1972 coinciding with the major re-organisation of many other Units, Southern Command Provost Coy was moved to 'Majella', 473 St kilda Road, Melbourne. 1975 saw a further move of the HQ element of the Coy to Puckapunyal with the HQ being situated in the building presently occupied by 31 MP PL. This move left the ARES element and TRG Section plus 33 MP PL at 'Majella'. (The building at Puckapunyal was erected in 1963 for National Service Training - 2 RTB and housed a Coy HQ Staff until 2 RTB was disbanded in 1973). The premises remained empty until 1975 when HQ 3 MP Coy relocated there.

A further move for HQ 3 MP Coy occurred in 1981 with HQ again taking up residence in 'Majella'. This continues up to the present [unknown when this written] with the building being shared with 33 MP PL. Prior to the Army acquiring the building the previous occupants were:

September 1946                   Australian National Airways

December 1950                    Pall Mall Pty Ltd

May 1951                               Australian Broadcasting Commission

The building itself was constructed in 1913 by James Alston.

In writing this History of the Military Police in Victoria most of the research was done in the Australian Archives in Middle Brighton.