Provost Maritime Groups
Researched and written by
The Australian
Army, Military Police, Provost Maritime Groups were unique and interesting units
formed during WW2 to combat pillage and damage to stores and supplies being
shipped to the fighting troops in Australia and overseas. Sadly, many civilian
wharf personnel, unscrupulous military personnel and others believed that
pilfering and theft of military supplies was acceptable whilst the country was
at war.
The situation deteriorated
so badly that General Blamey created a specialist Military Police (Provost
Corps) unit to guard, investigate and prosecute personnel engaged in
pilfering/stealing war supplies that he called it the Special Investigation
Branch Maritime Group (SIB Maritime Group). The unit was part of the Military
Police, Special Investigation Branch (SIB), the Australian Army Provost Corps
(Military Police), investigative branch. General Blamey’s letter to the Army
Minister explains why the unit was formed:
My Dear Minister,
As you are
aware the problem of ensuring the safe delivery of essential stores for the
Services, particularly to forward areas, and the safeguarding of those stores
from pillage and loss whilst in transit, has presented many difficulties for
some time past. Losses and short deliveries have been very great and a variety
of measures has been adopted with a view to solving the problem.
It will be
appreciated that the need for safe delivery intact, at the destination, of all
stores railed or shipped for the Forces, applies not only to weapons and
ammunition but to all other Service Stores including food, clothing, comforts,
Canteen stores, etc. This need becomes more urgent in the case of stores for
remote or forward areas frequently of a special and technical nature where non
delivery or short delivery to troops has a detrimental effect on morale and a
direct bearing on the successful conduct of operations.
As one
measure to ensure security of Stores I have given instructions for the raising
of Special Provost Units in the A.M.F. to act as escorts, on Ships and
Railways, for service Stores in transit, and at ports of loading and discharge.
From your
knowledge of operational requirements you will appreciate the necessity for the
action taken. The continued losses of stores in transit and short deliveries at
destination cannot be permitted. The deterioration in morale involved is very
considerable in addition to the very considerable losses of goods.
T.A.
BLAMEY, General, Commander In Chief, Australian Military Forces
Reference:
Further detail in
support of SIB Maritime Units can be gained from the End or War report written
by the unit:
This unit was formed in October 1943 by order of the
C-in-C AMF. The Provost Marshal was instructed that the Unit would be raised as
a Group of the Special Investigation Branch of the Australian Army Provost
Corps in order to give its personnel the maximum authority in carrying out
their task. The OC was directly responsible to the Provost Marshal.
Functions
Its functions were to combat pillage and prevent
damage to vital service cargoes on wharfs and docks prior to its shipment from
the Australian Mainland to forward areas. Later its task was increased to
protect such cargo from receipt of same until removed from the vessel at port
of discharge.
Formation
Australian SIB Maritime Group was raised in
accordance with LHQ SM 25198 of 1 November 1943 and WE IV/118B/1. Group HQ and
one Platoon was established at Melbourne and commenced duties on 10 November
1943; one Platoon at Sydney which commenced duties on 12 December 1943, and one
Platoon at Brisbane commencing duty on 10 February 1944.
Each Platoon consisted of 1 Officer and 36 ORs. Amendment No.1 to WE IV/118B/1 dated 7 April 1944
authorised the raising of a further Platoon for duty at the Ports of Townsville
and
Personnel
Special care has been exercised in the selection of
personnel for this Group, honesty and integrity being of paramount importance.
Only volunteers who show interest in this Unit's special type of duties have
been taken on strength. All members selected have undergone a Security check
carried out by GS (Int). Special authority has been
granted to allow for the immediate disposal of any members found to be unsuitable.
Identity
An identification card has been issued to each member
of the Group to ensure proper identification and to assist a member in
performing his duties. National Security Permits to enter wharves and board
ships have been necessary and these were consequently issued to all persons
performing duties on the waterfront.
Duties
The duties of members of the SIB Maritime Group are
to protect all Service cargoes from pillage or wilful damage from the time of
receipt of cargo at the wharf or dock, during transit by sea until such cargo
has been removed from the vessel at Port of discharge. To fulfil these duties
it has been found necessary to have 3 to 6 men patrolling the receiving shed
and wharf, one man in the hold of the vessel receiving highly pillagable cargo and one man patrolling the ship's deck
during the daylight hours. As it is far more difficult to protect cargoes
during night loading it has been found desirable to increase the number of
personnel stationed in the holds. Further at times, the waterside workers are
very hostile towards members of the Unit and are more difficult to control
during hours of darkness. Where considered necessary an escort party has
embarked on the vessel to protect the cargo during the voyage and discharge at
the Port of destination.
Powers
Powers of arrest may be exercised by any member of
the Unit, but the policy of the Group has been, as far as possible, to prevent
pillage and loss rather than trace the offender after the loss has taken place.
In the event of action being necessary, it has been found desirable to secure
the assistance of the Civil Police where civilians are concerned, and in the
case of Army personnel to hand the member committing the offence over to his CO
for disciplinary action. Members are not responsible for the commencement of
any prosecution, but it is their duty to secure and furnish all relevant
evidence to the proper authorities. Owing to the difficulties being experienced
when armed guards were posted in ships, it was decided at the commencement of
this Unit's activities that members of the Group posted for duties on wharves
and ships would not be armed. This policy was found most satisfactory, pistols,
however are issued to members of escort parties when they proceed on escort
duties, mainly for their own protection whilst in the forward operational
areas. The policy of posting members armed in ship's holds,
is at times, fraught with danger, as, on many occasions when wharf labourers
have, by the vigilance of members of the Group, been prevented from pilfering
cargo, threatened members with personal violence. Members of the Group have
always been subjected to abusive language, but tact and diplomacy have
prevented and major incident. The policy of passive persuasion has proved most
successful in preventing loss.
The closest liaison has been maintained with Civil
Police, Central Cargo Control Committee, Shipping Control Board, Customs
Department and Movement Control Group, and it has been found from this close
co-operation that many attempts to steal cargoes have been frustrated.
Watchman Platoon
From the early days of the war a Garrison Battalion
was made responsible for security of certain static vulnerable points or
cargoes on the
Reference: History of Provost
Marshal Directorate HQ AMF 1939, AWM 54 803/1/1
SIB Maritime
Groups were disbanded at the end of WW2; however, its duties and procedures
were retained as part of Corps doctrine in the post war Australian Military
Police Corps and recorded as:
Duties of Maritime Units
Completed by the NCOs and handed into
Section Commander at completion of each shift. Information will include type
and tonnage of cargo, condition on arrival at ship's side, labour employed,
damage and pillage detected, apprehension and incidents, methods of discharge,
checking and delivery (in loading a progressive stowage plan will be compiled.)
Compiled from the daily reports above
and together with stowage plan is forwarded to Unit HQ.
Submitted by NCO IC to Section HQ on
completion of discharge of cargo at destination. Copies are
also handed to APM and CO Movement Control Group in the Area. The report
will include:
Itinerary of voyage,
Condition of cargo on unbattening of hatches,
Method of discharge,
Checking and delivery,
Labour employed,
Losses from pillage
Co-operation received from Services
concerned and any other relevant information.
(Copies of the report will be
despatched to Maritime Unit HQ by the quickest means.)
This report covers the entire operations of receiving
and loading of cargo on voyage of the vessel, and discharge of cargo at port of
destination. It is compiled on the return of the escort party from the contents
of the above reports.
Copies are fowarded to:
Provost Marshal - 1
DQMG (Mov & TN) - 2
Mov Control Gp (at port of loading) - 1
Reference: Page 14 Manual of the
Royal Australian Army Provost Corps 1952