4th DEPOT SUPPLY SQUADRON, 4TH AIR DEPOT GROUP
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII

The 4th Depot Supply Squadron, of the 4th Air Depot Group, less a Detachment of 2 Officers and 15 Enlisted Men, departed Tocumwal Airfield in New South Wales on 25 September 1942 per secret Movement Order Number 76, USAAS, dated 16 September 1942 for a permanent change of station, to what became Depot #2 adjacent to Mount Louisa, near Garbutt Airfield in Townsville. They arrived there on 2 October 1942.

Mary Jo Kidwell Hanna in the USA approached me on 18 January 2026 asking if I could help her find any information about her father’s service in Australia during WWII. Mary Jo told me that he was in the 4th Air Depot Supply Squadron and his name was Joseph “Joe” Lee Kidwell.

I knew that the 4th Air Depot Supply Squadron was one of the US Army Air Force units attached to the 4th Air Depot Group at Depot #2, the large American Air Depot near Mount Louisa in Townsville. I did a search in Trove for Joe’s name just in case he appeared in any random newspaper articles.

To my total surprise I found the following article:-

I forwarded the article to Mary Jo and she responded as follows:-

“I am really in shock with this. Yes, this is my father and his birth family is Magar.”

“Do you think there is a way to get a copy of the newspaper? I'm just so shocked!”

“Thank you so much for finding this!!”

Private Joseph “Joe” L. Kidwell

I asked Mary Jo, if her father had told the family about meeting his brother in Australia during WWII.

“No, I was not aware this had happened. I called my sister last night, at 2AM, and asked her if she knew about this and she is in shock also. (We both stayed up late at night.)”

“Jackie, my sister, helped daddy find his birth family years after our grandparents passed. He had two sisters still living. Daddy never mentioned that he had met his brother in Australia. It is so weird that he went to the other side of the world and met his brother!”

What an amazing story!!

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced ??  ??? 2010

This page last updated 15 May 2026