577TH ORDNANCE AMMUNITION COMPANY
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2

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After 17 days at sea , the 577th Ordnance Ammunition Company arrived in Brisbane on 13 June 1943 and were taken by truck to the Darra Ordnance Ammunition Depot where they camped with the 636th Ordnance Company. An outbreak of mumps hit the camp and several men of the 577th ended up in hospital. The 577th left the Darra Ammunition Dump and boarded a train for Kangaroo Ordnance Depot north of Townsville on 1 July 1943. They arrived in Townsville on 4 July 1943 and took over from the 630th Ordnance Company who moved to a new location. Some new cases of mumps occurred and the Company was quarantined until the end of July 1943.

An exchange of 1 Officer and 5 Enlisted Men was arranged with the 630th Ordnance Company to assist with familiarisation with the Depot. Lt. Mickels and a detachment of 30 men were sent to Torrens Creek to replace a similar detachment of the 636th Ordnance Ammunition Company who had worked at the Torrens Creek Ordnance Ammunition Depot. The township of Torrens Creek is located on the Flinders Highway between Charters Towers and Hughenden, about 88 kms east of Hughenden.

The 577th left Townsville on 5 October 1943 and travelled to Brisbane by train, arriving there on 7 October 1943. They moved into Camp Oxley and resumed work at the Darra Ordnance Ammunition Depot. They were replaced at Kangaroo Ordnance Depot by the 623rd Ordnance Ammunition Company. Lt. Robert L. McKloskey from the 577th was transferred to the 623rd to assist with familiarisation of Kangaroo Ordnance Depot. Lt. Mathews from the 623rd transferred to to the 577th.

Lt. Folkert and a detachment of 49 Enlisted Men were on Detached Service at the Calvert Ordnance Depot from 14 Oct 1943 until 28 Jan 1944.

Lt. Scott, C.O. was promoted to Captain on 13 November 1943.

On 8 January 1944, Lt. Maddox was transferred to the 170th Ordnance Company and Lt. Williams was assigned to the 577th from the 338th Ordnance Company.

Lt. Folkert, Lt. Williams and 5 Enlisted Men were placed on Detached Service at Columboola Depot on 2 February 1944.

 

                                                  ROSTER OF COMPANY                         21 October 1942

577th Ordnance Ammunition Company

1st Lt. Joseph Crowley, C.O.

2nd Lt. W.C. Cassart 2nd Lt. Arthur A. Moser
2nd Lt. Raymond H. Folkert 2nd Lt. Robert L. McKloskey
2nd Lt. Jack Scott 2nd Lt. William E. Nickels

CADRE

M/Sgt. James L. Woods 1st Sgt. Charleston Lee
T/Sgt. Leo T. Johnson T/Sgt. Byrd
S/Sgt. Edward McDavid S/Sgt Byrd
Sgt. Theodore Marshall Sgt. Samuel Ross
Sgt. James Mason Cpl. Reynolds
Cpl. Noel Nixon Cpl Elmore Robinson
Pfc. Oscar Pritchett Pfc. Cook
Pfc. Henry T. Childers Pfc. John T. Wright

Pfc. Willie Willoughby

1. Abbott, Taddeus 2. Atkins, Morris, Jr.
3. Anderson, Henry 4. Artis, Samuel W.
5. Barnett, Cyril 6. Bell, Emile
7. Benson, Edgar J. 8. Blacburn, Charles W.
9. Blanchard, Robert 10. Brandon, Robert D.
11. Bowers, Nelson 12. Brissett, Erskin
13. Brown, Henry T. 14. Brown, James C.
15. Buckley, Nehemiah E. 16. Byrd, Louis H.
17. Carter, James W. 18. Caupain, Walter
19. Cave, John W. 20. Chaney, Robert A.
21. Chase, Roy M. 22. Chisolm, George A.
23. Clarke, Dave C. 24. Clark, Eddie A.
25. Clark, George H. 26. Claybourne, James C.
27. Cobbs, William H., Jr. 28. Coleman, Edward G.
29. Coleman, Frank T. Jr. 30. Colon, Nick B.
31. Cordova, Manuel 32. Crier, Douglas R. Jr.
33. Cropp, Lawrence H. 34. Cruthfield, Huston, Jr.
35. Curry, Earnest 36. Daniels, William
37. Daughty, John E. 38. Davis, Nelson, Jr.
39. Davis, Kenneth E. 40. Davis, Willie D., Jr.
41. Dean, Pierce G. 42. DeJesus, Carlos
43. Delancy, Herbert N. 44. DePass, Granville C.
45. Dorsett, Joseph L. 46. Durant, John L.
47. Durant, John H. 48. Durkee, Benjamin E.
49. Ealey, Leroy 50. Edwards, Thomas
51. Ellis, James H. 52. Ellis, William C.
53. Finney, John M. 54. Forbes, Frank A.
55. Garrett, John 56. Goode, Morris E.
57. Goode, Pleasant 58. Goodwin, Harold
59. Graves, Willie C. 60. Gray, Arlander S.
61. Greaves, Victor I. 62. Green, Stephen J.
63. Greene, Milton A. 64. Hagans, Ozie
65. Hall, Waldo W. 66. Hannibal, Daniel L.
67. Harley, Donald N. 68. Hharis, Ernest
69. Herbert, George 70. Hicks, Harold H.
71. Hill, Charles L. 72. Holden, Francis C.
73. Holzendorf, James 74. Hunt, James N.
75. Jackson, Noble M. 76. Jackson, James 5th
77. Jacobs, Gilbert B. 78. Jennings, Bennie
79. Johnson, Elijah 80. Johnson, Broadus W.
81. Johnson, James H. 82. Jones, Winford L.
83. Julius, Leonard P. 84. King, Wallace A.
85. King, John 86. Lewis, George R.
87. Malone, Mack 88. Unreadable
89. Manning, James H. 90. Martin, James W.
91. Mason, Mathew, Jr. 92. Maurasse, Florentine
93. Maurras, Alvarez E .94. McCray, James P.
95. McGarrity, Andrew S. 96. McKinley, John
97. McGray, John N. 98. McWhirter, Fred
99. Mead, Adolphus B. 99. Millen-en, Harold B.
101. Miller, Eric 102. Moe, George J.
103. Morgan, Parker A 104. Miller, William O.
105. Murray, Edward J. 106. Nance, Harold
107. O'Grady, Charles M. 108. Owens, Fred
109. Pace, Robert 110. Paige, Edward L.
111. Patterson, George J. 112. Perry, Fred W.
113. Peters, Windell C. 114. Pettus, Burnett
115. Pickens, James A 116. Piggery, Blair
117. Poopore, John 118. Prince, Phillip, F.
119. Rawlings, George L. 120. Reece, Charles C.
121. Reese, Harvey O. 122. Rickenbacker, Cleve
123. Riley, Clifford E. 124. Rodriquez, Laurie A
.125. Rogers, Ashby L. 126. Rohan, Edward A.
127. Ross, Andrew 128. Savage, Horace C.
129. Scott, Charles A. 130. Scudder, Fred W.
131. Shepperson, Paul 132. Simmons, Floyd S.
133. Simmons, Henry J. 134. Smith, Herman T.
135. Speight, George H. 136. Stinchcomb, Marshall
137. Storms, Joseph F. Jr. 138. Surrey, Pablo
139. Talley, Mathew W. 140. Taylor, Agustus B.
141. Teague, Malcolm, Jr. 142. Unreadable
143. Thomas, Maurice N. 144. Thomas, Sands E.
145. Tillman, Frederick 146. Tindell, Robert O.
147. Totten, John E. 148. Townsend, James
149. Van Putten, David O. 150. Waller, Edward G.
151. Walters, Hamp 152. Washington, Ted R.
153. Watkins, Robert W.. 154. Watkins, William M.
155. Weaver, William W. 156. Westbrook, John A.
157. White, Alexander B. 158. Whitehead, Chris C.
159. Willis, Douglas 160. Wilson, James E.
161. Young, Jefferson, D.

 

REFERENCE BOOKS

"Wacol & Darra - The War Years"
by the Military Museums of the Pacific

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Noel Wallis for his assistance with this home page.

 

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This page first produced 28 December 2003

This page last updated 23 September 2023