Senior Officer Profiles
Lt.-Col. John William Rhoden
Commanding Officer
Service Number: VX13726
Date of Birth: 13 September 1903
Place of Birth: Essendon
Date of Enlistment: 30 April1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 14 November 1945
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 2/3 Aust. LAA Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Allan Foreman Young
Adjutant
Service Number: VX95
Date of Birth: 20 October 1905
Place of Birth: Box Hill
Date of Enlistment: 17 October 1939
Place of Enlistment: South Melbourne
Date of Discharge: 2 April 1946
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 53 Aust. AA Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Alan Michaelis,
Quartermaster
Service Number: VX47597
Date of Birth: 16 June 1899
Place of Birth: Sydney
Date of Enlistment: Unknown
Place of Enlistment: Unknown
Date of Discharge: 5 August 1944
Rank at Discharge: Captain
Posting at Discharge: 38 Aust. Inf. Battalion
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Patrick Gavan Hayes
Regt. Medical Officer
Service Number: VX48422
Date of Birth: 5 March 1907
Place of Birth: Welshpool, Vic
Date of Enlistment: 26 July 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 5 December 1945
Rank at Discharge: Major
Posting at Discharge: AAMC ATTD LTA/A Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Major John Alexander Hipworth
Commanding Officer
7th Battery
Service Number: VX48009 (V81763)
Date of Birth: 18 May 1898
Place of Birth: Mathoura, NSW
Date of Enlistment: 23 July 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 1 September 1945
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 113 Anti-Aircraft Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Major Phillip William Clifford Stokes
Commanding Officer
8th Battery
Service Number: VX47598
Date of Birth: 25 October 1905
Place of Birth: North Melbourne
Date of Enlistment: 19 July 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 3 October 1946
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 2/3 Aust. LAA Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Major Clive Loch Hughes-Hallett
Commanding Officer
9th Battery
Service Number: VX14465
Date of Birth: 23 May 1904
Place of Birth: Littlehampton, U.K.
Date of Enlistment: 7 May 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield, Victoria
Date of Discharge: 13 October, 1944
Rank at Discharge: Lieutenant Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 3 LAA Regiment
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Bertram Allan Baglin
Battery Captain
7th Battery
Service Number: VX48177
Date of Birth: 8 December 1910
Place of Birth: Ascot Vale
Date of Enlistment: 24 July 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 20 May 1946
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 55 Aust. AA Regt RAA
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Francis Hollock Jorgensen
Battery Captain
8th Battery
Service Number: VX48756
Date of Birth: 20 July 1902
Place of Birth: Bendigo
Date of Enlistment: 3 August 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 11 February 1945
Rank at Discharge: Major
Posting at Discharge: 56 Anti-Aircraft Regt.
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Capt. Athelstane Garfield Margetts
Battery Captain
9th Battery
Service Number: VX47987
Date of Birth: 3 August 1908
Place of Birth: Waratah, Tasmania
Date of Enlistment: 23 July 1940
Place of Enlistment: Caulfield
Date of Discharge: 19 May 1945
Rank at Discharge: Lt. Colonel
Posting at Discharge: 3 LAA Regt
WW2 Honours / Gallantry: None for display
Prisoner of War: No
Signals Section
Signals Section was formed as part of the 1st Australian Corps of Signals at Seymour on 19 June 1940, and was comprised of a lieutenant and 39 other ranks, mainly from New South Wales.
On 20 December 1943, under the command of Lieutenant NJ Traynor, it joined the Regiment and embarked for the Middle East on HMT Mauretania on the 29th.
In April 1941, the Section proceeded with the rest of RHQ to join the Desert Force at Abu Haggag. In June it moved further west to Sidi Barrani as part of ‘Operation Battleaxe’.
The Section did not operate as originally planned in the Western Desert, but worked mainly with the R.A.F. Desert Air Force, and also with the 4th Indian Division, the Polish Brigade and the Durham Light Infantry Battalion.
In July 1941, RHQ, including the Signals and the Workshops Sections, moved to Hill 95 Camp in Palestine and remained there until February 1942, when it embarked for Australia on HMT Andes, with Signals Section under the command of Lieutenant LR Williams.
Whilst some members were transferred to the newly formed 2/4th Light AA Regiment, the majority saw service in Western Australia providing communications for the Catalina flying boats on the Swan River and R.A.A.F./U.S.A.F. bases at Pearce & Geraldton.
When the Regiment was disbanded in July 1943, the Signals Section was attached to 109 Aust Light AA Regiment. The section was disbanded in Sept 1943 and the men transferred to the newly-created 102 Aust Composite AA Regt’s Signals Section.
Workshop Section
When transferred to the Regiment in December 1940, Workshop Section comprised only twelve men under the command of Capt Roy Massina. Lt. George Wiley was in charge of the Section when it arrived in Palestine in January 1941. Captain W Beaurt replaced Wiley as the officer in charge of the Section until the Regiment returned to Australia in February 1942.
The section usually had a complement of between 30 and 40 men.