Our brothers in arms

SIXTEEN old friends and comrades of wartime were presented with a commemorative plaque last week.
The presidents of the Dandenong and Berwick RSL sub-branches presented the plaque at the annual reunion of the 52nd Battalion (Gippsland Regiment) held at the Dandenong Club.
The 52nd was one of two pre-regular army militia units and has strong territorial connections with the district.
When Japan entered World War II, they were fully mobilised for the defence of Australia and were moved from Victoria to Brisbane to protect the country from imminent threat.
The complete history of the battalion can be seen in Ron Blair’s book The Gippsland Regiment available at the Mechanics Institute Library in Berwick.