About This Unit
This page is a placeholder only, due to the widespread but errant use of the unit identifier '2nd/1st Independent Company'.
Readers are directed to the unit Page for 1 Independent Company (/explore/units/3910) It served on New Ireland and was largely lost in operations following the Japanese invasion. It was never reformed nor were any of the units that formed part of 'Lark Force' on New Britain.
Post-war various names had been applied such as the '1st Independent Company', '2/1st Independent Company' or '2/1st Commando Squadron'. These are all incorrect. All official records, less some personnel files of members, only refer to No. 1 Independent Company.
In personnel files this error is usually entered into the record well after the unit had disbanded and all other companies had been renamed to include the 2nd AIF identity prefix '2/'.
The Unit War diary and official documents of the day only ever refer to No. 1 Independent Company or 1 AIC (Australian Independent Company).
Steve Larkins Jul 2024