Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

6 Garrison Battalion Tas (Internal Security)

Note: Precursor units 'X' Garrison Company, 6 and 30 Garrison Battalions, 6/30 Garrison Battalion (Internal Security) 1944-1945, 6/30 Garrison Company (IS) 1945-1946.

Tasmania intially raised one Garrison Battalion and one Garrison Company during World War Two. These units were the 6 Garrison Battalion and 'X' Garrison Company. The 6 Garrison Battalion was raised in October 1939 as an Internal Security Garrison Battalion.  Meanwhile, in 1940 'X' Garrison Company was raised for the same purpose.

X Company was expanded and reorganised to form 30 Garrison Battalion, in September 1942. This only lasted for a short time, though, as in June 1944 30 Garrison Battalion was decreased to the size of a company and thus was renamed as 30 Garrison Company. At the same time the both the 6th Garrison Battalion and the 30th Garrison Company were amalgamated together to form the 6/30 Garrison Battalion.

By 1945 the 6/30 Garrison Battalion was reduced to one company and thus redesignated the 6/30 Garrison Company. In a final move, 1946 the Garrison Company was reduced to the size of a platoon and again redesignated as the 6th Military District Defence and Employment Platoon. The platoon was disbanded in 1947 in Tasmania.

For the purpose of the VWMA, instead of creating an individual unit for each of these short-lived entities this unit entit, the 6/30 Garrison Battalion, is to be used to consolidate all members of the AMF that served in either unit during World War Two.

Garrison Battalions were part of the Australian 'Army Reserve' within the CMF Militia structure for Homeland Defence with the role of manning fixed defences and vulnerable points. The personnel were Class B men, those between 48 and 55 who had seen war service before September 1939, therefore mostly WW1 veterans.

The first seven Garrison battalions were raised in October 1939. A total of 33 were raised across the States numbered 1-33 and where more than three battalions were raised, they were grouped in State-based Brigades, numbered in accordance with the relevant Military District Headquarters in which they were embedded; 1 Garrison Brigade in Queensland, 2 in New South Wales, 3 in Victoria, 4 in South Australia and 5 in Western Australia.  A number of Battalions were merged and others reduced to a single company; in each case they retained the original Battalion number.

Prisoner-of-War and Internment Camp units were part of the Garrison Battalion organisation but were on a special establishment where the need for prior war service was waived. AWAS (female) personnel were subsequently often posted in for clerical and administrative roles.

From early on some battalions had adopted a secondary title indicating their specific role, such as (Internal Security). In 1942 this was formalised and most battalions were given an appropriate secondary title.

Initially, all Garrison Battalions wore the same shoulder patch, a black square on a green square. Numerous requests were made by battalions to individualise their patches and in late 1942 the system was adopted of geometric shapes, green on black in a reversal of the original design, approval for which was dated 11 December 1942.