The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Fred Hillier standing guard in front of a Lister generator producing power for the operation of a 150 cm anti-aircraft searchlight No 2 (not pictured) of the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Company (65 AASL Coy) Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). The first anti-aircraft searchlight elements deployed to assist in the defence of Darwin from Japanese air attack in the Second World War were anti-aircraft searchlight companies of the RAE. On 1 May 1943 these companies became anti-aircraft searchlight batteries of the Royal Australian Artillery. 65 AASL Coy then the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Battery (65 AASL Bty) was located in the Darwin Quarantine Station area in the period 1943-1945. The lack of protective sandbagging or digging-in, and no camouflage indicates that the equipment has either just arrived at the site or it has been temporarily redeployed for operational or training purposes.
Informal portrait of two members of the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Company (65 AASL Coy), later retitled 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Battery (65 AASL Bty), near Darwin, with a 150 cm anti-aircr
A group portrait of members, probably of the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Battery (65 AASL Bty). The soldiers identified, left to right, are: Back row: F Skelly; Ray White; unidentified; Scottie (?
A Lee-Enfield rifle and a slouch hat, the puggaree of which appears to bear an anti-aircraft searchlight colour patch, hanging from a sign indicating 'Prohibited Area: out of bounds to all troops'. Th
A 60 inch 800 candlepower Sperry searchlight of the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Company (65 AASL Coy) Royal Australian Engineers (RAE), later the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Battery (65 AASL Bty
Two members of the 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Company (65 AASL Coy), later retitled 65th Anti-aircraft Searchlight Battery (65 AASL Bty), Ray White (left) and Rudy Major, standing in front of the
Port Moresby, New Guinea. 1942-43. Station 13, an Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Battery (AASL Bty) site at Vabukori in the Port Moresby area belonging to the 73rd AASL Bty. The site is behind a number of
