Into the Australian Outback

While the first platoon of A Company was arriving at Port Moresby and getting settled in, the remainder of the battalion was speeding up construction work in Australia. Temporary camps were placed at various locations for B Company to begin work on the line from Charters Towers to Hillgrove. Long segments of the line were being completed every day as advanced camps were set up at Clarke River and Orangevale.

Building Australian lines

The Torrens and the 440th Signal Battalion arrived in Brisbane on a clear, warm winter day. The bulk of the officers and men were taken by truck to a holding area within the city limits of Brisbane while a detachment remained at the dock to supervise the unloading of their equipment. The unloading process required several days and this gave HQ Company an opportunity to catch up on records and other paper work. It was also a time for most of the battalion to rest a little.

Destination: Australia

As the Golden Gate Bridge and the California coast were swallowed by fog, the men of the 440th went below decks and began a journey of unknown length to an unknown destination.