The Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) was an Australian part-time volunteer military force of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

modelled on the British

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting w ...

. The VDC was established in July 1940 by the

Returned and Services League of Australia The Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL) is a support organisation for people who have served or are serving in the Australian Defence Force. Mission The RSL's mission is to ensure that programs are in place for the well-being, care ...

(RSL) and was initially composed of ex-servicemen who had served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

took over control of the VDC in May 1941, and gave the organisation the role of training for guerrilla warfare, collecting local intelligence and providing static defence of each unit's home area. General

Harry Chauvel General Sir Henry George Chauvel, (16 April 1865 – 4 March 1945) was a senior officer of the Australian Imperial Force who fought at Gallipoli and during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the First World W ...

, who had retired in 1930, was recalled to duty in 1940 and appointed Inspector-General of the VDC. Chauvel held this position until his death in March 1945. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Government expanded the VDC in February 1942. Membership was open to men aged between 18 and 60, including those working in reserved occupations. As a result, there were, by 1944, nearly 100,000 men in the VDC, organized into 111 battalions consisting of about 1,500 full-time personnel, over 30,000 part-time active members and over 43,000 part-time reserve members of the Volunteer Defence Corps. As the perceived threat to Australia declined the VDC's role changed from static defence to operating anti-aircraft artillery,

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

and

searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...

s. Members of inland VDC units were freed from having to attend regular training in May 1944 and the VDC was officially disbanded on 24 August 1945.

Gallery

Image:3-7 inch AA gun on Kensington Golf Links in May 1943.jpg, Members of the Volunteer Defence Corps training with a 3.7 inch anti-aircraft gun emplaced on Kensington golf links in Sydney. Image:Fort_Pearce_BL_6_inch_Mk_VII_gun_%26_crew_1944_AWM_P01108.002.jpeg, Fort Pearce, Port Phillip Heads Victoria. 6 inch gun crew from C Company 5th Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps prepare for action at training camp, April 1944.

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Military units and formations of Australia in World War II Infantry units and formations of Australia Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Militias in Oceania Civil defense Volunteering in Australia {{Australia-WWII-stub

Gallery

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