114 Mrcu

[mark]

Can anyone tell me what the MRCU stood for in the title of the RAAF's 114 MRCU?
I think it's Mobile Radar Control Unit but i'm not 100% sure.
Also does anyone have any info on the MRCU's. I thought there was one based near Williamtown and one at Amberley?...but are no longer around?

Regards Mark

[pgh]

Mark,

114 MCRU stands for Mobile Control & Reporting Unit. It was originaly formed as 14 (Mobile) Fighter Sector on 23 May 1943. Re-named 114 (Mobile) Fighter Sector, Headquarters on 18 October 1943, & 114 Mobile Fighter Control Unit on 07 March 1944.
The units final change of title occured on 12 March 1956 when it was re-named 114 Mobile Control & Reporting Unit.
It's current location (if still active)maybe either at Tindal or the Darwin area but I'm happy to be corrected

PGH

[mark]

Hey...thanks for the quick reply.Regards Mark

[gordon]

As mentioned it was formed in May 1943 at Camden, NSW just two months before 78 Sqn (Kittyhawks) was formed there, under the command of W/C Gordon Steege DFC. Now there's a famous name associated with the unit!

However 14 (Mobile) Fighter Sector had moved to Goodenough Is towards the end of June 1943 and served there for about 5-6 weeks before moving to Kiriwina Is. They were still there when 78 Sqn arrived at Kiriwina in the November of that year. In fact it was here that they vectored a 79 Sqn Spitfire to shoot down a Tony fighter on 31st October. A first for the unit. In March 1944 they went to Los Negros in support of 76 and 77 Sqns and it was on arriving there that the name change to 114 MFCU happened. During the war they also served at Morotai and Tarakan Islands, in fact at the latter place they landed just after the Australian assult force and within a few days were responsible for the warning system for the Allies on the island! When 78 Fighter Wing (75, 78 and 80 Sqns) became operational at Tarakan Is in July 1945 they provide air warning and vectoring for them. After the war they served at several bases in Australia and always tied with 78 Wing (hence 75 and 78 Sqns). Those bases were Deniliquin, Schofields and Williamtown before being disbanded with 78 and 75 Sqn on 1st April 1948. They were reformed the next year in January and again went OS to Butterworth Malaya in August 1958 and were disbanded there for a second time in October 1966. They were reformed at Amberley, Qld in April 1968. Some 20 years later they were presented with a Squadron Standard by the Queen on 31 March 1988, apparently the only non-flying unit in the RAAF to receive this distinction. I believe they are still based at Amberley but due to their mobile nature are often in the NT.

Another link with 78 Sqn is that their CO W/C Bill Horsman, from Sept 1960 to July 1962, flew with 78 Sqn in the latter stages of WW2 (Tarakan Is) as a F/Sgt pilot!

Hope all that helps and the interesting connections.

Gordon