Sawmilling operation on Tarakan by 2 Australian Field Company RAE

Two timber sawmills were set up at Tarakan to supply timber for use in reconstructing wharves, bridges, mess huts and theatres etc. 2 Australian Field Company RAE saw bench was constructed mainly out of scrap parts and was driven by a Ford V8 motor made from salvaged parts. This saw was never intended to supply the amount of timber that it eventually did, but owing to the effectiveness of Allied air attacks and Japanese scorched earth, the amount of sawn timber available was very limited. From mid May 1945, to 24 September 1945, this mill supplied some one hundred and twelve thousand super feet of cut timber. The second mill was operated by 2/24 Battalion HQ Company Pioneers. Identified: Padre NX203207 Captain Walter Richard Cowper working on the pattern of the plaque for the cenotaph at the War Cemetery, Tarakan.