Darwin Mobile Force The Darwin Mobile Force was a mixed force of infantry and artillery raised by the Australian Army prior to the Second World War . It was the first regular infantry field force in the Australian military , although due to legislative restrictions that existed at the time it was established as part of the Royal Australian Artillery . Its formation marked a rare departure from the traditional Australian focus upon part - time citizen forces and is arguably a key moment in the development of a professional standing army . Attached to the 7th Military District , the Darwin Mobile Force were used to garrison the strategic port of Darwin in the Northern Territory , along with 9th Heavy Battery and the 7th Fortress Engineers , RAE , and to provide personnel with training and command experience . The force ceased to exist in August 1940 when its personnel were broken up and sent to other units . History . The Darwin Mobile Force was formed in response to growing concerns about the potential for war , which had resulted in the Australian government seeking to increase the readiness of the military through the creation of a number of regular army mobile forces to defend strategic locations around the country . Due to the provisions of the " Defence Act ( 1903 ) " which prohibited the establishment of permanent infantry forces , however , it was decided to raise the force as a unit of the Royal Australian Artillery , even though the majority of the force would be infantry . Such was the uniqueness of the force at the time that its establishment received a considerable amount of media attention . With a total establishment of 12 officers and 233 other ranks , the force consisted of a headquarters wing and reconnaissance group , an artillery troop of 18 - pounder guns , a medium machine gun section , a mortar section and a rifle company . The force ' s commanding officer was Major Alex MacDonald . Recruiting for the force was undertaken in all Australian states and resulted in over 3 , 000 applications , with preference being given to men who were currently serving in the Militia , although some members were also currently serving in the Permanent Military Force . Applicants were required to be between 18 and 30 years of age and were subject to high standards of medical and dental fitness , and successful recruits were signed on for an engagement of five years , of which two years and nine months was to be spent in Darwin . While ostensibly the force was to bolster the defences of the strategic port of Darwin — which were at the time defended by the units of the 7th Military District — conceptutally its role was much broader than this . Due to the legislative restrictions upon permanent military forces the opportunities for officers in the Permanent Military Force to gain command experience was low , thus upon establishment a large part of the Darwin Mobile Force ' s role was to provide command and training opportunities , not only to graduates from the Royal Military College , Duntroon , but also to members of the Australian Instructional Corps . The force came into being on 14 November 1938 , concentrating at Liverpool , New South Wales where equipment was issued and training undertaken . Training was completed by February 1939 and the following month the force paraded through the City of Sydney , after which the advance party embarked upon the " Marella " . A week later the rest of the force sailed upon the " Montoro " , stopping at Brisbane before continuing on to Darwin . Following their arrival on 29 March 1939 , the troops paraded through Darwin before taking up residence in the abandoned Vestey ’ s meatworks . Training was continued , including a number of field exercises , but these were punctuated by other tasks including unloading of ships , construction of roads and fixed defences and guard duties . Over time the force ’ s vehicles and other equipment arrived . After the outbreak of the Second World War , the government announced the establishment of an all volunteer force for overseas service — the Second Australian Imperial Force — and early in 1940 the Darwin Mobile Force began to be broken up as men volunteered to join the AIF . They moved from Vesteys meatworks to Larrakeyah Barracks and on 20 August 1940 the Darwin Mobile Force was disbanded and the infantry used to form the Darwin Infantry Battalion , under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Philip Cardale . This unit was later renamed the 19th Battalion on 1 November 1941 , while the artillery group became the 18th Field Battery , Royal Australian Artillery . Although the force did not receive any battle honour s and ultimately did not see any action during the war , arguably its contribution to Australia ’ s defence was in the personnel it provided to the Army . The force ’ s commanding officer , MacDonald , went on to command the 2 / 16th Battalion in the Syrian campaign , and then later the Jungle Warfare Centre at Canungra , Queensland . Of the officers who served in the Darwin Mobile Force , two rose to general officer rank , while four reached brigadier and two the rank of colonel . Of the other ranks that served , over 100 were eventually commissioned as officers , while a similar number became warrant officer s or senior non commissioned officers in the AIF .