Australia Archives - Page 5 of 6

Australian Rocklea Munitions Factories – critical for the war effort in the Pacific

The WWII Rocklea Munition Factory played significant role during WWII. It was one of Queensland’s largest construction projects during World War II, serving as Australia’s most northerly ammunition manufacturing plant. Its importance increased once Gneral Douglas MacArthur established its headquarters in Brisbane and the Allied forces started to make progress. particularly after fighting reached New […]

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Mark Gehrke’s WWII artefacts from Brisbane

Lloyd Gehrke, received these artefacts. His uncle Archie Mann and his wife Grace (the sister of Lloyd’s mother)had a horse-riding business in Kalinga, Brisbane. This city was, after General Douglas MacArthur established his WWII head office here in 1942, an important military centre. The horse riding business mentioned above attracted lots of Australian and Allied

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Gailes Emergency Landing Ground – WWII

In May 1942, amidst the backdrop of World War II, the Gailes Emergency Landing Ground (ELG) was constructed for the American military. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) subsequently assumed control of the site, categorizing it as a B-1 type airfield, characterised by a single runway exceeding 800 yards. Intended primarily as a crash strip,

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The Mysterious Disappearance of Sharron Phillips near Camp Wacol (1986)

The Night of Disappearance On the evening of Friday, May 9, 1986, at around 8:00 PM, Sharron Phillips was reported missing to the Goodna police by her mother, Dawn Phillips. Sharron, a vibrant 20-year-old, had vanished without a trace. Earlier that day, her father and brother had discovered Sharron’s yellow Datsun Bluebird Sedan, registration 463-PKH,

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Central Bureau-Ascot: WWII Codebreakers in the Pacific

During World War II, the Central Bureau was established in 1942 to support General Douglas MacArthur’s South-West Pacific Area Command. This unit brought together intelligence personnel from various countries, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand. Concurrently, the Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne (FRUMEL) was formed to assist the United States

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Brisbane: Strategic Heart of the Brutal New Guinea Campaign

The jungles and rugged mountains of New Guinea became a grueling battleground during World War II, witnessing some of the most arduous and harrowing combat faced by Allied forces. Far from the spotlight of Europe, the New Guinea Campaign was a protracted struggle against a tenacious Japanese enemy and the unforgiving tropical environment. At the

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From Camp Columbia HQ to Brisbane Correctional Centre

It may be striking to contemplate Brisbane’s origins as a prison colony. The history we delve into pertains to Camp Columbia in Wacol, and there is a link back to the beginnings of the City. As its military facilities gradually disappeared, the vast terrain once utilised by Camp Columbia found new purposes. Presently, the area

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The Women of Camp Columbia

At Camp Columbia and the surrounding military facilities, two groups of women were employed. Firstly, there were the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), comprised initially of American women, later supplemented by Dutch recruits. The primary duties of the WACs encompassed a range of administrative, technical, and communication tasks, effectively freeing men for combat roles. Their responsibilities

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WWII Military facilities in South West Brisbane

Several of the details below are coming from the books World War II stories from Brisbane’s South West and 150 Years Richlands, Inala & Neigbouring Suburbs in Brisbane’s South West both by Vicki Mynott. Receptively in 2006 and 2009 she published stories from locals who provided some of the information in this chapter that I have –

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From Camp Columbia to Wacol Army Camp later Sanananda Barracks

By 1946, most Dutch troops had left Camp Columbia. Ammunition and equipment were either dumped at sea or buried at some isolated spot. The quarry at Acacia Ridge was a convenient dump, and Willawong, also, received its share of disposals. Some army huts and buildings at Camp Columbia were left on site, and these were

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Proposed Industrial Garden City in Darra – 1918

The Proposed Industrial Garden City in Darra, initially presented at the Second Australian Town Planning Conference in Brisbane in 1918 by Dr. Thomas Arthur Price, the Mayor of Toowoomba, showcased a visionary urban development plan. Inspired by the Garden City Movement and citing the First Industrial Garden City in Letchworth in England, the proposal aimed

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Royal Australian Navy in the Southwest Pacific WWII

At the outbreak of WWII the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was largely deployed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. After the Japanese Navy’s attacks on the Allies in December 1941, the RAN redeployed its larger ships to home waters to protect the Australian mainland from Japanese attack, while several smaller ships remained in the

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Homes within the perimeter of Camp Columbia requisitioned by the Americans

JIM GRINDLE’s home near Wacol Station was one. It became a Communications Centre for the United States Army, and the family moved in with the Grindles at Wolston House. WILLIAM DYNE purchased 100 acres on the southern side of Ipswich Road at Wacol and settled there with his wife and family in 1917. The property

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Sultan of the Spice Island of Ternate at Camp Columbia

Sultan Muhammad Jabir Syah (4 March 1902 – 4 July 1975) was the 47th ruler of Ternate from 1929 to 1975 and the last Ternatan Sultan with executive powers. In 1944, during World War II, the Western Allies began liberating parts of eastern Netherlands East indies. They contacted Sultan Jabir, who had moved to the

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Pauleen Badke – a young woman’s wartime experience at Camp Columbia’s Officer Candidate School

Pauleen Lillian Badke was born at Booval in Ipswich in 1925. Her father’s name was ‘Wilhelm’ but he was known to everyone as ‘Bill’ – her mother’s name was Lillian. She had one brother, Keith. Bill was well known in Ipswich and surrounds as a building contractor, and for his love of harness racing –

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Australia’s military commander Thomas Blainey moved his headquarters to Brisbane in 1942

During World War II, the Australian military commander in Brisbane was General Sir Thomas Albert Blamey. Blamey was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces in 1939 and held that position throughout the war. After leading the Australian Forces in Europe and the Middle East he came back to Australia in 1942. Here

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The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command – 1942

The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, or ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied forces in Southeast Asia, the area also included the supply port of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. ABDA had been established at Bandung, Java on 10 January 1942 and became operational following the declaration of war by Japan on 12 January

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Camp Columbia has new residents

We now have seven koalas on site at Pooh Corner Bushland Reserve, six of which are rescued individuals which have been released here. This is the first photo of the first offspring – Lady Jane’s joey (a son), now out of the pouch!! Mother and baby looking fine. Looks promising that her first offspring has

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Brisbane at war – other places to visit.

We would like to include other sites to this list, so please send us more information on remnants of the war that are still visible in Brisbane. MacArthur Museum Brisbane Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries Museum of Brisbane – Walking in wartime (walking tours) Archerfield Airport Eagle Farm Airport Former US Army Flagpole – Victoria

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Australians in Netherlands East Indies first ever UN Peacekeepers

In August 1947, Australian military observers were stationed in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) under the auspices of the United Nations Good Offices Committee (UNGOC). Their purpose was to monitor the ceasefire between the Dutch and Indonesian forces during the Indonesian National Revolution. The number of Australian observers increased after the Second Dutch military operation

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