History Archives - Page 9 of 12

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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The American Sixth Army established at Camp Columbia

During World War II, the United States Sixth Army played a pivotal role in the Pacific Theater, particularly in the campaigns to isolate and neutralise Japanese strongholds. Initially activated in Brisbane- headquartered in Camp Columbia – in January 1943 under the command of Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, the Sixth Army, known as “Alamo Force,” spearheaded

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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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The Digulists who brought a Gamelan with them to Australia

The Digulists This story is about the Digulists – prisoners of war who were captured after the Indonesian uprising of 1926/27. These political prisoners were transported to a specially established concentration camp in Tanah Merah on the Digul River in Dutch New Guinea. By the start of WWII, a large number of these political prisoners

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Dutch migrant family Douwes settles from Wacol in Inala, Brisbane – 1961

This story is written by Maria Douwes and published in her book: Back to Australia The Douwes family was one of the last families to move from Amsterdam to Australia for a hundred guilders. Both the Australian and Dutch governments sponsored this trip. On December 9, 1960, Maria Douwes emigrated to Australia with her parents, five brothers and

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General Douglas MacArthur – General SWAPA commander in Brisbane 1942-1944

General Douglas MacArthur stands among the most prominent and controversial military figures in American history. His career, spanning both World Wars and the Korean War, was marked by extraordinary tactical genius, political theatre, and a polarising personality that drew both admiration and disdain. Early brilliance and World War I heroism Born in 1880 to a

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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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American Captain Gunther Bonnin liaison with Dutch intelligence at Camp Columbia during WWII

Gunther Bonnin form Oregon in the USA was stationed as an intelligent officer in Brisbane during WWII. In this capacity he was commissioned to the Netherlands Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS). He apparently wrote a paper on Sukarno as part of his intelligence work. He was probably also a translator. After the war Gunther married in

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Simon Spoor – Director of NEFIS at Camp Columbia

Introduction Simon Hendrik Spoor was one of the central figures in the Dutch military and intelligence presence in wartime Australia. A professional KNIL officer with a strong background in military intelligence, Spoor became closely involved in rebuilding the Netherlands East Indies intelligence organisation in Australia following the Japanese conquest of the archipelago in 1942. He

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Sergeant Mauritz Kokkelink – Honoured at Camp Columbia, 6 August 1945

Mauritz Christiaan Kokkelink became one of the best-known survivors of the remarkable resistance maintained against the Japanese in Dutch New Guinea during the Second World War. Born on 17 June 1913 at Fort Willem I in Ambarawa, Netherlands East Indies, Kokkelink joined the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) in 1931. Following the Japanese occupation

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Brisbane’s Blueprint for Victory: The Strategic Planning Behind the Battle of Milne Bay

In late August 1942, a little-known bay at the eastern tip of New Guinea erupted into a fierce battle that would mark a turning point in the Pacific War. The remote Milne Bay became the stage for a decisive Allied victory, orchestrated from the unlikely command center of Brisbane, Australia, and bolstered by the crucial

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US Seventh Fleet established in Brisbane

The U.S. 7th Fleet holds a significant place in history, particularly during World War II. Established on March 15, 1943, in Brisbane, Australia, it was a crucial component of the Allied forces in the Pacific theater. Under the leadership of Admiral Arthur S. “Chips” Carpender, the fleet played a pivotal role in the South West

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The long Dutch relationship with the Southern and Southeast suburbs of Brisbane.

The long Dutch relationship with Southeast Brisbane began during World War II, when in 1942 the Americans established Camp Columbia in Wacol, Brisbane to stop the Japanese advance in the Southwest Pacific. The camp became the staging ground for the American campaign, covering an area of 20 by 15 square kilometers, covering most of the current suburbs

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Joan McConachy – secretary at the Dutch Army at Camp Columbia

Joan McConachy was an Australian civilian secretary who worked for the Dutch Army at Camp Columbia during the Second World War. She was not a member of the VK-KNIL, but she worked within the same Dutch military community and knew many of the women and men associated with the camp. This account is based principally

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Beppe Goote – ‘Dutch Mayor’ at Wacol, Brisbane

Hans and (Luberta) Beppe Goote migrated from Indonesia to Australia in 1956 after Indonesia nationalised all Dutch assets. The Goote family worked on a Dutch-owned tea plantation in Indonesia. They had the following children: Henny, Meika, Josje, Hans (jnr) and Conny. That is oldest to youngest. Hans (snr), Beppe and Henny have all passed away

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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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Camp Columbia and the Indonesian story

Camp Columbia in Brisbane was set up by the Americans in 1942 as a staging camp for the liberation of the Southwest Pacific. When the Americans moved on to Hollandia in Dutch New Guinea in 1944, the Dutch took over Camp Columbia. It was used by the Netherlands East Indies Government in Exile as their

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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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Coosje Ayal – Resistance in New Guinea and rescue to Australia

Costavina “Coosje” Ayal was one of the remarkable survivors of the resistance against the Japanese occupation of Dutch New Guinea. Still only sixteen when Japanese forces occupied Manokwari in April 1942, she joined a resistance group that remained in the jungles of the Vogelkop for more than two years. Her eventual rescue brought her to

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Plan to settle 5000 Dutch soldiers in Australian 1949

MORE than 5000 Dutch soldiers will migrate to Australia soon after demobilization in Java. Their entry will be under a mutual agreement between the two countries, to be concluded soon. It is understood that the Australian Government stipulated in the agreement that the men should be single and under 30. The Government’s objective is to

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