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The Pensacola Convoy, officially designated Task Force South Pacific, was a significant U.S. military operation during the early days of World War II. Originally en route to reinforce U.S. bases in the Philippines, the convoy was redirected to Australia following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The convoy departed Pearl Harbor […]

Segregation as brought to Brisbane with the US troops. The US Army formed coloured troops into coloured units (which were not armed-always transport and labour units), housed them in separate camps (e.g. Camp Freeman in. Richlands) and prevented them from entering the Brisbane ‘CBD (West End across the river was designated their Reg.R area). NB-The

The Centaur, 2/3rd Australian Hospital Ship, was a motor passenger ship converted in early 1943 for use as a hospital ship. In November 1941 it had rescued survivors of the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran after it had sunk and been sunk by HMAS Sydney. On 12, May 1943 the Centaur sailed unescorted from Sydney at

n the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Australia, H.E. Mrs Marion Derckx, at an event hosted in May 2022 by the Pooh Corner Environment Centre and Dutchlink Brisbane a plan was launched to preserve the last remaining heritage items of Camp Columbia (which are situated in the Pooh’s Corner

Soon after the liberation of the southern Netherlands, on 14 September 1944, the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina decreed from London the official formation of a NEI government-in-Exile. This replaced the Netherlands East Indies Commission for Australia and New Zealand (NEICANZ) as it was established in 1942 in essence not much changed structurally and the renamed entity remained led

(In 1942) When the Japanese overran the Netherlands East Indies, 14 officials from the NEI administration were ordered to escape to Australia. After April 1944, when the US 6th Army transferred its headquarters to Hollandia (in New Guinea), Camp Columbia was o erred to the Dutch. On 14 September 1944, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

To meet the perceived threat from Japan, the Brisbane City Council began construction of at least 200 surface shelters. These concrete and sandbagged boxes changed the face of the city. Office buildings had taped windows and sandbagged entrances, water mains filled with salty bay water for fighting fires ran from North Quay along Ann and

During the war, Gailes, like all other clubs, had its difficulties. Machinery failures caused the closure of the second nine for months and clubhouse supplies were so scarce that the club introduced its own ration tickets  The course was far from congested but there was activity around the clubhouse. The American Army established its officer

Due to years of neglect much of the network was m poor shape. The railways however were unprepared for the role which they were to be called on as at the end of 1941 war broke out with Japan in the Pacific. Until this stage the war had not seriously affected the workings of the

The Australian 3 March 2003 “it 15 amazing what a coalition of the willing can achieve even on the home front. “ For almost two decades, Queensland pensioner Roy Thompson, 73, tried in vain for compensation, or at least an apology from Washington for a tragic accident in which one child was killed and seven

On 15 August 1944, a deputation of 3 residents from Darra met with the State Minister for Health and Home Affairs and the Police Commissioner’for Brisbane. They were introduced b` MLA Mr TIC Kerr The notes of the meeting include claims that: ..several attacks have been made by American Negroes on the residents at Darra

In the crisis year of 1942, Brisbane people surrendered many of the customary freedoms of daily life. All civilians were required to register for the war effort and were issued with:personal identity cards. Children were issued with identity disks. Travel out of Brisbane was restricted, and censorship of publications and private correspondence was enforced. The

On 29 Dec 1943-the Inspector of Police, South Coast District sent a Confidential reply to Police Commissioner – regarding a letter (by one of 3 Darra men in a later deputation)- complaining of the conduct of American Negro troops in de Dara area. “The locality in question is a military area and, therefore, I am

InternmentIn the fearful months of 1 942, Australians of both German and Italian heritage were interned. 15% of Australia’s Italians were interned as “enemy aliens. ” But in Queensland, where the fear was greatest, the number was far higher! ‘Forty-three percent of the state’s resident male ‘enemy aliens were interned compared to only three percent

Volunteer. Defence Corps (VDC) was raised and maintained its early years by the Returned Sailors Soldiers and Airmens Imperial League of Australia (RSSAILA): Boer War and Gallipoli veteran General Sir Harry Chauvel was appointed Inspector General. The VDC comprised men from every part o Australia and every walk of civilian life-volunteers under or over the

The 1942 Japanese air raids on Townsville alarmed the whole eastern coast of Queensland. Schools:were closed down or a time, and for some it meant a very wonder 1 time e ran wild” say some. Thousands of students from many State Schools as well as exclusive private secondary school were moved to scattered dormitories and

My family moved into a Housing Commission house in the new Inala in the early 1950s. We boys soon found that there was lots of small arms ammo round the area, remnants of the US Ammunition Dump. Finding it and extracting the cordite was a favourite pastime for the local boys, who spent hours combing

I was born in 1944 and grew up in a house of women in Richlands and Darra. Mum (Alma Bohan) was a strong woman of Irish descent, and she had two grown daughters. Then there was me-and Nita was born three years after me. I remember when I was about eight, Nita and I would

During WWII, my father was in a Transport battalion and was based out near Darra-Wacol somewhere. He was on the road every day, driving down to the wharves to pick up incoming goods, and bringing them out this way to be stored-in igloos I was told, though I’m not sure where. My father was a