The following are abstracts from the archives of Bill Bentson that were given to Peter Dunn. We also have a profile on Bill here.
This is the information from Bill
In a letter addressed to Bill and his wife Joan, Alton Jensen provided the following information on Camp Columbia. Alton Jensen was a sergeant at the B Compagnie of the 738th Military Police Battalion.
Your information about Wacol was most interesting. I do not recall, exactly, the number of buildings included in our section, but I know that each Company (B & C) each had two buildings, the Officers had one, then there was one each for the Mess Hall, Medics, Headquarters, Headquarters Detachment, Motor Pool personnel and the Latrine with outdoor showers and lavatories. The barracks occupied by the part of “B” company of which I was quartered, was the easternmost building of the group. The Headquarters building was about in the middle with the Medical Building the farthest to the west. The Officers Quarters were the closest to the fence and railroad line. The whole area was bush and with tall grass and a few ant hills. We were not permitted to trim any of the bushes or grass. Our small drill and training area was down near the railroad tracks. Our hikes were done along the road past the station and into the woods. A couple of times we were taken to the Australian rifle range for some target shooting. At that time there was quite a space between our unit and the OCS buildings. Those buildings were closer to the road and entrance. We did not have a gate at that time and usually no guards were stationed there. Our guards were on the road as one entered the 738th area. A tent was set up at that point. The Supply sections for each company and headquarters and Battalion were in tents and scattered in various places within the limits of our camp area. We had no movie equipment so we were invited over to the OCS section to see theirs when they were able to get them. Since our location at Camp Columbia was only temporary, we were not permitted to put up anything of a permanent nature. We were moved to Camp Whinstanes a few days before Christmas when those buildings were finally completed. The accompanying sketch is what I remember of the location of areas and buildings at Columbia.
This is the full letter