american navy camp at camp hill brisbane june 1943

AMERICAN NAVY CAMP AT CAMP HILL BRISBANE
JUNE 1943-FEBRUARY 1945.
This very large US Navy Hospital was part of the American World War Two war effort
against the Japanese in the Pacific. It was built on vacant land behind the Camp Hill Hotel
and up to 3000 staff and patients occupied the area now containing Arrol, Errey, Ascham,
Morven, Aubrey and Arrowsmith Streets in the Brisbane suburb of Camp Hill. Camp Hill
was named earlier in the century and the name is not related to the US camp.
The area occupied was to the north of Old Cleveland Road and running to Stanley Rd and
from Kennington Rd in the east to the western side of Arrol St, excluding the old timber
Camp Hill hotel.
United States Navy Fleet Hospital No. 109
Lavarack Park
29 Aubrey Street, Camp Hill 4152
In April 1942, the United States Navy (USN) arrived at New Farm to establish a submarine
depot. The USN ran its Base 134 completely independent of the US Army’s establishment in
Brisbane – Base Section 3. Sick and injured sailors were initially dealt with at a USN
dispensary at New Farm. But as casualty numbers rose, the Commander of the US 7th Fleet
authorised the construction of a naval hospital at Camp Hill in 1943. It was built on a large
area of vacant land centred on a hill. Fleet Hospital No.109 operated until early 1945 when,
with US forces pushing towards Japan, the hospital was dismantled and shipped to a
Forward Area in the Philippines. As well, during 1944-45, the USN maintained a
Prophylactic Station close to the many brothels of South Brisbane.
History:
The United States Navy (USN) operated just one hospital, designated Mobile Hospital No.9
in Brisbane. It was built at Camp Hill on high ground, as the USN medical staff thought that
its elevation and breezes would aid patient recovery. Camp Hill was close to the Brisbane
River and the USN Air Station Colmslie that received constant flights of Catalina flying
boats. The USN hospital commenced its services on 13 July 1943. It dealt with all US naval
personnel, the sick or wounded evacuated from the battle zones or sailors based in Brisbane.
Most buildings were US-designed prefabricated structures brought as cargo to Brisbane.
These were steel-framed and covered in wood and fibrolite. The Seabee Naval Construction
battalions that were based at Eagle Farm built the first hospital buildings. Australians
undertook the subsequent construction under the direction of the Allied Works Council. For
example, in 1943, Alfred Snashall Anthon Pty Ltd supplied and installed water pumps
around the site. Any Australian work was billed to the Reciprocal Lend Lease (RLL)
program. In 1943, Camp Hill was a largely undeveloped, outer suburb and so the Americans
had to lay their own water and sewerage pipes for the hospital complex. Mobile generators
brought in by the military powered the hospital. Its main entrance was off Old Cleveland
Road, with the hospital site close to the Camp Hill Hotel. The Camp Hill tramline provided
transport into the City’s varied recreation facilities.
A 2,600-bed hospital complex was placed within a large site that comprised 171 individual
buildings of differing styles and sizes and its own internal road network. The complex
included mental wards (for treating combat fatigue) and a navy brig (i.e. jail). A total of 859
personnel were allotted to Fleet Hospital No.109. They comprised 58 male officers (doctors
and specialists), 52 nurses (all holding officer rank), and 2 US Marine Corps officers
commanding 16 marines plus 9 members of the American Red Cross Society. The latter
were under the direction of the American Red Cross Field Director’s Office that was located
at ‘Terrica House’ at 236-250 Adelaide Street in the City. Captain H.A, Bruckshaw was the
commander of Fleet Hospital No.109 in May 1944. In June 1944, the complex was
redesignated US Fleet Hospital No.109. At its peak period across much of 1944, the hospital
admitted 8,411 patients, about half of who recovered and returned to active duty and half
evacuated to the USA.
Due to the proximity of a number of popular brothels in South Brisbane, the USN medical
staff established a Prophylactic Station in the area on 3 October 1944. The Prophylactic
Station issued condoms to the sailors to prevent the spread of Venereal Disease (VD) or
other sexually transmitted medical conditions. Although the Station’s exact location has not
been verified, it was thought to be located in the Birt Chill Room in Stanley Street, South
Brisbane. This was the premises used by the Rear Echelon headquarters of the US Army
Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) Medical Section as a warehouse in 1945. The other
possible location was USN Receiving Barracks located at Davies Park, West End.
USN Fleet Hospital No.109 closed on 28 February 1945. Many of its prefabricated
buildings were dismantled and shipped to the Philippines. The Prophylactic Station closed
on 16 June 1945. Post-war the hospital site was developed into a housing estate centred on a
public space, now Lavarack Park (named after a World War II Australian general). The
hospital’s sealed roads became Arrol, Arrowsmith, Ascham, Aubrey, Errey and Morven
Streets.
U.S. ARMY 42ND GENERAL HOSPITAL
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2
The US Army 42nd General Hospital unit took over Stuartholme girls school in Brisbane to
establish a hospital. They also took another 20 acres of adjoining land to build administration
quarters
The girls at Stuartholme in Brisbane were evacuated from their school to a small country
hotel at Canungra near the bottom of Mount Tamborine. The hotel bar was turned into a
study room. The Stuartholme girls were relocated to the Grand Hotel, at Southport when the
Americans established Camp Cable in the Mount Tamborine area. The girls remained at the
Grand Hotel until the end of 1944.
Stuartholme convent and school were returned to the sisters in reasonably good condition
with a number of enhancements, including some additional buildings and a lift that had been
installed to carry hospital stretchers.
42nd General Hospital at Stuartholme during WW2
"Photo courtesy of Stuartholme School"
Stuartholme during WW2
The 3rd. Portable Surgical Hospital, which had been based in the Iron Range area, boarded
the SS Wandana, an Australian tramp steamer, at Portland Roads on 19 November 1943 and
disembarked at Brisbane on 29 November 1943. In Brisbane they were attached to the 42nd
General Hospital. They immediately began to re-equip the organization. Physical
examinations were done on all personnel. A training program was set up and followed.
Leaves were granted for all personnel and the T/O has been brought up to nearly full strength
with the assignment of one officer and six enlisted men. At that time they were prepared and
awaiting further combat duty.
As the hospital facilities at Stuartholme did not have enough room to handle the patients sent
to them, a second hospital site was established at Camp Columbia about 12 miles away by
road shortly after the 42nd General Hospital began operating at Stuartholme. The Hospital at
Camp Columbia was also known as Section II and also as the convalescent section. The
nurses, doctors, and enlisted men rotated through the convalescent section at Camp
Columbia.
The Hospital at Camp Columbia was essentially divided into three sections:


Surgical
Medical
Malaria
The 42nd General Hospital's newspaper "Stethoscope" of 19 May 1943 noted that the Malaria
Section had the most patients. The nurses left the Hospital at Camp Columbia in August 1943
[1] to return to Stuartholme. The remaining members of Section II moved to the new hospital
at Holland Park on 21 October 1943 [2] . The officers in charge of the Hospital at Camp
Columbia included Major William Walker (the first and last officer-in-charge), Major Simon
Bager, Captain Crawford, and Captain Muller.
The US Army established the 3,000 bed Holland Park Hospital on a 100 acre paddock at
Logan Road at Holland Park. About 300 men were involved in its construction. It took its
first patients in about June 1943 when the 42nd General Hospital moved out of Stuartholme
on Mount Coot-tha.
Holland Park
Hospital
5th Station Hospital, Holland Park Military Hospital
US Army 5th Station Hospital; 156th Station Hospital; 256th Station Hospital & 42nd
General Hospital; No.2 Area 102nd Aust. General Hospital and 2nd Convalescent Depot
Logan and Nursery Roads, Holland Park 4121
The Allied Works Council was responsible for the construction of many military hospitals
across Queensland during the war years. In the twelve months to June 1943 for example,
hospitals to capable of holding 20000 patients were erected for the Allied forces. The largest
hospital built by the AWC was that for the US Army at Holland Park.
History:
Costing more than £400,000, the Holland Park hospital was built in two sections, each
capable of holding 1000 patients. The buildings were erected by Stuart Brothers, with
incidental works to other contractors. The average workforce during construction
numbered 300 men.
The Main Road Commission built all the roads and pathways, BCC undertook supply of
electricity and installation of the sewer line. The first section was completed by September
1943. It had covered walkways between buildings and ramps instead of stairs, innovations
apparently uncommon in Queensland at that time. Most of the hospital was constructed of
timber and fibre cement, and spread across the site as part of a ‘tropical design’ which
allowed the retention of many mature gum trees.
The Holland Park hospital was occupied by staff of the 42nd General Hospital who moved
from the hospitals at Stuartholme in mid-1943, and from Camp Columbia a few months
later. Staff at the hospital numbered in excess of 1000 during the majority of the US Army
occupancy. The second stage of Holland Park (known as Unit II) was occupied by the
155th Station Hospital that was transferred from Ekibin at the end of June 1944. At various
times it cared for psychiatric patients, as well as establishing two wards for WACs. In
September 1944 the 155th Station Hospital was attached to the Sixth United States Army
and moved on to New Guinea in September 1944.
There are indications that the 42nd General Hospital was disbanded on 11 November 1944,
probably as a result of its movement northwards.
Holland Park was then occupied by the 102nd Australian General Hospital until war’s end,
after which the site was abandoned. It was demolished in the 1950s.