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Location
Lat
19° 15' 0S Long 146° 48' 0E
History
Staging point for many of the American troops
in Australia as they departed for the battlefields north in New
Guinea. In late July 1942, three nuisance raids were made against
Townsville
which was by then the most important air base in Northern Australia.
Japanese Air Raids on Townsville
July 25 - 29, 1942
American Troops In Townsville
Known to the Americans as Base Section 2, it was developed into a
major base. 1,500
American personelle arrived in January 1942, and 5,000 were there by March.
In addition to the RAAF, Australian Army and RAN and more US troops, the
Townsville area had 90,000 in uniform by the middle of 1943. After
that date, the numbers
of troops slowly decreased, as the war moved further to the north. Overall,
the residents of Townsville were very welcoming to the Americans
and troops. Subject to several nucance night air raids by long
range Japanese flying boats, this part of North Queensland was
directly impacted by the war.
Garbutt Airfield (RAAF Townsville)
Built prior to the war, used by USAAF and RAAF during the war, still in use today
Mount
St. John Airfield
Located in the suburbs north of Townsville, used by USAAF
Ross River Airfield
Wartime airfield, disused since the war
Stock Route Airfield
Wartime airfield, disused since the war.
Black River
USN Hospital near Townsville
Cleveland Bay
Bay located to the south-east of Townsville.
12th Station Hospital & Mortuary
Located at Champman Street on Mysterton Estate. US Army hospital, Base Section Two.
Clarence Le Mieux recalls:
"I was getting the shakes from Malaria,
taking aspirin did not work, so I had to go to the hospital at
Townsville, it was a row of houses downtown, built on stilts. The put beds down
there under the houses too. Anybody that got hurt would go there.
We took a truck from the airfield used to load bombs down there. When
we got there, there were three crew men from a mission wounded
there that they were waiting to treat, so they had no place for us. They
said, the best thing we can do for you is go over to that other
house and lay there until a bed opens up. In those days, the Army was segregated,
and the other house was for the Black Soldiers. We did not mind
going there as it was the only place for us. The black guys there were real
nice, they would go down to Peter's Ice Cream and get ice cream
for us. They gave us quinine to take to have us get better from the malaria.
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Black
GI's in Townsville
96th Battalion Corps of Engineers (Colored)
91st Engineer Service regiment 4-11-42 to Woodstock
577th Ordnance Ammunition Comp 7-4 - 10-5-43 to Brisbane
623rd Ordnance Ammunition Company - Sept/Oct 43
630th Ordnance Company - ? - July 1943
636th Ordnance Company - July 1943 - ? |
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Last Updated
October 1, 2009
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