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| Location Lat 19° 15' 59S Long 146° 48' 21E Townsville is located on the coast of northern Queensland in Australia. Borders the Coral Sea to the east. To the north is Magnetic Island and to the northwest is Palm Island. Wartime History During the Pacific War, Townsville was developed into a major Allied base area and airfield complex and was an important staging point for troops bound for New Guinea. During January 1942, the first 1,500 American personnel arrived at Townsville. By March 1942 there were 5,000 Americans. Townsville was known to the U.S. Army as "Base Section 2". By the middle of 1943, the Townsville area had over 90,000 Australian and American troops. Afterwards, the number of troops slowly decreased as the war moved further away. In late July 1942, the Townsville area was subjected to several nuisance night air raids by long range Japanese flying boats Japanese missions against Townsville July 25, 1942–July 29, 1942 Garbutt Field (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 U.S. Navy hospital near Townsville Townsville War Cemetery American and Australian war cemetery at Belgian Gardens in Townsville. Cleveland Bay Bay located to the southeast 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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