Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries

Prior to the aircraft carriers we know today, seaplane tenders bought aviation to the sea. First introduced in 1911, these ships ‘tended’ to their complement, providing maintenance and deploying/retrieving floatplanes with cranes.

Most Royal Navy (RN) seaplane tenders were converted from civilian steamers, such as HMS Ben-my-Chree (Manx for ‘Woman of my heart’). With an aircraft hangar fitted aft and a complement of Short 184 floatplanes, Ben-my-Chree supplied naval airpower to Entente forces in the Dardanelles and wider Mediterranean. Its floatplanes claimed the first ship sunk by aerial torpedo when supporting the Gallipoli campaign and later reconnoitred Turkish defences at Beersheba, amongst other operations. Ben-my-Chree itself came to the aid of Australians from the 21st and 23rd Battalions in September 1915 when the troopship HMS Southland was torpedoed enroute to Gallipoli. Alas, Ben-my-Chree did not survive the war, being sunk by Turkish coastal artillery near the island of Kastelorizo in 1917.

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) acquired its own seaplane tender when HMAS Albatross was commissioned in 1929. With a standard displacement of 4,800 tons, she was the largest ship yet built at Cockatoo Docks and was designed from the keel up for the tender task. The amphibious Supermarine Seagull III aircraft which made up its complement were operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 101 Fleet Cooperation Flight, requiring close collaboration between the two services. The Seagulls’ tasks included spotting for naval gunnery during exercises and survey work over the Great Barrier Reef. Albatross paid off in 1938 and was transferred to the RN as part-payment for HMAS Hobart. Although the ship did not see Australian wartime service, the operational experience gained proved valuable for the use of aircraft from RAN cruisers (and the later Fleet Air Arm).
In British service, Albatross fulfilled many roles during World War II. This included anti-submarine patrols off West Africa and operating as a repair ship during the Normandy landings. In 1949, following conversion to a passenger vessel and rechristening as Hellenic Prince, it transported 1,000 displaced peoples to Sydney; returning to its birthplace after an 11-year absence.

29385 Robert Cyril Vickers Photographs 1915-1919, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.

Albatross (ship), ca. 1938, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 10303.

R.A.A.F seaplane Bowen Queensland November 1928, 7185 Collection of photographs of telephone boxes, tele-communications buildings, telephone exchanges, and some country towns, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 7185-0001-0046.

Thank you to everyone who attended yesterday's talk exploring the fascinating history of Rosemount Repatriation Hospital presented by special guest speaker Associate Professor Clifford Pollard. Rosemount, located at Windsor, was opened in 1915 as 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital (AAH), later becoming 27 AAH. It specialised in the rehabilitation of orthopaedic and spinal injuries with massage, physiotherapy and amputee services. Such was the demand as World War I ended that Rosemount struggled to cater for its ever-growing patient lists, with the site requiring numerous additions. This important historical site is a testament to those who survived the war and a reminder of the long-lasting health implications many suffered. Moreover, Rosemount draws attention to the essential role that medical staff played in the ongoing rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.

For those interested you can read Associate Professor Pollard article, World War I Queensland military hospitals, repatriation, and the Returned Soldiers' Transport Corps, here: https://qld.pulse.ly/fd06iclipa.

Defence Chaplains, commonly referred to as Padres, have been accompanying our armies into war zones for over 110 years. In wartime they have buried the dead, carried stretchers and tended to the wounded, counselled service personnel of all ranks, arranged entertainment behind the lines and provided comfort and pastoral care for those of faith and non-religious alike.

Their services were a great help to many during the long years of incarceration in Japanese Prisoner of War (POW) camps after the fall of Singapore. The allies captured in Singapore endured three and a half years as POWs and many drew on their religions to help them through. The building of Chapels, while in the camps, attests to this.

One such example was an Anglican chapel known as St. George’s Church, which saw four iterations. The first was built near Changi Village and the second at Kanchanaburi by those sent to the Thai-Burma Railway. The third was built in 1944 near Changi Gaol. The open-air construction had a roof that offered shelter for the altar, while the rest of the church was exposed to the elements. On the altar was the Changi Cross, which was fashioned from a 4.5 Howitzer shell in 1942 and followed the church to all its locations including its last one near the Officer’s area of Changi Prison. A replica of this chapel and the original Changi Cross can be seen at the Changi Museum in Singapore.

Our Lady of Roman Catholic Chapel was also built in Changi by the allied POWs in 1944. The Chapel, originally a crude hut structure, developed over time with access to additional materials. It reflects the ingenuity of the prisoners who constructed it in terms of both design and the materials they were able to scrounge. This Chapel is also an open-framed structure. However, its roof has terracotta tiles which were manufactured in India and were scrounged by the prisoners from damaged or abandoned British Army Barracks in the areas surrounding the camp.

When Changi camp was liberated in 1945, the chapel was dismantled and transported to Australia with detailed plans to reconstruct it. Originally it was to be part of the Australian War Memorial, however, stayed in storage until 1988. Finally, it was reconstructed at the Royal Military College Duntroon and stands as a National Memorial to the over 35,000 Australians who have been Prisoners of War.

Images: (photos taken by team member)
Replica of St George's Church and dedication at Changi Museum, Singapore.
Changi Chapel rebuilt and dedication at Duntroon, Canberra.

When you are on a road trip or far from home a great way to pass idle time is with portable games. Now we have countless different travel games available to keep us entertained.

In World War I, some men carried a deck of cards with them in their pack for just this reason. Distracting yourself and your mates from the dreadful situation you found yourselves in was very popular indeed. Participating in something that they may have done with their families back home, might have given these men a sense of normalcy for a few moments and some breaks in the long years that they were away. Injured soldiers spent many idle hours playing games with their fellow patients while recuperating.

Handmade games started to be created by those without access to a deck of cards. Some made simple chess or checkers boards out of cardboard or cloth scraps that they drew and coloured in the squares of the ‘board’. Playing pieces were also created out of whatever items they could lay their hands on like torn scraps of cloth or paper, small stones or pieces of wood from packing crates. These games were not single use or disposable. Their value was evident in how they were cared for. Men kept their gameboards and pieces tied together in little bundles or in repurposed cigarette tins.

By World War II the value of portable games was recognised for the benefits derived from playing them, such as the building of close bonds and friendships and raising unit morale. Cards were even included in Red Cross parcels and became a popular item for families to send to their loved one serving far from home. It was also during this conflict that travel chess, checkers and backgammon games became commercially available, providing a variety of entertainment options for our troops.

Australians at bridge in a second line trench, The Queenslander pictorial supplement to the Queenslander, page 22, 15 March 1919, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 702692-19190315-s0022.
Defending Bowen Jetty against a German invasion during World War I, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 26878.

On June 7th, we acknowledge National Military Working Dog Day.
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We remember the decades of service demonstrated by Australia's four-legged friends and their handlers, notably Sapper Darren Smith and Explosive Detection Dog Herbie. Sapper Smith was the first Australian Defence Force dog handler to be killed in action, along side his military dog, in Afghanistan on June 7th, 2010.
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The anniversary of their deaths was chosen by the Australian Defence Force Trackers and War Dog Association to honour the sacrifice and devotion all working military dogs, their handlers, and the many other animals that have served throughout history. Each year a service is held at the Military and Service Working Dog National Monument, at the RSPCA Brisbane Animal Care Campus in Wacol. Members of the Army, Air Force, and various other agencies that work with dogs, such as Queensland Police Force, attend this commemorative service to remember Sapper Smith and Herbie and recognise the service of military working dogs and their handlers.
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Military dogs have many roles in the ADF, including explosive detection, patrol work, search and rescue, tactical apprehension, and tracking and scouting, as well as providing their comrades with comfort and morale boosts. They have served in Korea, Borneo, Singapore, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Somalia, East Timor, Solomon Islands, Bougainville and Malaysia.
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In 2014, military working dogs were used by the army in one of the biggest peacetime military operations in Australian history - right here in Queensland. In preparation for the G20 Summit hosted in Brisbane, military working dogs were used for counterterrorism and vehicle-search point exercises.
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Today and always, we honour and remember military working dogs for their dedication and bravery.

Detector dog inspecting the cab of a truck in a security exercise in preparation for the G20, Suncorp Stadium, Milton, 11 November 2014, Hamish Cairns Brisbane G20 Photographs 2014, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 29715-0003-0055.
Soldiers and detector dog in a security exercise in preparation for the G20 Suncorp Stadium Milton 11 November 2014, Hamish Cairns Brisbane G20 Photographs 2014, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 29715-0003-0035.
Soldier and German Shepherd dog during a counter terrorism exercise in preparation for the G20, Queensland Fire & Emergency Services Academy, Port of Brisbane, 28 October 2014, Hamish Cairns Brisbane G20 Photographs 2014, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 29715-0001-0009.
Detector dog inspecting the contents of a vehicle in a security exercise in preparation for the G20 Suncorp Stadium Milton 11 November 2014, Hamish Cairns Brisbane G20 Photographs 2014, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 29715-0003-0047.

The next free talk at Anzac Square Memorial Galleries is 'Caring for the wounded: Rosemount repatriation hospital' and there are still a few last minute seats available.
Rosemount, located at Windsor, was opened in 1915 as 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital (AAH), later becoming the 27 AHH. It specialised in the rehabilitation of orthopaedic and spinal injuries with massage, physiotherapy and amputee services. Rosemount draws attention to the essential role that medical staff played in the ongoing rehabilitation of wounded soldiers.
This talk will be presented by special guest Associate Professor Clifford Pollard, who served in Bougainville and East Timor as a member of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps.
Don’t miss your chance to join us next week on Sunday 14 June to hear about the history of Rosemount Military hospital and the crucial role it played caring for returned service personnel.

Follow the link to secure your secure your seat:
https://qld.pulse.ly/avby8bmnac

A section of the new ward at Rosemount Military Hospital, Page 24 of The Queenslander Pictorial, supplement to The Queenslander, 13 September 1919, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 702692-19190913-s0024.

“He was hit and fell on his face just in front of me at 4:30pm on April 11th 1917 at Bullecourt, just before we reached our first objective. I don’t know if he was killed but it looked like it from the way he fell.”

Norman Stanley Fuhrman was born at Kangaroo Point in July 1892 to Gustav and Helena Fuhrman. He was one of five children, with three sisters and one brother. Sadly, his childhood was marred with tragedy, with the loss of both of his parents. In 1899, his father, the captain of The Channel Rock Lightship, drowned when Cyclone Mahina hit Bathurst Bay in the Torres Strait Islands. He was one of over 300 victims, in what remains one of Australia’s worst maritime disasters. Norman’s mother, then succumbed to tuberculosis in 1901, followed by his oldest sister Teresa in 1904. Following the death of his parents Norman and his older brother Oscar were adopted by Henry Courtenay-Luck, the secretary for the Commercial Traveller’s association. His sisters Daphne and Helena were placed in the care of Albert Hector Hunt, a Brisbane grocer.

On 19 September 1914 Norman enlisted in the Australian Imperial Forces at the age of 22. He was assigned to the 15th Infantry Battalion and embarked overseas on 22 December 1914 on the HMAT Ceramic A40. His unit took part in the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 with Norman suffering a gunshot wound to his face the following day. He was evacuated to a hospital in Mustapha, Egypt, before returning to his unit on 25 June. In August he was evacuated to hospital in Malta suffering from gastritis, a common illness due to the cramped and unsanitary conditions at Gallipoli. One study estimates that almost three quarters of Australians on the peninsula became ill at least once.

In October 1915, due to a slow recovery, Norman was sent to London for further treatment, admitted to the 1st Southern Hospital in Brimingham. While convalescing, he was charged with breaking bounds in hospital, drunkenness, and being absent without leave on several occasions. This resulted in a period of detention and 64 days without pay. Following additional training and a short bout of bronchitis Norman rejoined his unit in France on 4 October 1916 and remained with them until he was killed in action on 11 April 1917 during fierce fighting at Bullecourt. His body was never recovered.

This was a tragic loss for this family, with his brother Oscar and sister Helena each naming one of their sons after Norman.

Portrait of Private Norman Fuhrman, photographed in The Australasian Traveller, 5 July 1917, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no 684723-v013n005-s0033-0002.

During World War II our first and only indigenous Battalion was formed in the Torres Strait Islands. The Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion was raised in March 1943 in response to Japan’s sweeping victories in the Pacific region. Almost every man from across the small island communities, 880 in total (from a population base of about 4,000), volunteered to join the Battalion and help defend their families, community and country.
As early as December 1940, with mounting pressure on manpower resources in Australia, it was decided Torres Strait Islanders could be enlisted to ‘replace’ some of the white troops being sent to the Horn Island military garrison. Recruiting into a Militia Torres Strait Infantry Company started in June 1941 but as the pay offered was less than half the regular army pay, only 66 enlisted. By October 1941, 106 men had joined, and a report of their service acknowledged their excellent discipline and good conduct. When Japan entered the war things changed dramatically in the islands. Air raids on the RAAF base at Horn Island began on 12 March 1942, and the tempo of defensive preparation increased rapidly. An aggressive recruiting drive began and during the tense months, from the Japanese landing at Gona on 21 July 1942 and the recapture of Kokoda on 2 November 1942, the company of 106 recruits grew to over 730. These men would become the Torres Strait Light Infantry Battalion (TSLIB) when it was officially raised on 1 March 1943.
The recruits were engaged in defensive preparation, basic training, range practices, joint exercises with non-islander units, reconnaissance and the dispersal of ammunition and other stores. By December 1943 the underpaid troops in A, B and C companies, who were also worried about their families left on the islands to support themselves with no men to protect them or ensure food supplies, refused to work in protest. A Company, mainly Murray Islanders, were the last to return to work on 31 December after assurances their complaints would be heard. Despite acknowledging at a conference that the underpayment of the troops was illegal, it was decided that an increase to 66.6% (from 50%) of white pay was sufficient. It wasn’t until the 1980s that surviving members of the TSLIB would receive the full back pay to which they were entitled, and in the early 2000s their service medals were finally awarded.

This photo of Torres Strait Island Policemen taken in the 1950s includes 4 Murray Island men who served in the TSLIB during WWII.

Q85044 Jimmy Wailu was 29 and married when he enlisted on 14 June 1941. He served for 5 years discharging on 20 June 1946. His service included 145 days of Active Service overseas in Merauke, Dutch New Guinea.

Q85198 Nagai Tabo was also married and 32 when he enlisted on 1 June 1942. His service continued until 13 March 1946 and included 99 days of Active Service overseas in Merauke.

As we couldn’t find any service records for Benny Kudub, (centre), we can’t ascertain if he served during World War II.

Q85158 Dad Epseg was only 21 when he enlisted on 13 April 1942. It would seem he was in one of the TSLIB Companies that went on strike in December 1943 as his records show he was fined one pound at that time, which was the punishment meted out to the strikers. Dad served until 5 June 1946.

Q85122 Arees Tapau was just 18 when he enlisted on 20 August 1941. Like Dad Epseg, he was fined a pound and confined to barracks for 14 days for being part of the 1943 strike. He continued to serve until 20 June 1946.

As three of the four who served died before or in 1984 it is doubtful they ever received their backpay or medals. Jimmy, however, lived until 1997 so hopefully received those entitlements. Despite the inequalities experienced during WWII, men and women of the Torres Strait Island communities continue to serve in our forces today. For example, it is believed that every soldier in Charlie Company 51st Battalion FNQ Regiment based on Thursday Island is a descendant of someone who served in the TSLIB.

Jimmy Wailu (Quantell), Nagai Tabo, Benny Kudub, Dad Epseg and Arees Tapau, circa 1950. TR 1970, Miles Family Photographs
Brisbane John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland.
Image number: TR1970-001-0038

In 1967 No.2 Squadron left their base at Butterworth, Malaysia, to join the Vietnam War. Based at Phan Rang Air Base as part of America’s 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, they made a name for themselves as the best performing unit in the group. Flying around eight missions per day, No 2. Squadron flew a total of 11,900 missions throughout their time in Vietnam.

The squadron used the English Electric Canberra, a bomber with the ability to fly below low cloud cover. This unique ability allowed No.2 Squadron to outperform their colleagues who had to use dive bombing techniques. With experience hunting insurgents in Malaya, the squadron was well equipped to locate guerrillas and Viet Cong infrastructure.

The squadron was involved in the defence of Khe Sanh in January 1968. Khe Sanh was attacked by the North Vietnamese to draw American soldiers away from areas which were marked for the Tet Offensive. In total, 115,000 tonnes of ordinance was dropped by the allies. Due to possessing air superiority, Khe Sanh was successfully defended, although the Viet Cong’s success with the Tet Offensive caused this to be overlooked.

Another famous battle the squadron was in was the 1971 South Vietnamese attack on the Ho Chi Minh trail. The Squadron supported a pre-emptive South Vietnamese attack on the trail in Laos, where it was thought northern forces would amass to open a new vector of attack on the south. As American ground forces were not allowed to assist, the outnumbered southern assault failed.

Combat was not the only thing on the squadron’s mind though, as they engaged in several humanitarian activities. Led by Padre Patrick McCormick, No.2 Squadron built an orphanage for children in Tan Tai near Phan Rang. Airmen also delivered Christmas gifts to children, provided villages with reticulated water, and facilitated youth projects. The squadron left Vietnam in June 1971, where they returned to Amberley.

Refueling a Canberra Bomber, RAAF base at Phan Rang, South Vietnam 1968-1969., 32657, Jon Fallows Vietnam War Collection, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image No 32657-0003-0023.

This reconciliation week (27 May to 3 June) why not visit Anzac Square Memorial Galleries, to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have served in military conflicts and operations. The Galleries commemorate and showcase stories of First Nations service personnel, featuring personal accounts, historical artefacts and unit histories, such as the service of the Torres Straits Force. The galleries are open 10 – 4 pm Sunday to Friday. To enhance your visit why not book a spot on one of our daily tours at 1:30pm, https://qld.pulse.ly/m1j1kw8zkp

For those unable to visit in person you can also read stories, https://qld.pulse.ly/bra8xciglo, of First Nations men and women who have served their country. Simply click on the topics drop down bar and selection ‘First Nations’. If you would like help researching the service history of a First Nations person, State Library of Queensland also has a useful guide here: https://qld.pulse.ly/qglwv5zo9n

1st Reinforcements Queensland to Egypt, 1918, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative no 12532.