Goondiwindi – Major WWII Defence Centre

Goondiwindi is located 355 kilometres South East of Brisbane. During World War Two when the threat of Japanese invasion was high, Goondiwindi, Warwick, Stanthorpe, Leyburn and Cecil Plains, were all selected as Major WWII Defence Centres to run training operations for the Army and Air Force. Some of these operations involved training and working with American troops and airmen.

Every effort was undertaken to strengthen our forces on the home front. On the 10 March 1942, the Worker newspaper advertised on page 13, a directive signed by A. M. Forbes, the Brigadier and base Commandant, for the Northern Command.

‘Commonwealth of Australia enrolment for Military Service in Australia…… On being filled in by the persons enrolling, enrolment forms must be lodged with the official in charge of the nearest Post Office, or with the Area Officer of the Training Area in which the person resides. Addresses of Area Officers are as follows: … Goondiwindi – Area 25C, Drill Hall, Goondiwindi…’

Fifteen days after the departure of the Governor (Sir Leslie Wilson) on Wednesday 5 August 1942 from Goondiwindi, one of the troops in the camp passed away.

Unfortunately, even on the home front our troops were not immune to accidents and diseases. On the 25 August 1942, the Cairns Post reported the death of Private George Gordon St John Biggs. Biggs received a burial with full military honours at Goondiwindi Cemetery on the 20 August 1942. He died of heart failure following a bout of measles. His remains were later reburied at the Lutwyche War Cemetery in Brisbane. Previous to his enlistment Biggs had served as a Private in the Voluntary Defence Corp.

Another branch of the medical corps was the dentistry unit. Major Eric Earnshaw was in charge of overseeing dental units all over Queensland. While on a trip to Goondiwindi, he recalled being awakened early on a Sunday morning by the camp Padre, who was in urgent need of some dental assistance. It appears that Padre’s had placed his full set of dentures in a glass before going to sleep, only to wake up and find that the water in the glass had frozen solid during the night.

Some of the known units to have operated at Goondiwindi during this time were:

47th Australian Camp Hospital, Australian Army
7th Infantry Battalion – Based at Redbank in 1941, moved to Goondiwindi and then to Warwick.
11th Infantry Training Battalion – Redbank 1941, moved to Hughenden and then to Goondiwindi.
29th Infantry Training Battalion – Formally 11th AIF Training Battalion, it was renamed when it moved to Goondiwindi. It moved to Warwick in 1943.

Read about Southern Downs Military History here.