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AWAS Barracks (Lines of Communication) HQ Signals Camp
St Peter’s Luther College
The AWAS Signals camp was constructed from September 1942 on vacant Indooroopilly land along the Long Pocket Reach of the Brisbane River. The women soldiers provided support staff for General Blamey’s Advanced Land Headquarters at the unfinished University of Queensland site at St. Lucia. Closer to the river was the 24th Australian Line of Communications Signals Area that also served Blamey’s headquarters.
The Long Pocket Reach and the adjoining Indooroopilly Reach of the Brisbane River saw a concentration of female military facilities. Apart from No.2 AWAS barracks on Indooroopilly Road, there were Women’s American Army Corps (WAAC) members based across at the river at 'Neilson House', Chelmer where the ATIS had offices; further along at 'Ryndarra', Yeronga was the 2nd AWAS hospital and the 27th AWAS barracks; while back across the river at Nudgee Junior College, Indooroopilly there was a Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) training depot.
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Place type
Military camp
History
On 1 April 1942, the Joint Chiefs of Staff created the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) led by General MacArthur. He appointed Australian General Thomas Blamey to be his Allied Land Forces commander. MacArthur shifted headquarters from Melbourne to Brisbane on 20 July. On 1 August, Blamey established his Advanced Land Headquarters (Adv LHQ) in the only two University of Queensland buildings constructed at its new St Lucia campus.
Adv LHQ required a large support staff: stenographers, telegraphists, switchboard operators, and typists. Many staff were drawn from the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS). The Federal Government had approved the formation of...
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