Camp Luna Park

Cloudland Entertainment Venue

In late 1942 the amusement area known as Luna Park in Bowen Hills was hired by the US Army as a camp for members of its Signal Corps and guard detachments. Various detachments were quartered there during the war, making particular use of the large Cloudland ballroom as barracks. Mr. D.H. McInnes remained the wartime trustee of the amusement park.

Place information

Location

Boyd Street

Bowen Hills, QLD 4006

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Place type

Military camp

History

In mid-1942 16 officers and men of the US 837th Signal Service Detachment arrived in Melbourne where the unit was augmented and integrated with Australian personnel. Following the movement of Macarthur’s headquarters, the detachment arrived in Brisbane in September 1942. The 837th was deactivated in May 1943, becoming the Special Intelligence Service (SIS), a combined command under US and Australian officers commanded by Colonel Harold Doud. Later that year, command fell to Colonel A. Sinkov. While the headquarters and some accommodation for the SIS was in Henry St, Ascot, the expanding unit saw a number of personnel quartered at Luna...

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