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MacArthur Chambers
AMP Building
The AMP building was constructed between 1931 and 1934 as the Queensland headquarters of the Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP). During WWII the building was taken over by the US military and became Headquarters of the Allied Forces in the South-West Pacific. It was occupied for much of the Pacific war by US General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief of the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). The building is now known as MacArthur Chambers in recognition of that facet of the City’s history, and houses the MacArthur Museum Brisbane.General HQ South-West Pacific Area (SWPA)HQ Commander Allied ForcesHQ Allied Navy SWPAHQ Allied Air Forces SWPAHQ RAAF Command, Air DefenceHQ 14th AA CommandHQ 108 Fighter Control SectorHQ 5th US Air ForceHQ 5th Air Force Support CommandHQ USN Base Facilities & Det 4HQ 805th Signals Service Company ('Green Hornet' Sigsaly top secret telephone communications).
Place information
Location
Place type
Headquarters
History
After the retreat from the Philippines, General Douglas Macarthur, Commander of the United States Forces in the Far East, arrived in Australia in March 1942 and set up his headquarters in Melbourne. After re-organisation of the various theatres of war, MacArthur was made Commander-in-Chief of the South West Pacific Area (CINCSWPA) from 18 April 1942. His role was to hold Australia as a base for offensives against Japan. On 20 July 1942 General MacArthur moved his Headquarters 800 miles closer to the combat zone, re-establishing it at Brisbane.
The nine-story AMP Building in Queen Street was chosen to house the headquarters...
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