Australian Army Ordnance Corps Enlistment Centre

Former Lady Lamington Hospital

Type
Headquarters
Region
Brisbane City

184 St. Paul’s Terrace, Spring Hill 4001

In late 1939, an Ordnance Enlistment Centre was established in a requisitioned building (former Lady Lammington Hospital) centrally located at 184 St. Paul’s Terrace, Spring Hill. It role was to process the enlistment of volunteers with recruits who had experience handling explosives (e.g. miners) being particularly sought.

History

In 1939, Queensland was designated the First Military District. The Queensland-based Australian Army Ammunition Company was renamed the First Military District Depot Company of the Australian Army Ordnance Corps (AAOC). This depot company comprised a Workshop Section and a (general and ammunition) Stores Section. Lieutenant A.J. Pixley commanded the Workshop and Lieutenant H.N. Vidgen the Stores Sections. The unit (135 men) with its headquarters moved from the Gaythorne stores depot to the Enoggera Army Barracks in late 1939.

At the start of World War Two, Stores Section had the initial task of cleaning thousands of tent and marker pegs that had previously been held in civilian stores. This mundane job proved very unpopular with the troops and they were soon put to work reinstating the collection of World War One-era equipment that was held at the Army stores at Gaythorne. The guns were outdated while the horse-drawn carriages; tentage and other equipment were damaged by white ants or had rotted after 20 years in storage. Vidgen also led a section of AAOC Stores personnel to Fort Cowan Cowan on Moreton Island. There they established ammunition, clothing and other stores for the troops manning the fort’s two 6-inch coastal guns.

In late 1939, an Ordnance Enlistment Centre was established in a requisitioned building (former Lady Lammington Hospital) centrally located at 184 St. Paul’s Terrace, Spring Hill. It role was to process the enlistment of volunteers with recruits who had experience handling explosives (e.g. miners) being particularly sought. The Ordnance Enlistment Centre dealt with men who were covered by the first call-up of eligible civilians for entry into the Australian Military Forces (militia). Announced by the Federal Government on 15 November 1939, unmarried men who had reached the age of 21 by 30 June 1940 were to be conscripted into the AMF. Men began arriving at the Ordnance Enlistment Centre on 1 January 1940, the day the call-up took effect. After completing forms and undergoing health inspections at the St. Paul’s Terrace centre, the new recruits were sent to Gaythorne to complete their 12 weeks of compulsory training. The men then returned to their civilian employment awaiting a possible future call-up for permanent, full-time military service.

On 3 October 1939, Vidgen was promoted to the rank of captain and appointed DADOS in the First Military District. J.W. Lawson was promoted to captain as the unit’s second-in-command (2IC) When in August 1940, Vidgen transferred to the 2nd Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and then served in the Middle East. Law son became the unit commander.

In September 1942, all AMF ordnance units based within the First Military District were disbanded, with the militia soldiers transferring to the AIF. The Ordnance Enlistment Centre at Spring Hill closed around the same time.

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