MAGAZINE BATTERY
MAGAZINE HILL, TOWNSVILLE, QLD
DURING WW2

Photo:- Peter Dunn 23 March 2008

One of the guns from Magazine Battery now on display at Fort Lytton in Brisbane

Two 155mm GPF  guns (M1917/18) on Carriage M3 on Panama Mounts were in use at Magazine Battery during WW2. "D" Australian Heavy Battery left Skirmish Battery on Bribie Island and on 3 May 1943 they boarded a train at Wynnum and travelled to Kalinga Staging Camp in Brisbane, where they boarded buses to move the the railway station to board a troop train to Townsville. They arrived at the Townsville railway station at 10pm on 5 May 1943 and moved to the Magazine Battery overlooking Townsville Harbour. Magazine Hill was originally on what was known as Magazine Island.

Magazine Hill can be seen to right side of this photo taken in the mid 1960's.

Photo:- Thuringowa City Libraries

An older photo of Magazine Hill

On 19 November 1943, "D" Australian Heavy Battery completed preparations to hand over the Magazine Battery to "U" Australian Heavy Battery. At 2pm on 22 November 1943, 5 officers and 111 other ranks boarded a ship for Buna. 

“F” Australian Heavy Battery (Coast) was based at Magazine Battery from February 1943 to May 1944 using the same 155mm guns.

By early December 1943 "U" Australian Heavy Battery arrived at Magazine Battery for further intensive training, including sub-calibre coastal shoots. By February 1944, "U" Australian Heavy Battery commenced training in using the 155mm gun in a field role culminating in immediate neutralisation and destruction shoots at a range of 10,000 yards. On 19 April 1944 "U" Australian Heavy Battery left Magazine Battery and embarked on HMT Katoomba and sailed for Buna via Milne Bay, New Guinea.

Construction of the original fort commenced in 1890 and it was originally fitted out with two 6-inch Armstrong breech loading (B.L.) 80 pounder guns on traversing slides in about mid 1891. These were later removed between June and August 1896 with one being sent to Brisbane were it was mounted on the Victoria Barrack Square and the other was mounted at the Armoury below the Supreme Court and used for drill purposes.

NARA Reference Number:- 342-FH-3A30009-117682AC

38th Bomb Group leaving Townsville by ship for New
Guinea. Magazine Hill can be seen in the background.

Closeup of Magazine Hill from the above photograph

Entrances to Casemate, group store and telephone and lamp room

Two 4.7-inch Q.F. Mark IV guns (Serial Nos. 794 and 795) arrived from England in December 1900 to replace the 80 pounder guns. The old emplacements for the 80 pounder guns were removed and new emplacements installed along with an ammunition lift to the underground magazine. The fort was also fitted out with a Nordenfelt machine gun (Serial No. 188).

Some demolition work on Magazine Hill was carried out in 1983/84. The final removal of Magazine Hill was completed in 1984/85.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Leigh Deighton for his assistance with this web page.

RESOURCES

"U" Australian Heavy Battery Association web page

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 24 March 2008

This page last updated 03 February 2012