CENTRAL STATE SCHOOL, NORTH WARD, TOWNSVILLE
COMMANDEERED FOR USE AS A COMMAND POST
BY THE 208TH ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTALION, US ARMY
DURING WW2

visits since 16 July 2002

The 208th Anti-aircraft Battalion, U.S. Army established their Command Post at the Central State School in North Ward, in Townsville. They had guns at Cape Cleveland, Stanton Hill and on The Strand and possibly at the South Townsville State School.

The original Central State School was located in the triangle of land
between Eyre Street and Oxley Street behind St. Patricks College.

The Strand and Castle Hill in the background with Queens Park near the centre of the photograph in between the Botanical Gardens and the Sports Reserve on the right. This photo was taken in September 1945. Note: - There are hotspot links on the above photo for Castle Hill, the Seaview Hotel, the site of the anti-aircraft guns on The Strand, Central State School, etc

The 800 Military Police Battalion were most likely based inside Queens Park
at the right of the above photograph which was taken in September 1945.

Irving Hamlin was amongst the first Americans into Townsville after Pearl Harbor. He was a member of the 208th Anti-aircraft Battalion, a National Guard outfit from the Hartford, Conn. area in USA. Irving told me that some of the 208th were "bivouacked in a nice little house on stilts. Not bad for army! From day one, our men were busy building bomb shelters and tunnels."

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 16 July 2002

This page last updated 26 April 2004