Grovely Camp By Sidney George Calam & Ron Culbert

The Grovely Military Camp extended through most of the Grovely area.
The western boundary extended from Kedron Brook, along Mooney Street and crossed the railway line to Samford road. The Welfare Centres were situated near the intersection of Gilston Street and the rail line. The Welfare section consisted of organizations such as the Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the YMCA. Between Mooney and Fihelly Streets to Dawson Parade, was the location of the Lighthorse. The military detention camp was situated in the lower corner of the western boundary but not on Samford Road. Camp Headquarters was established in an old farmhouse in the vicinity of Crampton Street.

Everyone slept in tents. The only buildings which were not tent fabrications were the Administration centres, the cookhouse and the mess. The shopping centre in Keperra is where the Q-Store (Quarter Masters Store) and Cookhouse were located. Hot water was not available in the camp and the food was fairly standard. Some soldiers changed their religion on Friday s as troops of a Catholic denomination got fish every Friday.

One of the first units to occupy the new camp was the 41st Field Training Battery. This unit stayed in the camp from approximately 21 August 1941 to the end of December 1941. It is difficult to estimate the number of troops that would have been in the camp as it grew as the war progressed, but there would have been thousands.

The artillery Battery trained around the Ferny Grove and Samford areas. Being an artillery unit, training around the camp area was not encouraged! The guns and machinery, when not in use, were parked on the Arana Hills side of the rail line around Mooney Street. The 41st Field Training Battery were training to join the 2nd/10th, already stationed in Malaya, as reinforcements.

The first troops arrived in Grovely Army Camp in June 1940. One of the first was to dig out stumps, clear trees, etc to make way for tents and parade grounds. Many of the troops who were early arrivals in Grovely formed units which became part of the 7th 8th and 9th Divisions. Some doing all their training in the camp before going to the Middle East and Malaya.

The soldiers’ accommodation consisted of tents, usually with 6 to 8 to a tent. The tents had a wooden floor and beds were the standard palliasse (a mattress filled with straw). Beds had to be folded up and tents cleaned every day. Training was conducted along the bush roads around the area.
On pay day the taxis would line up from the reservoir along Samford Road to take the soldiers into town. There was five to a taxi, costing a shilling each (10cents). Other days we used to train. Many travelled from Grovely to Windsor without a ticket, then by tram to the city costing tuppence (2 cents) for servicemen and women.

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