Brisbane Northside in World War I

Sunday 11th November, 2018 – By Michael Seabrook

Today as the world pauses to mark and pay tribute to the end of World War I, it is a great time to reflect upon the sacrifices that brave men and women made in their contributions to defend their nations. This year’s Remembrance Day commemoration marks 100 years since the guns went quiet with the signing of the Armistace in the French Compiegne Forest.

Australia’s total war contribution amounted to almost 417000 men enlisted, which saw over 60000 killed and 156000 wounded or taken prisoner. These men signed up and fought from every state of Australia. Of these enlisted men, 58000 were Queenslanders, and of those Queenslanders 10000 would never return home again.

Brisbane’s northern districts played a key role in the training and deployment of troops sent overseas in World War I (as it would do so two decades later in World War II).

The first troops to be sent overseas from Brisbane were the 9th Battalion and the 2nd Light Horse Regiment, and they boarded two ships at Pinkenba on September 24, 1914. These men who set sail from Pinkenba were drawn from all over Queensland, and were trained for just one month at Enoggera.

A military training camp was later setup at Chermside, which was originally located at the western end of Marchant’s Paddock (now Marchant’s Park) and was shifted across Murphy Road to Alonzo Sparkes’ Paddock (which is now the site of Westfield Chermside and a large amount of houses). These military camps were initially used for the encampment of Light Horse and as the war progressed, infantry, signal, and artillery sections. The soldiers based at Chermside Military Camp would eventually march to Zillmere train station for departure overseas.

If you’d like to read further on the Chermside Camp, please click here.