Camp Cable, Australia was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

army training base near

Logan Village Logan Village is a semi-rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. Logan Village was once known as the head of the navigable Logan River. Its importance as a town grew again when th ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. The base was first known as Camp Tamborine but renamed in honour of Sergeant Gerald O. Cable. Constructed in 1942 for the United States Army Forces in Australia (USAFIA), initially for the 32nd Infantry "Red Arrow" Division (United States) preparing for the

New Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign of the Pacific War lasted from January 1942 until the end of the war in August 1945. During the initial phase in early 1942, the Empire of Japan invaded the Territory of New Guinea on 23 January and Territory of Papua on ...

, the base was occupied by various units during the war. Part of the base was an area south of the Albert River for the 155th Station Hospital. Camp related entertainment was both local and from overseas. A picture theatre and tennis courts were built near the base Headquarters. American comedian Joe E. Brown performed at the 155th Station Hospital in 1943. A song called ''Once upon a midnite'' was written at Camp Cable in 1943 for the show ''Here we go again'', produced at the Theatre Royal, Brisbane, in 1944. A railway branch line to

Canungra Canungra is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region of South East Queensland, Australia. In the , Canungra had a population of 1,436 people. Geography Located in South East Queensland, Canungra is situated in the Gold Coast hinte ...

, operating from 1915–1955, passed through the base where its traffic peaked during the war. Timber getting and a

slash pine ''Pinus elliottii'', commonly known as slash pine,Family, P. P. (1990). Pinus elliottii Engelm. slash pine. ''Silvics of North America: Conifers'', (654), 338. is a Pinophyta, conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States. Slash pine is n ...

plantation were the principal activities on the site of the former base after 1945.

"Red Arrow" units

128th, 127th and 126th Infantry Regiments

120th, 121st, 126th, 129th Field Artillery Battalions

632 Tank Destroyer Battalion

In August 1942 the 632 TD Battalion moved to the then ''Camp Tamborine'' after training on antitank ranges at Camp Mangalore,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. Training intensified with emphasis on beach defence and jungle warfare. On 21 December 1942 the battalion moved to Camp Strathpine near

Petrie Petrie is a surname of Scottish origin which may refer to: People * Alexander Petrie (died 1662), Scottish minister * Alexander Petrie (architect) (c. 1842–1905), Scottish architect * Alistair Petrie (born 1970), English actor * Andrew Petrie ...

, Queensland.

Post war

Yarrabilba development

In 2011 development began of the remaining land not previously subdivided for an urban precinct known as

Yarrabilba Yarrabilba is a locality in the City of Logan, Queensland, Australia. In the , Yarrabilba had a population of 10,240 people. Geography As of March 2024, Yarrabilba consists of ten (10) neighbourhoods; The Avenues, Birnam Views, Mallee Pocket, ...

. Prior to 2012, a public park near the original main entrance of the base along Waterford-Tamborine Road included several memorials of remembrance. In 2012 these memorials were moved to the grounds of the Logan Village RSL, situated along Quinzeh Creek Road, to make way for the development's road works.

Archaeological field school

The School of Social Science at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

conducted its first archaeological field school in south-east Queensland at the former Camp Cable site in 2015. The site offers opportunities for field work on World War II history over an extended period, possibly around 10 years, depending on Yarrabilba's development. One aim is to excavate building remains for finds belonging to individuals present during the war era, which can be added to historical collections such as the Queensland Museum.

References

External links

{{Commons category, History of Queensland/World War 2/Camp Cable, Camp Cable
Tambourine (sic) - Camp Cable area [plan number 1/T/296
/nowiki>">lan number 1/T/296">Tambourine (sic) - Camp Cable area [plan number 1/T/296
/nowiki>(1945) NAA: BP378/1, FOLDER T FOLIO 76
National Archives of Australia
(large jpeg image)
Tamborine Hospital - Block Plan [1/T/296
/nowiki>] (1943) NAA: BP378/1, FOLDER T FOLIO 74 National Archives of Australia (jpeg image)
Tamborine - USA Hospital at Tamborine, Parish of Tamborine, County of Ward
(survey plan) (1943) NAA: J1018, LS591 National Archives of Australia (jpeg image)
Camp Cable on Facebook
Logan Village RSL
Camp Cable USA Memorial Cairn
Queensland War Memorial Register
Notables from Camp Cable
Bootstrap Heritage Military camps in Australia