Ingleburn Army Camp facts for kids
The Ingleburn Army Camp was a special place built in 1940 for the Australian Army. It was located in Ingleburn, New South Wales, Australia. This camp played a very important role in training soldiers for many years.
Contents
History of the Camp
Building the Camp
During World War II, the Ingleburn Army Camp became the main training spot for the army in New South Wales. Many important army groups trained here. These groups later fought in major battles during the war.
Soldiers from all different army sections trained at the camp. This included engineers, transport teams, signal units, and anti-aircraft groups. The land was bought by the Commonwealth government in 1940. It covered about 684 acres (2.77 square kilometers).
The army had already set up tents there in October 1939. Soon after, proper buildings were put up by the 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion. This was to help form the Second Australian Imperial Force (2AIF).
After World War II
After World War II, the camp continued to be very busy. When the Korean War started in the 1950s, soldiers heading to Korea stayed and trained at Ingleburn.
This was also when "National Service" started again. National Service meant that young Australian men had to do some military training. The Ingleburn camp became a major center for this training. Many Australians learned military skills here. After their training, they would join an Army Reserve unit closer to their homes.
In 1964, the government made military training compulsory for even more people. Some of these trained soldiers were sent to fight overseas. From 1951 until 1972, training National Service recruits was the camp's main job. The government stopped National Service in 1972.
After World War II, the camp was mostly used for the National Service Scheme. From 1973 onwards, it was also the main office for the Second Training Group of the Army Reserves.
Camp Closure
The Ingleburn Army Camp started to close down in the mid-1990s. Army units slowly moved to other places. Many buildings were pulled down or destroyed by fire in the late 1990s. The site has been empty since the year 2000.
However, a group called the Ingleburn Military Precinct Association has been using parts of the barracks. They offer tours for different groups. These include RSL clubs, history groups, and schools.
Units at Ingleburn Army Camp
Many different army units were based at Ingleburn Army Camp over the years. Here are some of them:
- 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion
- 2/20th Australian Infantry Battalion
- 1 Signal Regiment: This unit was based here from the early 1960s until December 1980.
- 2nd Military Hospital: This hospital was set up in the 1940s. It later became known as 1st Field Hospital. It cared for injured soldiers, including those from the Vietnam War. The hospital moved to Holsworthy Barracks in the late 1990s. It is now called 1st Close Health Battalion.
- 2nd Training Group: This group was at the camp from 1974 until the late 1990s.
- 2nd Military Corrections Centre (2MCE): This unit moved to Holsworthy in 1994.
- 1st Preventative Medicine Company: This company was at Ingleburn Barracks before and after 1979. They worked in places like Papua New Guinea.
- 101st Field Workshop
- Royal Australian Regiment Depot: In 1952, this depot was created at Ingleburn. It gave advanced training to regular soldiers before they went overseas. This later became the 4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment.
- The School of Infantry: This school was at Ingleburn from 1960 until 1972. It then moved to Singleton, New South Wales.
- 13th National Service Training Battalion: This battalion was also based at Ingleburn between 1951 and 1959.
Memorials
There are several memorials at the Ingleburn Army Camp site. They help us remember the soldiers and units who served there:
- 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion Memorial (this has been moved)
- National Servicemen Memorial (this has also been moved)
- Memorial Wall (this wall lists the names of all the units that served at Ingleburn)
- Memorial grove of cypress trees around a sandstone monument
