Newmarket Air Raid Shelter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newmarket Air Raid Shelter |
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Shelter in 2015
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| Location | Enoggera Road, Newmarket, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1939 - 1945 (World War II) |
| Built | c. 1942 |
| Architect | Frank Gibson Costello |
| Official name: Newmarket Air Raid Shelter | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 6 April 2005 |
| Reference no. | 602482 |
| Significant period | 1942 (fabric) 1940s (historical) |
| Builders | Brisbane City Council |
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The Newmarket Air Raid Shelter is a special building in Newmarket, Australia. It was built around 1942 during World War II to protect people from air raids. An air raid shelter is a strong building designed to keep people safe if enemy planes drop bombs. This concrete shelter was designed by Frank Gibson Costello and built by the Brisbane City Council. Today, it is recognized as an important historical site in Queensland.
Contents
Why Air Raid Shelters Were Built
Australia Joins World War II
On 7 December 1941, the United States joined World War II. This happened after Japanese planes bombed the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Before this, England and its Commonwealth countries, including Australia, had been fighting Germany since 1939. Now, the war became truly global.
Australia faced a new threat. Japanese forces bombed Darwin on 19 February 1942. Also, 14,000 Australian soldiers were captured when Singapore fell. Because of this, Australia quickly made plans to defend itself from a possible Japanese invasion. Queensland became an important base for the war in the Pacific. Many Australian and American soldiers came to Queensland, and new buildings and facilities were urgently needed.
Brisbane's Role in the War
Brisbane grew very quickly during the war. It was the biggest city in Queensland and the most northern large city in Australia. Because of this, military leaders set up their headquarters in Brisbane. Important places for maintenance, communication, and supplies were also built here.
General Douglas MacArthur, who was the Commander in Chief of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, worked from a building in Brisbane. General Sir Thomas Blamey, the Commander in Chief of the Australian Forces, used the University of Queensland buildings. Since Brisbane was such an important military target, protecting its people from bombings was a top priority.
Building Shelters for Safety
The Brisbane City Council was in charge of Air Raid Precautions. This included setting up air raid wardens and firefighting systems. They also built many air raid shelters. On Christmas Eve, 1941, all Australian states were told to start building shelters right away. People dug trenches in parks and schoolyards. Windows were taped up, and lights were dimmed at night to make cities harder to see from the air.
The government ordered the Brisbane City Council to build 200 public shelters in the city. Later, another 75 were ordered. By June 1942, 235 air raid shelters were built. The Council also built long covered trenches in public parks. These trenches could hold many people. For example, the City Botanic Gardens had 315 metres of concrete-pipe covered trench.
Design and Purpose of the Shelters
Frank Gibson Costello's Vision
Frank Gibson Costello was the Brisbane City Architect from 1941 to 1952. He was responsible for designing the public air raid shelters. He had a clever idea: he designed some shelters so they could be used for other purposes after the war. He wanted to make sure the buildings would still be useful even if they were never needed as shelters.
Costello's designs were modern for their time. They used new materials like concrete and focused on how buildings could be used. He wanted the shelters to fit into future city improvement plans. Some reusable shelters were even built under fig trees to help hide them from enemy planes.
Different Types of Shelters
The Brisbane City Council built different types of shelters. The Newmarket Air Raid Shelter is an example of a "bus" type shelter. These shelters were designed so that some of their strong walls could be removed after the war. This would turn them into useful structures like bus stops or park shelters.
The "bus" type shelters had three brick walls that could be taken down. This would leave a concrete back wall and five brick pillars at the front. Out of 19 "bus" type shelters built, only two still exist today, one of them being the Newmarket shelter.
What Happened After the War
Most of the buildings made for the war in Brisbane were removed when World War II ended. Saltwater pipes, trenches, and sirens disappeared. Many standard air raid shelters in the city centre were also taken down.
However, 20 of Costello's 58 reusable public shelters survived. Their blast walls were removed, just as he had planned. This gave them a new purpose. The Newmarket Air Raid Shelter had its front blast wall removed after the war. You can still see where the wall used to be. The inside of the back wall now has a colourful mural painted on it.
What the Shelter Looks Like Today
The Newmarket air raid shelter is a rectangular concrete building. It has a strong floor, thick back and side walls, and a flat roof. There are five brick pillars at the front. The original floor is now covered with concrete and pavers around the edges.
The inside of the back concrete wall has a mural, while the outside is plain. The edges of the roof are painted yellow. The original wooden seat from the air raid shelter is still inside, painted green, against the back wall. You can also see signs of where the entrances used to be. Wiring for lights has been added inside.
Why This Shelter is Important
The Newmarket Air Raid Shelter is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it is a very important historical site.
- It shows how Queensland's history changed during World War II. It reminds us of the air raid precautions taken to protect people in Brisbane during the war.
- It is a rare example. Many air raid shelters were built, but only a few still exist today. It's also one of the few wartime buildings built by the Brisbane City Council that still stands.
- It shows what a typical public air raid shelter in Brisbane looked like during World War II. It has strong walls, a rectangular shape, and is located where many people would have needed protection.
- It shows clever design. The shelter is now used as a bus shelter, which was part of its original plan. It's a strong example of smart design and how concrete was used during the war.
- It is linked to important people. The shelter is a great example of the work done by the City Architect's Office during the war, especially the designs by F.G. Costello.
