Wickham Park Air Raid Shelters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wickham Park Air Raid Shelters |
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One of the air-raid shelters in Wickham Park, 2013
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| Location | Wickham Park at 330 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1939 - 1945 (World War II) |
| Built | c. 1942 |
| Architect | Frank Gibson Costello |
| Official name: Wickham Park Air Raid Shelters | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 6 April 2005 |
| Reference no. | 602476 |
| Significant period | 1942 (fabric) 1940s (historical) |
| Builders | Brisbane City Council |
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The Wickham Park Air Raid Shelters are special buildings in Wickham Park, Spring Hill, Brisbane. They were built a long time ago to protect people during World War II. These shelters are now considered important historical sites.
Contents
Why Were Air Raid Shelters Built?
World War II Comes to Australia
In December 1941, the United States joined World War II. This happened after Japan attacked the American navy at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Soon after, Japanese forces bombed Darwin in Australia. Many Australians were also captured when Singapore fell.
Australia quickly started preparing for a possible Japanese invasion. Queensland became a major support base for the war in the Pacific. Many Australian and American soldiers came to Queensland. They needed new buildings and places to stay.
Brisbane's Role in the War
Brisbane was the biggest city in Queensland. It became a very important military centre. Top commanders, like General Douglas MacArthur from the Allied Forces, were based there. General Sir Thomas Blamey, who led the Australian Forces, also worked in Brisbane.
Because Brisbane was so important, people worried it might be bombed. The city needed to protect its people quickly.
Protecting the City
The Brisbane City Council was in charge of keeping people safe during air raids. This included setting up air raid wardens and firefighting systems. They also built many air raid shelters.
On Christmas Eve 1941, the government told everyone to start building shelters. People dug trenches in parks and schoolyards. They taped up windows and dimmed lights in buildings.
Building the Shelters
Brisbane's Public Shelters
The Brisbane City Council was ordered to build 200 public shelters in the city. They started building them in December 1941. Later, 75 more were ordered. In the end, 235 shelters were built. Most were finished by June 1942.
The Council also built long covered trenches in public parks. For example, they built 315 metres of concrete-pipe trench in the Botanic Gardens. These trenches could hold many people.
Shelters Across Queensland
Other towns along Queensland's coast also had to build shelters. These shelters had to follow special rules to protect people from bombs. Some towns found it hard to build enough shelters. The government sometimes had to step in to help.
Clever Designs for the Future
Of the 235 public shelters built in Brisbane, 21 still exist today. Most of these were designed to be reused after the war.
Frank Gibson Costello was the City Architect for Brisbane from 1941 to 1952. He designed these special shelters. He wanted them to be useful even after the war ended. He hoped they could become things like bus stops or park shelters. This was a very smart idea!
Costello's designs were modern for their time. They used simple shapes and strong materials like concrete. They were often built near large fig trees, which helped hide them from enemy planes.
Wickham Park Shelters Today
The air raid shelters in Wickham Park are examples of Costello's clever design. They are rectangular concrete structures. They have a strong floor and a flat roof supported by four concrete pillars.
After World War II, the side walls of these shelters were removed, just as Costello had planned. This turned them into open, useful structures. Today, they stand in Wickham Park, still looking much like they did after the war. They are unpainted and are shaded by large fig trees.
Why Are They Important?
The Wickham Park Air Raid Shelters are important for several reasons:
- Part of Queensland's History: They show how Brisbane prepared to defend itself during World War II. They remind us how the war affected everyday people.
- Rare Survivors: Many air raid shelters were built, but only a few still exist today. These shelters are rare examples of wartime buildings in Brisbane.
- Show What They Were Like: Their strong build and location near people show what public air raid shelters were meant to be like.
- Clever Design: These shelters show how people used creative ideas and concrete technology during the war. They were designed to be reused, which was very innovative.
- Connected to Important People: They are examples of the work done by the City Architect's Office during the war, especially by F.G. Costello.
