391ST ENGINEERS DEPOT
CANNON HILL, BRISBANE, QLD
DURING WW2
| visits since 17 August 2003 |
A Detachment of the 391st Engineers were located in the Engineer Depot at Cannon Hill in Brisbane, Queensland. It was located on the land where the Australian Archives is located at Wynnum Road in Cannon Hill (UBD Map 161 Ref J10). There were a number of large buildings including a large igloo style building which still stands on the parcel of land near the corner of Creek Road and Wynnum Road. This igloo is currently occupied by Food Science Australia, a Joint Venture of CSIRO and the Australian Food Industry Science Centre (AFISC).
The October 1943 Military Telephone Directory for Brisbane describes this depot as follows:-
BASE SECTION THREE
ENGINEER OFFICE
SUPPLY SECTION
Engineer Depot (Cannon Hill)
Detachment 391st Engineers:
Capt. Little
391st Engineer's Depot, Cannon
Hill, Brisbane in 1943
Photo: NARA RG 111 SC # 249119
Igloo at Cannon Hill used by Food Science Australia
Another view of the Igloo
The other end of the Igloo
It would appear that the area occupied by the 391st Engineers was taken over by 3 SD RAAF after the war finished in late 1945. RAAF Cannon Hill buildings were listed as follows:-
| TYPE | DIMENSIONS | DESCRIPTION |
| Warehouse No. 1 | 322' x 97' 6" | Store |
| Warehouse No. 2 | 200' x 106' | Store |
| Warehouse No. 4 | 61' x 30' | Store |
| Warehouse No. 5 | 300' x 106' | Store |
| Warehouse No. 6 | 182' x 30' | Store |
| Warehouse No. 7 | 450' x 71' | Store |
| Building No. 8 | 60' x 20' | Store |
| Building No. 9 | 62' x 31' | Workshop |
| Building No. 10 | 96' 6" x 30' | Office |
| Building No. 11 | 110' x 20' | Mess & Kitchen |
| Building No. 12 | 42' x 19' 6" | Sergeants Amenities Room |
| Building No. 13 | 48' x 16' | Officers Mess |
| Building No. 14 | 61' x 21' 6" | Married Quarters |
| Building No. 15 - 19 | - | Tanks |
| Building No. 24 | 50' x 32' | Airmen's Recreation Hut |
| Building No. 25 | 30' x 18' | Bath House |
| Building No. 26 | 14' x 11' 6" | Latrine |
| Building No. 27 | 18' 6" x 7' 3" | Latrine |
| Building No. 28 | 11' x 7' | Guard Hut |
| Building No. 30 | 16' x 10' | Fire Tender Hut |
| Building No. 34 | 48' x 16' | Sergeants Sleeping Hut |
| Building No. 35 | 48' x 16' | Airmen's Sleeping Hut |
| Building No. 36 | 24' x 8' 6" | Ablutions |
| Building No. 37 | 54' 6" x 20' | Carpenters Shop |
| Building No. 38 | 40' x 30' | Store |
| Building No. 39 | 10' 6" x 6' | Ablutions |
| Building No. 40 | 17' x 10' | Change Room |
On 14 March 2008 an advertisement appeared in the Courier Mail for the sale of the above site at 31 Murrarie Road, Cannon Hill along with the other part of the original 391st Engineers Depot at 1068 Wynnum Road, Cannon Hill. Looks like the WW2 Igloo will be demolished. Another piece of our WW2 Heritage about to disappear.
Can anyone help
me with some info on the 391st Engineers
and what they did at this location?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Roger Marks for his assistance with the NARA photo for this home page. I'd also like to thank Mark Walker for his assistance with this web page.
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© Peter Dunn 2003 |
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This page first produced 17 August 2003
This page last updated 01 July 2008
AUSTRALIA
@ WAR
