Wesley College, St. Kilda Road, Melbourne

The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) controlled the MGO Branch which dealt with the provision and maintenance of ordnance stores, including weapons, ammunition, tracked and wheeled vehicles, artillery, engineer and signal equipment, general stores and clothing as well as research and design of Army equipment.

The Junior School at Wesley College was relocated to St Margaret’s School in Mayfield Avenue, Malvern on 7 April 1942. The Junior Boarding House was initially relocated to "Bromley" a large mansion at 24 Irving Road, Toorak on 13 April 1942. They then relocated to "Kooringa" at Hamilton Road, Malvern in 1944. "Kooringa" also large mansion owned by Mr. Essington Lewis, backed onto St Margaret’s School, so the walk to school was then only a short stroll instead of a several kilometers walk each way.

The Senior School from Wesley College and also the seniors boys from Melbourne Grammar School relocated to Scotch College at Glenferrie. Scotch College students had classes in the mornings from 8:25am until about 1:00pm and Wesley and Grammar students would use the Scotch College school facilities in the afternoon from 1:10pm through to 5:30pm. Senior Wesley students started at Scotch College at 1:45pm on 19 March 1942. Other schools taken over by defence were Melbourne Boy's High School at South Yarra and Macpherson Robertson Girls' High School at Albert Park.

The Military agreed to provide huts at Scotch College with facilities for dressing and the storage of sports equipment. Negotiations took place with the Malvern and Hawthorn Councils for additional playing fields off Glenferrie Road, near Gardiner's Creek. Arrangements were made to transfer Wesley's boats from Albert Park Lake to premises of a Club near Princes Bridge. Wesley transferred 3,000 of its 8,000 book library to Scotch College.

The Wesley College became a testing and storage site for sophisticated military equipment and was trenched with air-raid shelters in 1942-1943. The Cadet Corps was reinstated at Wesley College at St. Kilda Road after war broke out in Europe in 1939 and eventually over 370 cadets enrolled.

The Arms Section, Wesley College Museum. Japanese
75mm mobile AA Gun Type 88 in the foreground with
a German 88mm AA Anti-Tank Gun behind it.

Exhibition of a 150cm Radio Direction Finding Projector, Anti-aircraft at Wesley College

An announcement was made at Wesley College speech day on 11 December 1942 that the school may be able to reoccupy its premises on St. Kilda Road for the second term of 1943. However this did not eventuate.

The Headmaster Mr. N. H. MacNeill announced on Saturday 14 August 1943 that Army Hirings Department had notified the Council of Wesley College that the school buildings and grounds in St. Kilda Road would be vacated towards the end of 1943. Mr. MacNeill said that there would be time to prepare the buildings and grounds for the return of school in February 1944.

Wesley College reopened on 8 February 1944. The Australian Army had occupied the school for the previous 21 months. Renovation took place before students returned to the school. The Senior School students apparently shared the school buildings with some remaining Australian Army personnel until after the war.

Over 1,500 Wesley Old Boys from enlisted in the military and enlistments at the school reduced. Two teachers and 146 Wesley Old Boys died during WWII. Old Wesley Collegians who saw military service during WWII were welcomed back to Wesley College on 19 October 1946 by acting head master Mr. Gordon Hattam. A commemoration service was held at 2:45pm followed by afternoon tea. A portrait of former head master Mr. Harold Stewart was unveiled by Mr. Charles Wheeler. Parents of all old Wesley Collegians who died during WWII and all old boys who served in the military were invited to the ceremony.

I'd like to thank Graham McKenzie-Smith AM and Philip Sack for their assistance with this web page.

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