US ARMY DETENTION AND REHABILITATION CENTER AND STORES DEPOT
AT ROUND MOUNTAIN, SOUTH OF LARAVALE
IN BEAUDESERT SHIRE, QLD
DURING WW2

Photo:-  Herbert V. Wuestenberg via Philip Armour

Photo:-  Herbert V. Wuestenberg via Philip Armour

Photo: - Peter Dunn 2001

Round Mountain near Laravale

Photo: - Peter Dunn 2001

A closer view of Round Mountain near Laravale

Photo:-  Herbert V. Wuestenberg via Philip Armour

Round Mountain during WW2

Colonel Shoemaker from Portland, Oregon, USA was the Commanding Officer of the Round Mountain Detention and Rehabilitation Center from 9 August 1943 until early January 1945. Captain Edward N. Usnick took over as Commanding Officer after the departure of Colonel Shoemaker. Captain Usnick had been Executive Officer since the Center was activated in June 1943. Prior to the activation he had been the Utilities and Operations Officer. Captain Usnick would often provide prisoners to work on the local farms. On one occasion he sent 6 prisoners in a dodge truck to a farm, where they picked 50 to 80 acres of corn for the farmer.

The American officers from the Round Mountain Detention Centre would often visit Mrs. Louisa Todd's home at Laravale to buy cream and eggs. Todd's farm was about a mile away from Round Mountain. One day one of the guards bought a dozen eggs, broke the top of 9 of the eggs and swallowed them whole.

There were many large buildings at the Detention Centre. The majority of the buildings were located at the top of the hill. They even had their own dance floor in one of the buildings. The road into the Detention centre from the highway was often flooded at the Logan River crossing. The Americans built a bridge over the river with construction coming to a finish around the end of September 1944. They drove small piles into the sand bed of the river and then dog spiked other piles onto these piles. The bridge was "toe-nailed" to the bed of the river. It was washed away by logs in a large flood in 1947.

Photo:-  Herbert V. Wuestenberg via Philip Armour

Bridge across the river

In December 2000 there were still many concrete foundations spread across a farm paddock across the road from Round Mountain. These would be the remains of the Round Mountain Detention Centre and Stores Depot.

Photo: - Peter Dunn 2001

Round Mountain on the left. The paddock on the right is littered with various concrete foundations.
An old brick chimney stands at the top of the hill on the right

Photographs taken by Herbert V. Wuestenberg and supplied to me by Philip Armour 

	NCO Club, Round Mountain
	Australian Marching Band visiting Round Mountain
	Carpenter's Shop
	Herb, John, Carl, Schulz, Floyd, and Bob
	345th MP Escort Guard Company, Round Mountain
	Wood pile firewood
	Watch Tower
	Rock pile where prisoners worked
	Entrance to Round Mountain Detention and Rehabilitation Center
	Overstreet and Duffy
	Herb Wuestenberg
	Herb
	John Muchoff and Herb
	Jurewicz and Herb
	Carl Klingbeil of Milwaulkee, Wis.
	Vernon Hunt from Wis. and Herb
	Richardson, Peterson, Frank Seborowski, and Herrick
	Unknown
	Unknown
	Police sign
	McInery, Overstreet and Herb at the Round Mountain Theater
	?
	Oregon Avenue, Round Mountain
	Civic Hotel in Lismore
	Unknown person with a skull?
	Unknown person with a skull?
	Unknown
	?

Frank Seborowski was one of the MP's at Round Mountain during WWII. He was 6 ft 2 ins tall and was a prize fighter for a short time before the war. Frank Seborowski loved Australia and in the 1950's he wanted to move his family, including three children to Australia. He was a skilled Tool and Die Maker. Frank was also a Stone Mason and he had the prisoners build the brick chimney which can be seen in one of the colour photos above. Frank also knew how to handle dynamite before the war, and he used it on Round Mountain, for the masonry work.

The Round Mountain Detention and Rehabilitation Center had a weekly Newsletter called the "Stone Age". A link to the 20 January 1945 edition is provided below.

Stone Age Volume II, 20 January 1945, Edition 3

Page 2 of the above edition of the Stone Age Newsletter features a story and sketch of 2nd Lt. Roy Eugene Nielson. The Newsletter incorrectly called him Roy H. Nielson whereas it should be Roy E. Nielson. I was contacted by Sally Nielson, the daughter of 2nd Lt. Roy Eugene Nielson who advised me of the minor mistake in the Newsletter and expressed her amazement and gratitude at finding the information.

Captain Edward Usnick was later in charge of moving the Detention and Rehabilitation Center to the Philippines.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Philip Armour, whose father-in-law, Herbert V. Wuestenberg, was an M.P. in the 345th Military Police Escort Guard Company at Round Mountain during WW2. He also worked as a company clerk at times. He later participated in the liberation of the Philippines before going to Australia. 

I'd like to thanks Mike Seborowski, son of MP Frank Seborowski for his assistance with this web page.

I'd like to thank Virginia Usnick, daughter of Major Edward Usnick, for her assistance with this web page and for providing me with a copy of the "Stone Age" Newsletter.

REFERENCE BOOKS

"Australia Remembers 1945 - 1995, The Beaudesert Experience"
Stories written by Ailsa Rolley & Beaudesert Times

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 27 December 2000

This page last updated 03 June 2020