2nd Station Hospital

The 2nd Station Hospital is listed in Melbourne (APO 924) in the 17th Edition of Station List USAFIA dated 19 June 1942. This was most likely at Camp Pell in Melbourne.

The USAFIA established the 2nd Station Hospital at Mareeba State School on the corner of Constance and Atherton Streets on 9 July 1942. It was a 250 bed tented hospital. The State School children shared facilities at St. Thomas's (then Good Counsel) School. One school would use the facilities at St. Thomas's in the morning and the other school would use them for the afternoon session. Two of the buildings used by the 2nd Station Hospital as their Morgue and an Operating Theatre in later years were used by the school for Special Education Units.

On 28 November 1942, a Detachment of the 2nd Station Hospital set up a 150 bed hospital at Gordonvale, in the Gordonvale Hotel for surgery and in the Commercial Hotel (including 3 flats above adjoining shops) for recovery. They received their first patients on that same day. This Detachment of the 2nd Station Hospital was relieved by the 63rd Station Hospital on 15 July 1943. The Detachment of the 2nd Station Hospital returned to its parent organisation at Mareeba.

The Queensland Main Roads Commission completed a project for a water purification plant for the 2nd Station hospital at a cost of Ł850.

Allied Works Council Meeting No. 214 of 8 April 1943 shows a project to be completed by the Queensland Main Roads Commission to construct an Officers Ward, 2 Enlisted Mens Wards and one clothing storage hut at a cost of Ł3,300.

Allied Works Council Appendix to Meeting No. 248 of 26 May 1943 shows a project to be completed by the Queensland Main Roads Commission to construct the second lot of additions (buildings etc) to the 2nd Station Hospital at a cost of Ł4,000.

Patients requiring rehabilitation and convalescence were sent to the 2nd Station Hospital at Mareeba from the Cairns area.

Training in the collection and treatment of gas casualties was held in the Townsville Botanical Gardens for the 17th Station Hospital at Charters Towers and the 2nd Station Hospital at Mareeba.

On Thursday evening 15 April 1943, a Chaplain's Conference with 8 Chaplains in attendance, reported that the following units in Port Detachment "D" Area were being regularly served by both Protestant and Catholic Chaplains:-

When Base Section 5, headquartered in Cairns, was established, the 2nd Station Hospital reported to Base Section 5 rather than Base Section 2 in Townsville.

On 20 October 1943, the 2nd Station Hospital left Mareeba and camped at Edge Hill near Cairns for two days before boarding the Liberty Ship Irving M. Scott which headed for Milne Bay in New Guinea on the following day.

The Mareeba State School which was vacated by the 2nd Station Hospital was later used by the Australian Army for Headquarters First Australian Army on 21 April 1944.

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