Information

Located in high parkland behind the Balmoral Cemetery, this was one of several four-gun anti-aircraft positions situated along the Brisbane River, a system designed to monitor and prevent aircraft entering Brisbane airspace during WWII by using the river as a navigational aid. They also protected Allied facilities located along the river. These defensive positions were located at Colmslie/Lytton, Victoria Park, Balmoral, Pinkenba, Hendra, Hemmant, Amberley and Archerfield. The Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery had standard four-gun emplacements, with magazines, a central control room, and a gun crew of 10-12 men. The Australian Women’s Army Service were involved in operating instruments such as range finding and spotting, but generally not in the firing of the guns. By 1944, when the perceived threat from Japanese invasion had decreased, personnel on the battery was limited to maintenance and training purposes. All Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery sites in Brisbane were disarmed at the end of the war.

Citations

Queensland Government, Queensland WWII Historic Places, ‘6 (387th) Australian Heavy Anti-Aircraft (HAA) Battery’ (http://www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/places/?id=960), sighted 22 July 2017.

Image Citations

Balmoral Park Entrance, 1950. Brisbane City Council. Brisbane Images. BCC-B54-827.

Map References

QSA. QSA Series ID 2058 Moreton District Maps – A Series. 4 miles to the inch. Moreton District. Sheet 1. 4 miles to the inch. Survey Office, Brisbane.. 634925