QUEENSLAND ECHELON AND
RECORDS OFFICE
LOCATED WARWICK, QLD
DURING WWII
The Queensland Echelon and Records Office of the Australian Army was located in the Barnes Building, 118 - 120 Palmerin Street in Warwick during WWII for 3 years. The building was on the corner of Palmerin Street and King Street. They had previously partially occupied the Rich Building in the city in Brisbane and the Kelvin Grove Army Base.
Approximately 250 personnel arrived in Warwick in March 1942 to establish the Records Office with Major P. D. Jones as their Commanding Officer. Initially they occupied only part of the Barnes Building. At its peak, there were 1,500 personnel working at the office and they eventually occupied the entire floor space of 70,000 cubic feet in the Barnes Building.
Finding living quarters for all the staff was quite a challenge. Many of the men lived in private homes to alleviate the issue. Eventually many families of the staff also moved to Warwick as it seemed it was going to be an ongoing concern. Four of the local hotels were converted into AWAS Barracks.
The Office had its own Orderly Room, Quartermaster, Amenities Section, Transport Section and even had its own bootmaker, tailor, signwriter, carpenter, electrician, typewriter mechanic, barber and RAP Station.
The Office had its own band which participated in Anzac Day ceremonies and on VE Day.
The Office maintained a complete history of service personnel's military life, including their medical record and reported all casualties to next of kin. One of the sections there dealt with statistics and had a close liaison with planning staff at Army Headquarters. In June 1945 there were between 60 and 70 AWAS typists and an additional 150 AWAS on records work.
Delores Violet Davis worked at the office in Warwick. She worked on "Z" Special Unit Records. Delores would never talk about her work but to say how cruel the Japanese were and how she disliked them for what they did to some of the "Z" Special Unit men. Her future husband Ronald Arthur Jackson (NX100598) also moved there after returning from Milne Bay.
Lieutenant Colonel P.D. Jones announced in June 1945 that the Queensland Echelon and Records Office and its staff of 900 personnel was to leave Warwick and move to Victoria Park in Brisbane at the end of September 1945. They were to occupy the US Army Officer's Club in Gregory Terrace which had earlier been partially destroyed by fire. The Former US Officer's Camp in Gregory Terrace would be used as quarters for the staff.
The Rivers Super Store (Clothing) was occupying the Barnes building in April 2016.
Photo:- Google Earth Street View
Rivers Super Store corner of Palmerin Street and King Street, Warwick
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Neil Jackson for his assistance with this web page. Neil is the son of Ronald and Delores Jackson who both worked at the Queensland Echelon and Records Office in Warwick.
REFERENCES
The Telegraph Brisbane 6 June 1945 Page 2
Warwick Daily News 29 June 1945 Page 2
Can anyone help me with more information?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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This page first produced 8 April 2016
This page last updated 24 January 2020