The Magnetic Battery - Magnetic Island Forts

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The Forts in 1964 - Left to right, my sister Vicki,
my brother Brian and my father Jim Dunn

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The Forts in 1964
My brother Brian Dunn admiring the view

The Magnetic Battery was built by the Queensland Main Roads Commission using local labour. Construction of the complex started on 28 September 1942 and was finished 10 months later on 10 July 1943.

There were two large 155mm M1918 Grande Puissance Filloux (GPF) US made guns with 26 foot long barrels mounted on Panama mounts. Magnetic Battery was manned sequentially by men from "B", "L" and "T" Heavy Batteries of the Australian Army's Letter Batteries. Some sources incorrectly suggest that the guns were operated by the Royal Australian Navy.

They had a 6 foot recoil and could throw a 105 lbs shell to a range of 18,000 yards. The guns never fired a shot in anger but it is believed they did once fire a warning shot on a U.S. Navy P.T. Boat that arrived in the bay unannounced.

Plan showing Gun No 1 and Gun No. 2, the Reserve Magazine,
the DRF Command Post, the PWSS and Command Post

The Royal Australian Navy establishment co-located at the site was known as RAN Station 21, the Port War Signal Station (P.W.S.S.) Magnetic Island. Amongst other duties, they ran an Examination Service for the Port of Townsville.

Naval Telegraphist Wesley John Le Cornu (PA3607) from Underdale in South Australia spent time at RAN Station 21 on Magnetic Island. He also served at the RAN Wireless Station, at 121 Upper Blackwood Street on Stanton Hill in Townsville. I was contacted by the late John Le Cornu on 6 April 2009 as follows:-

Jeff Doonan, who is Wesley John Le Cornu's son-in-law, told me on 12 June 2020:-

After the war "John" Le Cornu set up ham radios at his home in St Ives using the type of extensive aerial systems that he had developed during the war. He could talk to anyone anywhere in the world. Magnetic Island had such an impact on John that he honeymooned there after the war. In June 2020, Jeff Doonan told me that 40 years previously while at John's home in St Ives, he was helping John to cast fishing line up into trees (they lived on the edge of Karingai Chase National Park) and then he used the fishing line to carefully pull aerial wire into the tree canopies. It was a random process with John then spending weeks repeatedly cutting one inch off the wire length and then testing the radio signal strength. He explained that this technique was used to get great results on Magnetic Island during the war.

The artillery batteries looking after these guns supporting the RAN Examination Service for the Port of Townsville comprised:-

There were also two large Sperry 3 million candle power searchlights, one high above White Lady Bay, at Horseshoe Bay and the other above Florence Bay. They each were powered by their own diesel power generator. There were about 20 engineers looking after these searchlights.

Photo:- Magnetic Museum Facebook page
Miriam Hardy collection (Fraley photograph)

Same searchlight position as the above WWII
photo. Note the concrete pad at bottom right of
both photos. Same large tree to the left also.

13 Australian Radar Detachment had a radar installation on a high knoll above Orchard Rocks on the north eastern side of Magnetic Island between Radical Bay and Florence Bay. 13 Australian Radar Detachment operated the radar until Magnetic Battery was closed down in March 1945.

A rest camp was established by the Australian Army Camp Staff at nearby Florence Bay for the soldiers and sailors working at the Magnetic Battery area. By mid 1944 the Camp Staff at Florence Bay were absorbed into the Arcadia Rest Camp on the island.

Truck on Magnetic Island. The back of the truck was filled with large stones to
maintain traction on the track from the Magnetic Battery to Radical Bay

Another myth busted! - A couple of articles in the Townsville Bulletin in January 1999 incorrectly suggested that there may have been four large guns on Magnetic Island not two (see photo below).

Photo of four large guns supposedly sent to Magnetic Island
Photo from North Queensland Military Museum - Incorrect - see below

Problem solved: These are actually the guns of "U" Battery in August 1945
at Torokina. The photo was taken by Reg Kidd, the co-author of the
book called "The 'Letter' Batteries" by Reg Kidd and Ray Neal

An article on page 19 of the Townsville Bulletin on Monday 25 January 1999, included the above photograph. It stated that Eric Hall of Gulliver remembered seeing four large guns while riding his bike one day. His father was the Tug Master on board the boat "Marina". One Saturday, the "Marina" towed a wooden barge with two of these guns on board to the north eastern end of Magnetic Island to Rollingstone Bay. Being a Saturday, Eric went on board the Marina to help his father. The other two guns were used at Magazine Battery on Magazine Hill at the Townsville Harbour.

Another myth busted! - I have heard another story that suggests that the Big Gun on top of the Big Gun Butcher in Logan Road at Springwood in Brisbane is one of the guns from Magnetic Island. It is actually a different type of 155mm gun. It is a 155mm M1A1 Long Tom field artillery gun. This gun was once sitting in a wreckers yard that used to be located in the same area many years ago. The Big Gun was removed from the top of the building that it was on in late June 2003, to make way for a new Big Gun Shopping Centre to be built.

Another myth busted! - Chris Peters had heard an incorrect story that the "Big Gun" near the intersection with Kingston Road, used to be one of about 12 anti-aircraft guns positioned on top of Mount Gravatt during the war years. There were never any anti-aircraft guns on Mount Gravatt. There was only ever one American searchlight (not 12) on top of Mount Gravatt from April to June 1942 operated by the 94th Coast Artillery (AA) Regiment. Chris indicated there were more anti-aircraft guns on top of Mt Coot-tha as well which is also incorrect.

"The 'Letter' Batteries - The History of the 'Letter' Batteries"
by Reg Kidd and Ray Neal

I'd like to thank Jeff Doonan, Wesley John Le Cornu and Liam Baker for their assistance with this web page.

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