ANTI-AIRCRAFT TRAINING SCHOOL, AIR DEFENCE
AND 6 ANTI-AIRCRAFT BATTERY HEADQUARTERS
BLACKHEATH BOYS HOME
CLIVEDEN HOUSE
OXLEY, BRISBANE, QLD
DURING WWII

During WWII, Blackheath Boys Home, in the old historic house "Cliveden", was taken over by the Australian Army and used as the Anti-aircraft Training School, Air Defence.

6th Anti-aircraft Battery Headquarters 6 AA Bty HQs were initially established in Blackheath Boys Home at Oxley before relocating to a house called "Belbowrie" at 95 Donaldson Street, Corinda in December 1942. 6 AA Bty at that time was responsible for all Anti-aircraft guns in Brisbane. 38th AA Bty was established in August 1942 to take over anti-aircraft guns on the north side of the river leaving 6 AA Bty responsible for the south side of the river.

Blackheath Presbyterian Boys' Home was established in "Cliveden" at Oxley in Brisbane in 1926. The Boys Home was closed down in 1963 after two boys were killed in the home.

Peter Moller advised that his father had told him that AWAS had manned the search lights in WWII at Blackheath Boys home.

"Cliveden" was built on a bend of the Brisbane River at Oxley in 1889 for Mr William Montgomery Davenport Davidson, the Surveyor-General of Queensland. It was named after his old family home and birthplace, Cliveden at Richmond on the River Thames in the UK. After William Davidson died in 1909, the property was purchased by Mr Henderson, the Government Analyst. He later sold it to Mr. W.R. Black who donated it to the Presbyterian Church which then established the Blackheath Home for Children in the house in about 1925. The house is no longer there and was approximately in the location of today's 9 Strathburn Street, Oxley.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Russell Miller and Peter Moller for their assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 15 April 2011

This page last updated 02 March 2020