"NEVILLE COURT",
30
MAXWELL ST, NEW FARM
BRISBANE, QLD
RESIDENCE FOR LIEUTENANT COLONEL RALPH LEWIS FRY
COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE 81ST AIR DEPOT GROUP
DURING WWII
"Neville Court" located at 30 Maxwell Street, New Farm in Brisbane was used as the residence for Lt. Colonel Ralph Lewis Fry the Commanding Officer of the 81st Air Depot Group while they were based in Brisbane in southern Queensland. "Neville Court", an imposing two level Spanish Mediterranean villa overlooking a beautiful reach of the Brisbane River was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Scarborough in June 1937. It had a fountain in the front yard.
"Neville Court"
Photo:- Google Street View
A more modern photo of "Neville Court"
Lt. Col. Ralph Lewis Fry, Commanding Officer, 81st Air Depot Group
Many parties were held at "Neville Court" One such function was the Officer's Thanksgiving Party on 26 November 1942. The pathway to the house was lit with pumpkin Jack-o-lanterns, the lawns were decorated with corn stalks and a turkey strutted about in a corner of the courtyard.
Guests danced on the patio to the sound of an orchestra. A very pleasant buffet was served complete with lashings of turkey.
During the formal proceedings of the night, General Connell presented Colonel Ralph L. Fry with a dumbbell in memory of an incident he would rather have forgotten. He went for a flight from Eagle Farm airfield in a Dutch B-22 on approximately 25 November 1942 and managed to retract the undercarriage when landing and completing a very smooth belly landing!!
Photo:- Major Beryl Stevenson Collection
Lt. Col. Ralph L. Fry and possibly Col. L. A. Lehrbas at
a party, possibly at Neville Court. Note the arch at left.
Photo:- Major Beryl Stevenson Collection
Lt. Col. Ralph L. Fry in the background 3rd from the left
On 17 February 1943, Major General Richard Marshall saw his new quarters at Neville Court, that General Donaldson had picked for him, a house in New Farm. He was one of the rare upper echelon officers to move out of Lennon’s Hotel, but perhaps he hoped to find some relief from being constantly on call in GHQ SWPA office in the AMP building and Lennon's Hotel. Lennon’s was getting a reputation as party central, little more than a brothel according to some, especially the envious and the Navy. On 1 September 1943, Major General Richard Marshall moved from Neville Court to Bronte Apartments, where his secretary Mrs. Louise Mowat also lived, and on 3 September 1943 he was relieved of command of USASOS, not in the sense of having failed, but at last someone had been appointed to do one of the fulltime jobs Marshall has been doing for some time.
Colonel Joseph E. H. Stevenot (0890043) appears in the 1 June 1943 edition of the GHQ SWPA military telephone directory in charge of the Lend Lease Division located in "Neville Court".
REFERENCE BOOKS
"The 81st A.D.G."
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Mandy Albert for her assistance with this web site.
Can anyone help me with more information?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
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This page first produced 24 November 2002
This page last updated 21 January 2024
