Upon
the outbreak of war a satellite camp was set up down the road
from Fort Dorset on Seatoun Park. This provided initial accommodation
for personnel manning the Palmer Heads Fortress Area (until accommodation
became available at the battery) and on Mt. Victoria a mobile
Anti-Aircraft battery was set up with it’s personnel camping
out in tents. This canvas camp was later replaced with a proper
camp with huts when the 3.7" heavy AA battery was erected.
In
December 1941 a general mobilisation of the Territorial force
occurred. As a result during the following few years camps were
erected to accommodate personnel that were manning the various
defences.
Area
5 HQ in Buckle St was getting cramped so the Winter show grounds
in Newtown was taken over for training purposes and accommodating
guards for road blocks etc. In December 1941 a base camp was established
at the show grounds which supplied other camps in the district.
In July 1942 all of the Area 5 personnel complete with offices
and medical rooms.
The
"Wellington Fortress Area" Headquarters was at 83a Jubilee
Rd in Khandallah. Down the road from it a phase 1 camp was authorised
in May 1942. This camp included 20 4-man huts for sleeping quarters.
At the end of 1943 changes were made to the camp to accommodate
WAAC’s. Associated with these two sites was some underground
works by nearby Khandallah Park for use by the Signals Unit.
While
across town, the First Wellington Regiment had been camped out
at Wellington College since mobilisation. A camp was erected on
Hataitai Park in March 1942 so that the grounds used could be
released back to the college. (Sept. 43 part of this camp was
converted and used as accommodation for defence workers)(Hataitai
park camp demolished Sept. 44)
In
December 1941 two camps were established in Johnsonville. The
first was on the old Johnsonville school site for the 13th
Field Ambulance. It was initially a canvas camp but converted
to buildings started in July 1942. The second camp was on the
Recreation ground and adjacent property. The accommodation was
of Battalion strength. Like the 13th Field Ambulance’s
camp, it too was initially a canvas camp, with the authorisation
to convert it to buildings received in April 1942 and work completed
by October the same year.(Later this camp was used by the US Armed
Forces for a short time)
Further
out, at Porirua the construction of a phase 1 camp was authorised
in April 1942 replacing a temporary tent camp housing the 3rd
Wellington Battalion. In February 1943 adjoining land was obtained
for use as a vehicle-parking depot.(This camp was eventually used
temporarily to house workers working on the reconstruction of
a mental hospital.)
Nairn
Street Park in Newtown already had a canvas camp for pigeon breeding
and training when the authorisation was given in September 1942
to create more permanent facilities. Starting with ablutions and
latrines the camp was transformed into something more permanent.
Sleeping huts for 300 men were provided as was facilities for
the pigeons. The camp’s utilities and sewerage was connected
to the city’s systems. In July 1943 accommodation for WAAC’s
was added. (Later still a store and some huts were shifted across
from Johnsonville)
The
Municipal Motor Camp in Miramar which provided accommodation for
visitors to the Centennial Exposition held in the 1930's at Rongotai
(site of today’s airport) was taken over in August 1942 by
the Army for use by WAAC’s. Initially existing buildings
were altered and four messing shelters and portable huts were
added thus giving accommodation for 200 women. This camp was occupied
on the 17th October 1942. Up until July 1943 facilities
and structures were added and expanded as plans were drawn up.
Eventually the camp provided accommodation for 600 WAAC’s.
This camp was the main camp that provided basic training for WAAC's
in the Wellington Region.
Down
the road at the Miramar Polo grounds a camp for 7 men and 26 WAAC’s
was created urgently in April 1943. One of the rooms in the new
building erected was a plotting room.
A
phase 1 camp was established by Chaffers St for personnel servicing
and manning the Fairmile launches for the navy which was in use
until Shelly Bay (to be Known as HMNZS Cook while occupied by
the Navy) became available.
As
well as the camps mentioned here camps were erected at or nearby
the various coastal and Anti-Aircraft batteries (unless exiting
buildings sufficed.) for personnel manning those batteries.
Top
of page
While
all of this was going on camps were also erected for use by the
US armed forces.
Instructions
to build a camp at Anderson Park in Kelburn were received by the
Public Works Dept in June 1942. They prepared the site while contractors
built the buildings. Months later a convalescent & clearing
hospital was built on the rest of the park.
1942
also saw the authorisation of a camp on the Kaiwarra park (Kaiwharawhara
Park – today). Modifications to this camp were undertaken
in 1943.
The
Hutt Park raceway was taken over for use of a camp, which was
authorised in July 1942. By the months end 200 men were accommodated
in existing buildings while construction continued. By July 1943
the camp accommodated 1,200 personnel
In
October 1942 work started on a camp at Central Park on Brooklyn
Rd. Initially it was to accommodate about 416 personnel of the
US Marine Corps. The contractors/PWD had to work overtime and
concentrate first on essential buildings so the camp can be occupied
by the 22nd November 1942. Additional
buildings were erected and by July 1943 the camp was finally completed
accommodating 540 personnel. The US Forces requested further expansion
of the camp but due to the improving situation in the war it was
not carried out.
Two
camps were built at Paekakariki – McKays Crossing camp and
Camp Russell.
Between
them they accommodated some 15,000 men. There was also a camp
at Titahi Bay for a US Tank Battalion and a recuperation camp
at Solway Park, Masterton.
Barracks
for US Naval personnel were built above/around the boat sheds
in the old Chaffers Marina (between the Overseas Terminal and
Fryberg Swimming pool).
Top
of page
While
most of the camps were dismantled and their land reinstated to
pre-war use the buildings of some camps were shifted to new sites
and reused
After the US forces vacated the camp at Anderson Park in January
1944 some huts and other buildings were shifted across from the
camp at Central Park. Anderson Park now became a demobilisation
depot for the RNZAF. They vacated the camp about April 1946. The
Wellington City Council accepted some of the buildings as compensation
for restoring the park to its former state.
Demobilisation
of our nation’s military forces resulted in an increase in
the demand for housing which was greater than what was available.
The WAAC camp in North Miramar was located on the south part of
the Motor Camp and a camp for Dutch evacuees from the Philippines
had been built to the North of this on behalf of the Netherlands
government. The WAAC camp had been vacated by May 1946 On June
the 11th work started on the Transit camp using huts
and buildings shifted across from Anderson Park. The Dutch camp
was evacuated from their camp by the 19th of August.
This
Transit camp was opened in February 1947 and consisted of 102
units, a caretaker’s residence, communal washing, bathroom
facilities and laundry. There was also a recreation hall built
for the camp.
Although
intended to be temporary accommodation many people ended up having
to say in the camp for more than six months. In 1949 the recreation
hall was shifted to Miramar North School to use as their school
hall. In 1953 some of the old double units were demolished and
the single units converted to double units. The Transit camp was
finally closed in 1961. The last signs that a camp had ever existed
disappeared about 1973.
