Military History - Maryborough Queensland

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I detest anything to do with wars and the atrocities associated with them by governments and political leaders wanting to dominate the world and its people. World War I and II were supposed to end all wars, so nations could live in peace with each other, however, even in 2024, this has not been achieved.

It saddens me that our troops had to endure horrific conditions on the front line, famine, disease, fevers, parasites, typhoid, trench foot, knee-deep in mud and bacteria from the bodies of men and animals. The ones that got home were lucky to survive, but were they? Most of those who returned had injuries and abhorrent memories that could never be forgotten.



I have heard several stories, that were handed down from my Mother who was a teenager during World War II when her parents, along with other Mount Morgan residents, billeted American Soldiers on weekends while they were stationed in Rockhampton and Yeppoon.

My grandmother was in a group of women who knitted washers and made hampers for the soldiers. The soldiers were only boys, no more than twenty years of age, yet took on a man’s responsibility by fighting for their country. My grandmother would write letters home to their mothers, letting them know how they were, but heartbroken if she later found out that the boys, she had become most fond of, had been killed in action.



Last month I had the opportunity to attend another of the Maryborough and District Family History Society Cemetery Tours , which happens regularly, however, around this time of the year, the tour is themed to share stories of Maryborough’s men and women who served in various wars throughout history.

I did not know if I would enjoy it but was pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was as orated by Margaret Wroe, one of the volunteers of the Society and avid history buff. The names of some soldiers were from prominent Maryborough pioneering families and knowing many of the following generations, I felt the night took on a more powerful meaning. Margaret knows a lot of people, who over time, have given her genuine accounts of their relatives’ time in the war and what they achieved once coming back to their hometown.



The night had a profound effect on me, so the next day I decided to visit Maryborough’s Lieutenant Duncan Chapman (later Major) Memorial in Queens Park. A bronze statue and plaque have been erected to commemorate his journey of being the first Anzac ashore at Gallipoli. He survived Gallipoli and was transferred to the 45th Battalion, only to die on 6 August 1916 in Pozieres France. His statue faces down Adelaide Street and begins a new gateway into the Park. Behind the statue are large wooden flower beds designed to resemble the wooden boats that were pushed ashore at Anzac Cove in Turkey.



From Major Chapman’s Statue, a memorial display and walkway has been erected, which includes stones and sand from Gallipoli and vertical plaques depicting scenes and orated stories of Anzac Cove and other wars that our Aussie men have fought in. There are places for you to sit and listen to the orations but what made a very eerie entrance was what seemed like hundreds of men marching with only the sound of their boots in unison amidst the silence of anything else.



This memorial is a tribute to the dedication of Maryborough’s townspeople who enlisted in fighting for their country in a belief in freedom for all.



From there, you can take a short walk to Wharf Street, where you will find the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum. The museum is a non-profit heritage endowment created and sustained by the late John and Else Meyers for the benefit of the Fraser Coast community. He and Else bought the J.E. Brown building in Wharf Street in 2004 to fulfil their dream of a memorial to their children Karen and Geoffrey who were killed in a motor vehicle accident in Gympie in 1982. From John’s Army Reserve days, he used his collection as well as other items he purchased as the basis for the museum. John passed away on 2nd September 2022 at the age of eighty.



The J.E. Brown building is of two levels and was erected in 1879. The Museum is recognised as having one of the finest and largest military libraries in Australia along with also being known as the best military museum in Australia, outside of Canberra.



Some of the memorabilia located inside are a Victorian Cross, two Cross of Valour, other significant medals, trench art, paintings, murals, uniforms, period costumes, historical vehicles and scaled models, wood sculptures, a three hundred book library, maps, original documents, photographs, correspondence, a large range of firearms and bayonets that were used in war over the past one hundred and fifty years. On some days while there, you may hear a pianist playing for visitors' enjoyment. There are more Australian Soldiers represented in this Museum for gallantry at Gallipoli, than anywhere else in the World.



This is a museum utterly worth a visit and one that you need to allow plenty of time to soak up the enormous amount of collections on display. I was fascinated with the amount there was to read and was glad I made the time to visit when war-associated museums are not something I usually seek out.

The museum, which is located at 106 Wharf Street, is open from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm on weekdays and 9.30 am to 2.00 pm on weekends. For more information, you can call 4123 5900 or email [email protected] Cost of entry per adult is $15.00, couples $25.00, and families $30.00.

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