14 Australian Personnel Staging Camp
RSL (Port Pirie Sub Branch) Inc.During World War Two, 14 Australian Personnel Staging Camp (APSC) was located at Prince’s Park, Solomontown, Port Pirie to feed and accommodate troops joining or leaving trains at Pirie Junction (Solomontown Railway Station).
Pirie Junction was created in 1937 to accommodate the broad-standard passenger interchange and included minor narrow-gauge facilities. Port Pirie South yard and the eastern "subsidiary sidings" provided the freight interchange between the three gauges.
The marshalling yards frequently held military trucks, tanks, armoured cars, Red Cross vehicles, and other artillery pieces and auxiliary equipment ready to be deployed to a forward area. Hundreds of troop trains stopped at Port Pirie before going to Western Australia or the Northern Territory with their Australian or American battalions bound for war in the Pacific.
Initially the camp was managed as a detachment from Headquarters South Australia (HQ SA) but in October 1942 the Commonwealth Government commandeered Prince’s Park opposite Solomontown Primary School and established 14 Australian Personnel Staging Camp (APSC) under the command of Captain Thomas Henry Lonnen.
The former detachment moved to take over 5 Australian Personnel Staging Camp at Barrow Creek, Northern Territory.
The staging camp was broken into company areas and utilised about 30 huts of prefabricated construction for short term accommodation of the troops, the site was sewered and planned, indicating a semi-permanent arrangement for the duration of the war.
The huts were described as 16 feet x 12 feet with a door, 8 opening shutters and a malthoid roof. Tents were also set up with board flooring; and at one stage there was an appeal to the public to provide matting or old carpet or anything that provided padding to provide more comfort. There was a parade ground and mess and canteen facilities where meals were provided; a ‘dry’ canteen, an ablution block, a recreation hut which included a donated piano, a women’s restroom, a sergeant’s mess, a Y.M.C.A War Service Hut and a Red Cross Thumbs Up Hut.
Red Cross Aids and Transport Service frequently met at Pirie Junction helping sick and wounded servicemen passing through. They gave the men fruit, milk, cigarettes, playing cards and books to speed the men on their journey overland and carried stretchers from one train to another. They also provided breakfast for invalids at the staging camp.
14 Australian Personnel Staging Camp continued its role until the end of the war.
