Battle of Brisbane

s of these incidents were suppressed during the war.

In 1942-45, many US personnel were stationed in and around Brisbane, which was the headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area. Many buildings and facilities around Brisbane were given over to the usage of the U.S. military.

Background

, large numbers of United States (U.S.) military forces were stationed at various locations throughout eastern Australia. These forces included personnel awaiting deployment to combat operations elsewhere in the Pacific, troops resting, convalescing, and/or refitting from previous combat operations, or military personnel manning Allied military bases and installations in Australia. At the same time, large numbers of Australian military personnel were also stationed in Brisbane.

Although the military personnel from Australia and the U.S. usually enjoyed a cooperative and convivial relationship, at times there were tensions between the two forces that sometimes resulted in violence. Several factors reportedly contributed to the tensions, including the fact that U.S. military pay was higher than that of the Australian military, the perception that U.S. military uniforms were more appealing than those of the Australians, and a belief among Australian personnel that U.S. servicemen enjoyed great success in their pursuit of Australian women ('They're overpaid, oversexed and over here', was a common phrase used by Australians around this time) the final major problem was the fact that Australian troops were only being used for mop up missions while US troops got all of the glory. The city of Brisbane was one location where large numbers of U.S. and Australian military personnel were stationed and where some tension had developed between some members of the two forces due to these factors.Fact|date=February 2007

The battle

s, heard the commotion and carried O'Sullivan inside. In the meantime, a crowd of Australian servicemen and civilians had gathered and about 100 people began to besiege the PX, throwing objects at it and breaking windows.

The MPs in the PX started to arm themselves with 12-gauge Stevens pump action shotguns in order to protect the PX. People in the crowd took umbrage at this demonstration of force and attempted to relieve Pvt Norbert Grant, of the 738th MP Battalion, of his weapon. During the scuffle it discharged three times. One shot hit Pte Edward Webster of the Australian 2/2nd Anti-Tank Regiment in the chest. Webster died soon afterwards. [Evans, "Battle of Brisbane".] Several other Australian servicemen and civilians, and at least one MP also suffered serious injuries at the PX.

The next day, groups of Australian and U.S. soldiers roamed the streets, engaging in violent brawls, which gradually petered out. Writer Margaret Scott has stated that several U.S. servicemen were beaten to death in the fighting, but there is no evidence to support this. [Evans, "Battle of Brisbane"]

Pvt Grant was later court martialled, by the U.S. military authorities, for manslaughter in relation to the death of Webster, but was acquitted. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/stories/s228063.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "7.30 Report", 27/12/2000, "Book reveals allied soldiers brawling on Brisbane streets"] Downloaded 15/12/06] ] Five Australians were convicted of assault as a result of the events described above, and one was jailed for six months. [Dunn, 2005, "op cit."]

See also

*Battle of Manners Street a similar 'battle' in New Zealand

References

Notes

*Battle of Manners Street a similar 'battle' in New Zealand

Books

*cite book
last = Thompson
first = Peter A.
authorlink =
coauthors = Robert Macklin
year = 2000
chapter =
title = The Battle of Brisbane: Australians and the Yanks at War
publisher = ABC Books
location = Sydney, Australia
id = 0733308961

Web

*cite web
last = Evans
first = Raymond
authorlink =
coauthors = Jacqui
date =
year =
month =
url = http://aspen.conncoll.edu/politicsandculture/page.cfm?key=359
title = The Battle of Brisbane
format =
work = Politics and Culture
pages =
publisher = University Press
language =
accessdate = Oct 20
accessyear = 2006
* [http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/ozatwar/bob.htm The Battle of Brisbane - 26 & 27 November 1942] , version based on the book "They Passed This Way" by Barry Ralph