World War 1, Roll of Honour - Blackboy Hill Officers' Mess
Jarrah Honour Board from Blackboy Hill Officers' Mess 1914 to 1919 Large central panel with bifold front doors. Names recorded on panels and on reverse of doors. The recorded names are a virtual "Who's Who" of Western Australian society of the period.
On 17 August 1914, just 12 days after war was declared, the first volunteers arrived at the newly formed Blackboy Hill camp at the foot of the Darling Ranges, east of Perth. It was the birthplace of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in WA and over 32,000 men passed through the camp before heading off to war. By 21 August, The West Australian newspaper reported: "The military encampment at Blackboy Hill is now firmly established as a going concern. The various corps are in active training and squads of men are to be seen on all sides going through their drill.". By 29 August 1914, a post office opened at the camp and, after a storm destroyed all the tents recruits were living in, a more permanent camp with huts and cook houses was built. Following World War 1, the camp was used as an isolation hospital during the Spanish Flu pandemic; then in the 1930s as a camp for unemployed men during the Great Depression.
Details
Details
At some time in the 1920s, the Blackboy Hill Officers Mess Honour Board found its way to Swan Barracks, Francis Street, Perth where it was displayed in the central stone tower near the Commander's office. When Swan Barracks was sold in the early 1990s, it eventually found its way to the Leeuwin Barracks Officers'' Mess on the landing leading to the accommodation level. When that facility was closed, the Roll of Honour disappeared into a storeroom of surplus furnishings scheduled for disposal. The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia had been tracking the Roll of Honour since its removal from Swan Barracks and eventually recued it from ignominious disposal in 2023. After cleaning and conservation, it was placed on display in the Orientation Gallery below the portrait of Lieutenant General JJ Talbot Hobbs, the first name recorded on the Roll.
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Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
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