This KANGAROO stamp would have been used during the height of military training activity at BROADMEADOWS in early 1916. The stamp reminds us of the exciting anticipation [perhaps falsely instilled] and the fears ... of thousands of Australian young men and women preparing for war for KING and COUNTRY. The date of this marsupial perhaps elevates it to "RRR" given the historic significance of the time and the move North to SEYMOUR sometime in 1915/16.
thanksforlooking@danmagpie'sstamps
THE RARE "MILITARY CAMP BROADMEADOWS" POSTMARK WITH WORLD WAR I DATE "25 APRIL 1916" - ON 6d BLUE KANGAROO (2nd OR 3rd WATERMARK) - THE MAJOR 'AIF' TRAINING CAMP BEFORE EMBARKMENT
The Broadmeadows Military Camp Post Office was established 17 AUGUST 1914 and closed on 29 MARCH 1919. The land was previously known as Mornington Park. It was a wide field,
suitable for military practice, including training for the Light Horse
regiments. Broadmeadows was home to the major army training camp for the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). It is the current location of the "Maygar" Army Barracks on Camp Road in Broadmeadows. To reach the camp, soldiers marched from Victoria Barracks in St Kilda Road and headed North up Sydney Road, only resting near FAWKNER Cemetery. The camp soon became a popular location for family outings on Sundays. Soldiers slept in tents and food was basic. Training was hard, but it did not prepare soldiers for a 'modern' war with machine guns, gas, shells and aeroplanes – technology that did not exist in previous wars. Some men and women only completed a few months training before departing on troopships from Port Melbourne. Once overseas, some soldiers received further training in Egypt.
Description. Broadmeadows, a rural settlement to the west of Melbourne, was
the site of the main camp for the reception and training of recruits
for the AIF from Victoria early in the First World War. Broadmeadows had
been identified as a possible site for military training in 1913, but
no facilities had been established. The camp was established in August
1914 at 'Mornington Park', a property loaned to the government by Mr
R.G. Wilson. Early on, Broadmeadows was predominantly a tented camp and
conditions were quite spartan. These facilities, combined with wet
weather and poor drainage resulted in a rapid increase in sickness among
recruits in autumn 1915. Public concern, fuelled by sensationalist
press coverage, resulted in a decision in May 1915 to re-establish the
main Victorian training camp at Seymour, approximately 100 kilometres
north of Melbourne. Broadmeadows Camp remained in use throughout the
war, however, with facilities being progressively improved.
The Australian “MILITARY” postmarks are a 'field of study' unto themselves. This is a lovely and quite rare VICTORIAN example of "MILITARY CAMP BROADMEADOWS" at a time of great significance for Australia.
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