Leeuwin means ‘Lioness’. It was a Dutch Galleon of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie or ‘VOC (Dutch East India Company) a private company and economic superpower of its time. Leeuwin was bound for Batavia (Jakarta) the capital of the Dutch East Indies when it was blown off course and as a result, encountered and charted the South West coast of Australia. Thereafter it would be known as ‘T Landt Van de Leeuwin’ (The land of the Leeuwin) In this episode of Backyard Battlefields listen to the story of the Leeuwin and it’s Western Australian legacy. Available on Spotify, Audible and Apple Podcasts.

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Albany’s Princess Royal Fortress was named by British Explorer George Vancouver in 1791. He chose to honour Princess Charlotte, Queen of Wurttemberg and eldest daughter of King George III. The local Minang Noongar people call it ‘Mammang Koort’ meaning ‘The Heart of the Wild Whale’.

Recognising the strategic importance of Albany and it’s magnificent harbours, construction began in 1891 on the Princess Royal Fortress (‘The Forts’) paid for by the British Imperial government and the various Australian colonies. This episode of Backyard Battlefields is about the history of this jewel of the ‘Great Southern’ and it’s place in Western Australian history.

WA’s Hereford. Swanbourne is the location of ‘Campbell Barracks’ a defence establishment named for Lt. Colonel J.A Campbell, who joined the Cameron Highlanders (79th) at aged 14, rose through the ranks and became the Commandant of Commonwealth Military Forces in Western Australia. Located in the heart of what is known as Perth’s ‘Golden Triangle’ it is the home of Australia’s premier Special Forces unit, the Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment.

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Corunna Downs is a 300,000 acre sheep station named for a clash of the Peninsula War, the Battle of Corunna. During World War 2 it was the location of a top secret airbase used by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and elements of the US 380th Bomb Group to strike targets in South East Asia. It was a harsh posting and at it’s peak hosted 300 personnel. (Unless specified all images courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

ABC INTERVIEW

You can hear my interview with ABC Perth ‘Afternoons’ with Michael Tetlow (at about 1 hour 43 mins) here:

Axford Park is a small reserve in the suburb of Mount Hawthorn. It is named for soldier and local resident, Thomas Leslie ‘Jack’ Axford of 16 Infantry Battalion who was awarded the Victoria Cross for actions during the Battle of Hamel in 1918. This operation was directed by Australian General John Monash and was considered a ‘text-book’ victory which included the use of massed MKV tanks, a technique pioneered at Hamel. The Victoria Cross is the highest award in the British honours system and is granted for extraordinary valour ‘in the face of the enemy’.

Nestled in the quiet suburb of Mount Lawley just North of Perth there is a Masonic Hall built in 1928. It was designed by prolific Western Australian architect George Herbert Parry in an interwar ‘Beaux-Arts’ style. Parry was best known for his ecclesiastical work, but designed a number of iconic buildings in Western Australia. Of particular note is the Captain Stirling Hotel (The ‘Cap S’) and the ‘Soldiers Convalescent Home’ in the Perth Hills. The latter was designed in a ‘Dutch Cape’ style and modelled on ‘Groote Schuur’ the Capetown home of mining magnate and politician Cecil Rhodes.

The Masonic Hall is on Alma Road and during the Second World War it found a new purpose, as the 6th Fighter Sector Headquarters for the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) responsible for the air defence of Western Australia.