War Memorials in Australia
Sellheim Army Camp Memorial
Place:
Sellheim, Queensland, 4816
District:
Northern Goldfields
and Upper Flinders
Orientation: 17 km E of
Charters Towers
Location: Flinders Highway next to Burdekin Duck Service Station
Position: 20 04 44 S 146 24 90 E
Ref: 40064
__________________________
The memorial is a cement block structure A concrete conglomerate plinth on the north side carries a plaque for the Macrossan Smash. There is a flagpole on the south side.
Bronze plaque on inner west
support
Insignia of Australian Imperial
Force
26 AUSTRALIAN INFANTRY BATTALION (A.I.F.)
Colour patch
SELLHEIM - JUNE 1941 TO MARCH 1942
Bronze plaque on inner east
support
Insignia of Australian Commonwealth
Military Forces
THIS MONUMENT MARKS THE SITE OF THE
SELLHEIM ARMY CAMP
1941 - 1982
AND IS A MEMORIAL TO THOSE WHO PASSED THROUGH
SELLHEIM, AND LOST THEIR LIVES ON WAR SERVICE.
ERECTED BY THE 31ST INFANTRY
BATTALION ASSN.
(CHARTERS TOWERS BRANCH)
Insignia of 31st Infantry Battalion
Bronze plaque on plinth on north
side of monument
Insignia of Royal Australian Air
Force
MACROSSAN SMASH
Insignia of Australian Military Force
ON THE AFTERNOON OF 16 SEPTEMBER
1948 AN AIR FORCE SEMI-TRAILER LADEN WITH
CIVILIAN WORKERS FROM THE R.A.A.F. BASE, MACROSSAN, WAS RETURNING TO CHARTERS
TOWERS AFTER A NORMAL DAYS WORK. WHILE CROSSING THE BURDEKIN RIVER BRIDGE
THE VEHICLE ACCIDENTALLY ROLLED OVER THE CHIME OF THE BRIDGE AND ENDED UP
IN THE BED OF THE RIVER. THIRTEEN PERSONS DIED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT.
THIS PLAQUE IS DEDICATED TO THE
MEMORY OF THOSE WHO DIED AND THOSE WHO
SURVIVED. IT ALSO RECOGNISES THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL WHO ASSISTED IN THE
RECOVERY, ATTENDED THE INJURED AND SUPPORTED THE FAMILIES.
.............................
THOSE WHO DIED IN THE ACCIDENT
| PATRICK JAMES HANSEN | HAROLD WILLIAMS | ||
| EDGAR JOHN FLEWELL-SMITH | THOMAS HENRY SIMPSON | ||
| JOHN HERBERT DELACOUR | MERVYN HENRY NEUMANN | ||
| JOSEPH RICHARD SIMPSON | ROBERT GEORGE TAIT | ||
| HENRY JAMES KNUDSEN | ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL | ||
| SUSAN AGNES MAY TURLEY | ROBERT THOMAS CALDER STEWART | ||
| WALTER GEORGE THOMAS | |||
.............................
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MACROSSAN SMASH WAS COMMEMORATED
IN CHARTERS TOWERS OVER THE WEEKEND OF 19/20 SEPTEMBER 1998.
Information current to December 2003
Sources: Some of the information on this page has been kindly provided by Peter Fox.