MacArthur Museum Brisbane

MacArthur Museum Brisbane MacArthur Museum Brisbane is open to visitors on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday every week from 10am to 3pm (last entry 2.30pm)

As part of an offensive to capture Port Moresby the Japanese attempted to capture Milne Bay on the eastern extremity of ...
31/08/2026

As part of an offensive to capture Port Moresby the Japanese attempted to capture Milne Bay on the eastern extremity of PNG. Japanese marines of the Special Naval Landing Forces (SNLF) landed at Rabi within Milne Bay on 25 August. Their objective was the capture of the airstrips which were being built by Allied engineers.

The main battle was fought over No 3 strip (photo shown below) from 3 am on 31 August when waves of SNLF attacked the Australian infantry positions but were repulsed with heavy losses. In a subsequent action Corporal John French was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Japanese casualties were reported as 625 KIA and 373 WIA. Australian casualties were 167 KIA and 206 WIA, US forces suffered 14 KIA. Milne Bay was the first major victory which caused a withdrawal of Japanese forces and had a considerable morale effect on Allied forces in the Asia-Pacific region.

Open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10am to 3pm.Located on 8th Floor, MacArthur Chambers, 201 Edward Street.Check ...
17/08/2026

Open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 10am to 3pm.

Located on 8th Floor, MacArthur Chambers, 201 Edward Street.

Check out our website at www.mmb.org.au

Message us if you have questions.

The Battle of Savo Island in the night of 8/9 August 1942 was a major defeat for the Allied Navies protecting the US lan...
09/08/2026

The Battle of Savo Island in the night of 8/9 August 1942 was a major defeat for the Allied Navies protecting the US landing at Guadalcanal. The battle followed on the decisive US victory at the Battle of Midway. The US Navy lost the heavy cruisers Astoria, Vincennes, and Quincy while the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), lost the heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra (pictured here listing to starboard). The number of killed was 1023 (84 from Canberra) and 709 were wounded,

The preparations for the operation to invade Guadalcanal had been made in a rush of political reasons. Admiral Ernest King (CinC of the US Navy) was anxious to get more forces allocated to the Pacific War and feared apparent inactivity in the Pacific would lead to a reduced allocation of resources to the Pacific.

MacArthur Museum’s display on the battle summarises the haste, difficulties of equipment and procedures between the USN and RAN, poor weather, communications problems and bad luck which contributed to the outcome.

in 1945, the world entered the atomic age.Research into atomic weapons had progressed slowly through the 1930s with Da...
06/08/2026

in 1945, the world entered the atomic age.

Research into atomic weapons had progressed slowly through the 1930s with Danish physicist Niels Bohr warning of the danger such a device could pose in the wrong hands. Einstein echoed this in his August 1939 letter to President Roosevelt.

In 1941, German physicist Werner Heisenberg told Bohr the N***s were close to an atomic weapon. Bohr passed this to the British, who alerted the US. Just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbour, Roosevelt declared that “we must get there first”, which became Allied policy in WW2.

The bombs dropped on 6 and 9 August 1945 remain controversial to this day.

Over 4000 Axis POW were held in camps around Australia with the camp near Cowra shown in this photo holding 1104 Japanes...
05/08/2026

Over 4000 Axis POW were held in camps around Australia with the camp near Cowra shown in this photo holding 1104 Japanese and Koreans who had been fighting for Japan. The Japanese prisoners were largely ashamed of being captured as this was contrary to code of bushido (warrior code).

On 4 August 1944 the Japanese were informed that the Japanese officers and NCOs were to remain at Cowra while the other ranks would be moved to Hay. At about 2am in 1944 a bugle sounded, and the inmates stormed the wire surrounding the camp and the towers housing machine guns manned by Australian guards. The guards (Ptes B.G. Hardy and R. Jones) were overwhelmed by sheer numbers and killed. Another guard was killed inside the camp and in the days that followed an Australian officer was killed while pursuing escaped POW.

Japanese killed in the breakout included many who committed su***de rather than be recaptured. Consequently 213 were killed and 108 were wounded. Australian casualties were 4 killed. No civilians were killed due to orders issued by Japanese officers.

28/07/2026

Visit MacArthur Museum Brisbane!
https://mmb.org.au/
We offer an in-depth look at Brisbane’s World War II legacy and General MacArthur’s involvement.
Address: MacArthur Chambers, Level 8/201 Edward St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Entry fee: Adults: $10, Concession: $5 (includes children, students and pensioners)
Family Group: $20 (includes two adults and at least one child)

As we commemorate the 180th birthday of the Courier Mail this year, we share a selection of photos from our collection t...
09/07/2026

As we commemorate the 180th birthday of the Courier Mail this year, we share a selection of photos from our collection taken by Cliff Potter, a Courier Mail photographer, in 1945/46 following the end of WW2 hostilities.

Slide 1: Civilians welcoming home soldiers returning from overseas.
Slide 2: Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) on parade.
Slide 3: US sailors in parade.
Slide 4: Female nurses in parade.
Slide 5: Australian army on parade.

On 6 July 1942 tea became the second food item to be rationed (after butter). At the outbreak of war in 1939, Australia...
06/07/2026

On 6 July 1942 tea became the second food item to be rationed (after butter). At the outbreak of war in 1939, Australians averaged about 4-5 cups per day of tea. Coffee was not a favourite beverage at that time but would be one change brought about by the American presence in Australia during the war.

Australia imported almost all its tea from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before the war but in 1942 the Japanese advance into the Southwest Pacific and Indian Oceans became extremely dangerous. The powerful fleet which attacked Darwin in February was on its way to destroy the British Eastern fleet based at Trinccomalee in Ceylon. The Japanese also held much of the area between Australia and Ceylon. The Japanese decided not to invade Ceylon because of the defences there (including two Australian Brigades) but decided to isolate it instead.

Realising that the main source of supply of tea was now cut off and this was likely to remain the case for a long time, rationing was required with the rationale being that limited goods should be shared equally regardless of wealth or position in society. This would also limit inflationary competition in a free market. Meat and sugar would follow on the list of foodstuffs rationed.

Come and visit the MacArthur Museum in Brisbane which has informative displays on the years of austerity, which include food, clothing and motor vehicle equipment (e.g. tyres) and fuel.

The end of the 1941/42 financial year saw a dramatic drop in motor car registrations in Australia which was the result o...
02/07/2026

The end of the 1941/42 financial year saw a dramatic drop in motor car registrations in Australia which was the result of the Menzies (UAP) and the Curtin (ALP) governments' policy to preserve adequate reserves of fuel in wartime. Mainly this was because Australia had no onshore capacity to refine petroleum products. The targeting of oil tankers, particularly by German U-boats, led to widespread oil shortages until mid-1943.

The Menzies government initially encouraged voluntary reductions in consumption using gas converters on their cars. These used the gas from coal to power the car’s engine, but these were very inefficient. On 1 August 1941 private motorists were rationed for enough fuel for 1000 miles per year.

By mid-1942 the restrictions on hoarding and black-market trading of petrol were more difficult to evade and private transport use declined rapidly. Petrol was coloured with different dyes for military and private use and heavy penalties if military fuel was found in a private car. Even doctors and taxi drivers were not immune to restrictions.

The photograph below from the Australian War Memorial ( 042820) displays the inconvenience of the large, inefficient and dirty gas producers fitted to about 10% of private cars. The election promise to repeal the petrol ration was a major factor in defeat of the Chifley (Labour) government by the Liberal Party led by Menzies in 1949.

The Japanese amphibious landing in New Guinea and the occupation of Lae and Salamaua which occurred on 8 March 1942 caug...
29/06/2026

The Japanese amphibious landing in New Guinea and the occupation of Lae and Salamaua which occurred on 8 March 1942 caught the Allies by surprise. The size of the Japanese force precluded any major attack by Allied force at that stage.

It was decided that a commando style raid using 2/5 Independent Company and the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles would be used to disrupt the Japanese occupying forces. This raiding force entered the Japanese positions around Salamaua and the neighbouring townships of Kela and Chinatown on 28 June 1942. They damaged the local airfields, demolished the radio station, supply dumps and a significant bridge before withdrawing by the morning of 30 June.

Japanese losses were estimated at over 100 men while the Australians suffered 3 men wounded. The success of the raid ensured the Japanese had to maintain sufficient troops behind their lines to avoid a repetition of the raid, thus weakening their front-line resources.

The photo shows members of 2/5 Independent Coy clearing a hut thought to contain Japanese troops after the night time raid. An improvised bomb is lobed into the hut while riflemen wait to shoot anyone escaping.

Address

Level 8 MacArthur Chambers, 201 Edward Street
Brisbane, QLD
4000

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Sunday 10am - 3pm

Telephone

+61732117052

Website

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