World War II
Hornsby Shire in World War Two
On 3 September 1939, Britain declared war on Nazi Germany, and Australia was plunged into the Second World War. Many people from Hornsby Shire joined up. They received strong support from their neighbourhood. Many organisations took part in fundraising, under the co-ordination of the Shire of Hornsby Patriotic and War Fund. The Fund sent parcels to those serving overseas, including prisoners of war. Hornsby RSL distributed the Home Front News, which kept local “diggers” up to date with Hornsby happenings. Its first issue was in March 1941. When it was discontinued in October 1945, it had a print run of 1600. Hornsby Shire Council set up the Hornsby Shire Salvage Fund to co-ordinate the collection of recyclable materials such as metal, paper, and rubber for the war effort.
On 7 December 1941 Japan entered the war. By February 1942 it had captured the island fortress of Singapore and launched the first air raid on Darwin. The war was now close to home. As Sydney’s northern gateway, Hornsby Shire began to prepare to repel an invasion. The Hawkesbury River took on strategic importance. If Japanese troops approached, the railway bridge would be blown up and the Pacific Highway would be sabotaged.
To make the Hawkesbury more impassable, the Naval Control Board decided to impound small boats. In Operation Berowra Boat Guard, around two thousand boats were gathered at Crosslands In April 1942, as the boats were in the process of being stacked on the river flats, a flash flood led to the destruction of many of them.
In the same vein, a convict-built sandstone bridge in Muogamarra Nature Reserve was demolished. Signs identifying suburbs were removed to confuse the enemy. It is believed that this was when the nineteenth-century cannon that stood outside the Council Chambers was buried to prevent it falling into Japanese hands. It was forgotten until it was unearthed by construction workers in 1970. There was also preparation for the destruction of local livestock and crops or their evacuation to inland areas in the event of an invasion.
Defences were also readied against naval attack. This was a very real threat. The Japanese midget submarines that attacked Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942 had the Hawkesbury railway bridge on their list of targets. Anti-submarine nets were put across the mouth of the Hawkesbury. There were gun emplacements at McKell Park and Juno Point, and the water tower on Dangar Island was used as a lookout.
Though there were no air raids on Sydney, blackouts were practiced. “Brown-out shields” were placed on all street lights. These were removed in September except from lights that could be seen from sea. Berowra’s street lights, however, were not back in operation until 1944. There were air-raid sirens located at strategic points, such as Hornsby Park and Asquith Railway Station. There were regular air-raid drills, and all schools were provided with trenches, Hornsby Public School’s being where the swimming pool now is.
The federal government set up the National Emergency Service, similar to Britain’s “Dad’s Army”. Shire President Charles Somerville was made Chief Warden of Hornsby Shire. He had two thousand personnel at his command. The Shire was split into divisions, each with a local headquarters commanded by a Divisional Warden, and these were divided into Warden’s Posts commanded by Senior Wardens. There were 38 Warden’s Posts in Hornsby Shire. Warden’s Posts were manned 24 hours a day, though often this was by the Warden’s wife while the Warden was at work. The areas controlled by the Warden’s Post were further divided into sectors, each with its own Warden. Epping, for example, had five Warden’s Posts each with three or four sectors. The Wardens compiled household registers, recording residents and their skills, telephones, motor vehicles, tools, and air-raid shelters. The NES also had First Aid Posts, such as the one stationed in Hornsby Girls High School gymnasium. Hornsby Shire Council purchased ambulances for the NES. The fear that Japan would fire-bomb the local bushland spurred the formation of the Hornsby Shire Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade which was co-ordinated by the NES.
As well as these defensive actions, Hornsby Shire acted as a training ground for Australian troops preparing to fight back. The Army used the old Thornleigh quarry as a shooting gallery, and the crew of the Krait trained in Cowan Creek before their daring commando raid on Singapore Harbour in September 1943.
Amid all the destruction, the war saw the building of vital local infrastructure. While Australia hoped to make the Hawkesbury River a barrier against invaders if they came, in the meantime its own troops and supplies needed to cross regularly. Until 1945 motor vehicles had to cross by ferry. The opening of the Pacific Highway’s bridge alleviated a major transport bottleneck.
As if the lack of a road bridge wasn’t bad enough, the original railway bridge had to be decommissioned due to deterioration of the piers. As the war progressed the need for a replacement became acute. The defensive mining of coastal waters made shipping difficult, and most passengers and freight went north from Sydney by rail. The weakness in the old bridge necessitated a speed limit of five miles an hour and this caused a second bottleneck. Construction of a second bridge began in 1939 and was completed in 1946.
On 15 August 1945 Japan surrendered, and on 23 August, Hornsby Shire Council passed a motion:
that Council place on record its thankfulness that the victorious peace so long awaited has now eventuated, its gratitude to the men and women of the Services for their selfless devotion to duty and their share in the successful conduct of the War, its sincere thanks to the personnel of the various organisations at home for their untiring efforts, and its appreciation of the patient consideration and understanding and forbearance of the residents of the Shire during the difficult years of War.
