The Military History of Camden From Frontline to Home Front
The Camden area has a rich history of military involvement from the beginning of European settlement, from frontier violence to foreign wars as part of the British Empire.
Involvement of the local population is broken into two parts: (1) the war at home and (2) war on the front line.
The war at home primarily concerned the Red Cross, the Country Women’s Association and Women’s Voluntary Services.
Significant Military Events
Frontier Violence – Appin Massacre 1816
Crimea War
Boer War
World War One
Camden’s Anzac Precinct: A Historical Reflection
Menangle Australian Light Horse Camp
First Remembrance Day in Camden
‘Guardian Angels’, the Red Cross on the wartime homefront
Camden Red Cross 110 Years Display: Objects and Ephemera Exhibition 2024
New South Wales Women and the Red Cross: A Noble Cause
Australia Day 1918, Red Cross Fundraising Activities in Camden
Camden Red Cross 110 Years Display: Objects and Ephemera Exhibition 2024
Ministering Angels, Myth and the Red Cross on the Australian Wartime Homefront
‘Guardian Angels’, the Red Cross on the wartime homefront
‘Angels Of Mercy’, The Red Cross On the Homefront During the First World War
Red Cross humanitarianism and female volunteers in Australia
Blue Plaque recognises Camden Red Cross sewing circle in wartime
Angels of Mercy, Red Cross volunteers
The Red Cross in Sydney in World War One
Histories of the Red Cross
Willis, Ian (2016). Histories of the Red Cross. University of Wollongong. Composition. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27699648.v1
Ministering Angels, The Camden District Red Cross, 1914-1945
Willis, Ian (2014). Ministering Angels, The Camden District Red Cross, 1914-1945. University of Wollongong. Book. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27777141.v1 The Red Cross and the Liverpool Field Hospital 1915
‘All in a muddle’: The Red Cross and the Liverpool Field Hospital
The Red Cross and the Liverpool Field Hospital 1915
Ministering Angels The Camden District Red Cross 1914-1945
https://www.academia.edu/41478013/Ministering_Angels_The_Camden_District_Red_Cross_1914_1945
World War Two
Was Camden a garrison town during the Second World War? It certainly had many of the features of a garrison town with a number of military establishments in the local area. The town was considered the turf of the RAAF and the army was not welcome. There were a number of marriages between local girls and RAAF and RAF flyers.
Fall of Singapore and the Camden response
Military establishments
RAAF Base, Camden Airfield
US 5th Air Force and Camden Airfield’s Untold Story from World War Two
Camden Airfield and No 32 Squadron RAAF
Camden Airfield and the RAAF Central Flying School
Understanding Bellman Hangars: Camden’s WWII Heritage
Memories of Cec Smith, bare feet and the adventures of flight in Camden
Narellan Military Base
Life, horses and the Army at Narellan in WW2
The army in camp at Narellan in WW2
Life, horses and the Army at Narellan in WW2
Eastern Command Training School, Studley Park, Narellan.
Exploring Studley Park’s Role in Army Training 1939-1945
RAAF Base, Menangle
Menangle RAAF Squadrons during the Second World War
Missing wartime photographs re-appear at Menangle
The war at home
Camden CWA leads way in wartime
Camden CWA wartime president, Rita Tucker
CWA Camouflage Netting Volunteers
Shortage of Wartime CWA Volunteers at Camden
Community gets behind CWA net making during war
Camden CWA Starts Wartime Net Making
The women’s voluntary services, a study of war and volunteering in Camden, 1939-1945
Willis, Ian C, The women’s voluntary services, a study of war and volunteering in Camden, 1939-1945, PhD thesis, School of History and Politics, University of Wollongong, 2004. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/168 https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27831702
War and community: the Red Cross in Camden, 1939-1945
Willis, Ian (2009). War and community: the Red Cross in Camden, 1939-1945. University of Wollongong. Thesis. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uow.27649608.v1
Red Cross humanitarianism and female volunteers in Australia
Camden’s salvage campaign, 1939-45
https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/journal/j38/salvage
Vietnam War
Conclusion
Camden has a significant military history, including participation in conflicts ranging from frontier violence to major wars under the British Empire. The local community engaged in wartime efforts through organisations like the Red Cross and CWA, reflecting both frontline involvement and critical support on the home front throughout Australia’s military engagements.
