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Location In 1945 the airfield landing area was an irregular grass surface,
unsuitable for heavy aircraft when wet. Maximum runs available were;
N/S.....1870 yds, NW/SW....2230 yds, E/W...2000 yds. The airfield
lies 50 feet above Mean Sea Level. Beginnings
Work began in 1929 to establish two light gravel strips 5,000 feet x 500 and Archerfield civil aerodrome began operations. Qantas moved their operations from Eagle Farm to Archerfield in the early 1930s, shortly after the first hangars were erected at Archerfield. ANA (Australian National Airlines) and TAA (Trans Australian Airways) also began making use of Archerfield during the 1930's. The Queensland Aero Club, established in 1919, moved from nearby Eagle Farm aerodrome to Archerfield in 1931. Archerfield was to become the main airport in Brisbane, and the site was developed with the addition of assorted hangers and other buildings.
Up until 1939, the aerodrome comprised of one large, grass field of approximately 300 acres, with several hangars located along the Beatty Road side of the airfield just north of a pre-existing cemetery, later to become known as ‘God’s little acre’, and the Queensland Aero Club’s facilities at the northern end of the field along Boundary Road. In the years between the beginning of the Second World War and the attack on Pearl Harbour, Archerfield was being upgraded as a military base for the R.A.A.F pending completion of the new base at Amberly. In 1941 the building of the long awaited control tower and administrative building, designed in 1936, was completed at a cost of £15,000.
R.A.A.F Station Archerfield established itself by building its own hangars and huts along the southern boundary of the field. Archerfield was to become an important military facility for the Royal Australian Air Force, and the field was later to be used by both the United States Army and the Dutch East Indian Air Forces. No. 3 Flying Training School (FTS), later renamed 2 EFTS, was based at Archerfield from November 1939 until it was disbanded in late April 1942. No, 3 Squadron was based at Archerfield from 30 August 1939 to 6 May 1942, before moving to Amberley. Archerfield Aerodrome was placed on a war alert footing immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941; aircraft were dispersed around to minimise damage from air attack and duty aircrews were maintained on standby to intercept any enemy aircraft. Archerfield’s buildings were camouflaged, decoy aircraft were deployed and air raid trenches were dug.
A convoy of US vessels carrying aircraft from the US bound for the Philippines, known as ‘the Pensacola convoy’ was redirected to Brisbane in light of this attack, arriving on 22 December 1941. The Convoy carried seventy crated A-24s and P-40s, these were transported by road to both Amberley and Archerfield for erection and before being flown to their destination, Clark Field in the Philippines. On 17 February 1942, a group of Dutch airmen arrived at Archerfield in three Lockheed Lodestars, the same day, brought six B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron of the 7th Bomb Group having flown from the United States. That night a civilian DC3 aircraft, VH-ACB, ran into B-17E #12430 while taxiing; it also badly damaged Dutch Lodestar, LT922, parked alongside the Flying Fortress. The B-17 suffered a damaged starboard wing, tail and fuselage. The Lodestar's fuselage was completely wrecked. A camp to accommodate the U.S, airmen, named ‘Camp Muckley’ was established to the southeast of the aerodrome All Allied forces operating in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) were placed under the control of General Douglas MacArthur in April 1942, and Archerfield Aerodrome was to be developed into a strategic facility for the repair and maintenance of military aircraft under the U.S. 5th Air force whose Central Command Base was established at in Brisbane in the summer of 1942 under the command of. Lt. General George C. Kenney. On 1 July 1942, the RAAF shut down its station and left the airfield to the USAF, the civilian operators and the facilities that carried out aircraft assembly and repair work. On 4 September 1942, No. 22 Squadron R.A.A.F flying A-20 Boston bombers arrived from Richmond for a short deployment of approximately 3 weeks.
A new hangar complex was planned to provide the additional facilities required for the increased demand for maintenance and repair work; the Allied Works Council constructed 4 igloo hangers and one igloo store on a site at Kerry Road for the Department of Aircraft Production, work had begun by March 1943 with the initial pair (nos. 3 and 4 hangers) under construction; these were of hardwood construction, 353 feet long with a span of 170 feet. The second pair of igloo hangars (nos. 2 and 5) were raised a few metres above the ground on timber frames to gain much greater clearance, being 353 feet long with a span of 188 feet 6 inches. By August 1944 all five igloos were complete; the fifth igloo functioned as the store, and was 255 feet long with a span of 170 feet. The larger of the hangars (nos. 2 and 5) had walkways in the roof apex which enabled overhead access to aircraft. The Archerfield Igloo structures are among the longest clear span buildings existing in Australia.
The igloo complex was used for military aircraft maintenance and repair by the US 81st Air Depot Group, occupying the centre two hangers, together with the civil operators QANTAS and ANA occupying the two outer hangers. The Americans operated Flying Fortresses, Liberators, Kittyhawks, Dakotas, and Marauders, later the Dutch operated Mitchell bombers; such aircraft were to become common sights at Archerfield. The 81st Air Depot Group’s activities at the Kerry Road site ceased when U.S. forces liberated the Philippines.
The Royal Navy was to take over the two Igloo hangers vacated by the US forces; the first party reached Archerfield in early February to begin assembling crated Corsairs and prepare for the arrival of an RN Aircraft Maintenance Yard which was to be established at Archerfield at the end of March 1945. HMS Nabsford commissioned at Archerfield on March 27th. The unit was to operate from the Igloo complex, the airfield and several dispersed sites around Archerfield and Rocklea before closing at the end of March 1946; after I year and 4 days of operations at the grass aerodrome.
The R.A.A.F was to maintain a presence on the airfield until September 1955, 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron reformed at Archerfield in 1947 with Mustangs, converting to Vampire jets in 1955. The grass fires started by the Vampires’ jet exhausts on the all grass landing area necessitated the squadrons move to RAAF Amberly in September of that year. Nearby Eagle Farm was to be re-established as Brisbane’s principal airport with operations commencing in 1949, Archerfield becoming Brisbane’s secondary airport, and a thriving light aircraft centre.
Today, Archerfield is still Brisbane’s second airport catering for general aviation needs; occupying over 600 acres, it has two permanent runways, one of which is lit for night flying, and two grass runways. It is home to the Department of Emergency Services rescue helicopter flight, the Air Training Corps, the Queensland Flying Museum and, the Royal Queensland Aero Club, who still occupy their original hangar.
The Igloo hangar complex at Kerry Road still survives today but not as part of the airport, having been sold in the early 1050s,and were used by companies specialising in big earth-moving plant, Thiess Brothers and Hastings Deering. The complex is a protected site of architectural significance.
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