General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Theater, escaped from the Phillippines, with his family, in early 1942, and came to Australia. The family moved into the top three floors of the Lennon Hotel on George St.,Brisbane, while the General established his headquarters into a building (today known as MacArthur Central) in the Central Business District. He had chosen this location for his headquarters because it was the largest and most modern office building in the city center at that time. Housed in the basement was "SIGSALY" - the most sophisticated speech encryption device of its era - so that MacArthur could communicate with Washington. At that time, the Allies' focus was on the war in Europe against Hitler, so the General had to fight constantly for resources. Today, the members of "The General Douglas MacArthur Brisbane Memorial Trust" maintains the office spaces he used as a museum dedicated to depicting how the war in the Pacific was run (from July of 1942 until November of 1944), as well as life in Brisbane during World War II. According to the Memorial Trust, the headquarters have been re-created accurately, even though all of the office furniture had been removed after the war and its provenance disrupted (the Trust asserts that it has all been authenticated, but we could not see any "Certificates of Authenticity" on display). We were disappointed in learning that, while the country as a whole acknowledges that U.S. Forces were instrumental in protecting Australia from a Japanese invasion, the Memorial Trust makes no effort to thank Americans by offering a reduction in its admission pricing, especially for seniors, while those seniors from Brisbane were given a reduced price. With that being said, it was still important for us to visit this museum. The main entrance into MacArthur Central. Once inside, you take the elevator to the eighth floor, where his headquarters were located. A memorial plaque has been placed on the outside of the building, next to the main entrance, indicating why this building is important. Wartime photo of MacArthur's arrival in Brisbane, with his Chief of Staff, General Sutherland. commissioned during his stay in Brisbane, this portrait of MacArthur hangs in his eighth floor headquarters. According to the Memorial Trust, this is an exact re-creation of MacArthur's office as it appeared during his time in Brisbane. For us, the provenance was questionable, as the Trust admitted that all the furniture had been removed after the war and had to be "found" again for the museum. The Trust asserts that it all has been authenticated, but we could not see find any "Certificates of Authenticity" on display anywhere. MacArthur was noted for wearing this elaborately decorated cap while smoking his corncob pipe. Old photo of MacArthur going to work. Just down the hall from MacArthur's office was this conference table where strategies for handling the war in the Pacific were hammered out. Rare photo of the General relaxing with his son, Arthur.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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