{{Use dmy dates, date=August 2019 AWM_P02236_002

The Fraser Commando School (FCS) was the main

Services Reconnaissance Department Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD), also known as Special Operations Australia (SOA) and previously known as Inter-Allied Services Department (ISD), was an Australian military intelligence and special reconnaissance unit, during World War II. ...

training facility after training operations were transferred from the

Z Experimental Station The Z Experimental Station (ZES) was established in July 1942 at Munro Terrace, Mooroobool, Queensland, Mooroobool, Cairns, Queensland, Australia, jointly by Secret Intelligence Australia and the Inter-Allied Services Department. The building ch ...

in October 1943. The FCS was located on

Fraser Island Fraser Island (Butchulla: ) is a World Heritage-listed island along the south-eastern coast in the Wide Bay–Burnett region, Queensland, Australia. The island is approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and is within the Fraser ...

in Southeast Queensland, near to the McKenzies Jetty, 1.6 km south of what is now the Kingfisher Bay Resort. The site was selected due to its seclusion and sparse habitation. At the time of the establishment of the FCS, Fraser Island was virtually uninhabited apart from a small Forestry establishment at Central Station and a

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

Radar Station at Sandy Cape, on the northern tip of the island. Fraser Island also has rainforest areas which were utilised for jungle warfare training and a series of freshwater lakes. The largest of these, Lake McKenzie, was used for

parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...

water jump training by night and day. The FCS was used by over 900 army personnel and was preparing soldiers for their deadly missions behind the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

front lines in the jungles of south-east

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

. The soldiers were trained to lay

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

underneath several enemy canoes, eventually blowing up the

forces. FCS was the basic Special Operations training facility for the Services Reconnaissance Department,

Far Eastern Liaison Office The Far Eastern Liaison Office (FELO) was a Second World War Propaganda and Field Intelligence unit set up under the orders of the Allied Land Commander, General Sir Thomas Blamey, on 19 June 1942. FELO became one of four sections of the Allied Inte ...

and also hosted students from the Philippines Regional Section. Students received instruction in weapons, demolitions, advanced parachuting, water operations using

folboat A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin m ...

s and rubber boats, as well as extensive signals, physical fitness, ships and plane recognition, and

unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of weapons.Huns ...

training. Major H.A. Campbell, one of the architects of

Operation Jaywick Operation Jaywick was a special operation undertaken in World War II. In September 1943, 14 commandos and sailors from the Allied Z Special Unit raided Japanese shipping in Singapore Harbour, sinking six ships. Background Special Operations ...

was in command of the FCS until January 1944, when he was succeeded by Lt. Davidson RNVR, Major L. McGuinn and later, Major S.R. Leach. Operations at the FCS ceased in December 1945 and the training camp was shut down in early 1946. Later in the 1960s builders and woodworkers used the site to construct building. The reminisce of the training camp is spare and the debris of concrete slabs and pipes are prohibited to touch for tourist.

References

* Official History of Special Operations Australia Volume 1 - Organisation (Copy 1) Special forces of Australia Fraser Island