Troops, Tents and Training

Mundaring and Hills Historical is pleased to announce the publishing of Troops, Tents and Training - The history of the Chidlow WWll Army Camp 4 1942-1946.

Author Bob Sheppard, Archaeologist, Historian and Metal Detectorist, has a passionate interest in all things military. With his interest in metal detecting, he and other members of the metal detecting group were able to go over the camp site and have found over 1,000 artefacts on site and have repatriated dog tags, sweetheart brooches and many other items to the family of soldiers who trained at the camp.

In 2011, the Society tried to get the camps listed on the Mundaring Shire's Municipal Inventory, but did not have any luck. Over $4,000 was spent creating an Interpretation Plan on the site to help get it heritage listed but we were not successful. Since then, the site has been sold to developers and although often this is not a good outcome, we were lucky to find someone acting on behalf of the developers, who was interested in history. He managed to get permission for the detectorists to continue searching the site for lost treasures. In finding these artefacts, it helped to expand the story of the camps.

The book is available to purchase for $15 at MHHS 3060 Jacoby St Mundaring during office hours and the Mundaring Visitor Centre and Museum 7225 Great Eastern Hwy Mundaring.

Watch this space for the launch details.