5th July 1898

Tuesday

Provisioning ship went on shore and played football with Queensland Permanent Artillery resulted in a win for the Artillery.

The military barracks on Thursday Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, where 50 men of the Queensland Permanent Artillery were stationed. The barracks were built in 1892/1893 in preparation for an expected Russian invasion which never happened. The garrison was disbanded in the late 1920s. (Information taken from: J. C. H. Foley, Timeless isle : an illustrated history of Thursday Island, 1982.) The grand timber buildings of the barracks have a very tropical look, with wide verandahs, and were designed by architects H. Neale and Son. The soldiers are in full military uniform, and appear to be practising with mounted artillery pieces (field guns?). A windmill-like structure is visible in front of the buildings.