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The Pontville Training Camp was a windswept open area which lacked any facilities, including a regular water supply. |
Also, the nearest railway station was at Brighton. Troops were regularly entrained from Brighton to Hobart for rifle practice at the range at Sandy Bay.
| With the departure of the First Contingent from Tasmania on the Geelong and Katuna, the camp at Pontville was broken up and transferred to land at Claremont which continued to be used for the duration of the First World War. |  |
Here, at Claremont, Tassie’s own battalion – The Fighting Fortieth was raised. It grew from ‘one thousand farmers, clerks, timber-workers, miners, etc to an equal number of highly-trained soldiers who composed an efficient fighting force…’
A group of reinforcements waiting to ship out overseas. |
Thousands more would enlist and train here. Among them were the different reinforcements for the 12th Battalion, 7th Field Ambulance ‘C’ Section, Field Artillery, Light Horse and the Pioneers. |