#FlashbackFriday: 81 Years Ago, the Exchange Came to Australia

On April 5, 1942—81 years ago this month—the Adler Post Exchange opened in Brisbane to support troops based in the country during World War II. It was the first Exchange in Australia, and a second quickly followed with the opening of the Adelaide Exchange 10 days later.

In September, an Army Exchange Service-operated store opened in Townsville, on Australia’s northeast coast. PXs also opened in Sydney, Melbourne and elsewhere.

U.S. Army Forces in Australia/U.S. Army Services of Supply Southwest Pacific Area operations in Australia consisted of seven base sections, with an Army Exchange Service officer on the staff of the commander of each section. Each base section had one or two main exchanges under the control of the base section commander, and each of the main exchanges operated branches. By May 1944, 11 main exchanges operated 360 branches, while 81 military units operated their own PXs.

The Adler PX in Brisbane, Australia, during World War II, was the first of many Exchanges to open in the country during the war.

Post exchanges were also opened in New Zealand and on scores of islands in the South Pacific. The Exchange still operates stores on Kwajalein Island and American Samoa in the South Pacific.

The Exchange also still has a presence in Australia. Since 2017, U.S. Marines trained by the Exchange have operated a small Exchange at Camp Robertson Barracks in Darwin, on Australia’s northern coast.

An exchange run by the 39th Port Battalion at Queensland, Australia, 1942.

Sources: “One Hundred Years of Service: A History of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service,” Exchange Post archives, Exchange history on Flickr, Stars And Stripes,