A Brief History of Salisbury North & the Weapons Research Establishment (WRE)

Salisbury North is a suburb in the City of Salisbury, part of the greater Adelaide conurbation in South Australia. It was built by the South Australian Housing Trust on a greenfield site in the early 1950s, the same decade work began on Elizabeth, mainly to house employees of the nearby Long Range Weapons Establishment, later the Weapons Research Establishment (or WRE). In 1947 the Commonwealth Government established the Long Range Weapons Establishment (LRWE) in partnership with the United Kingdom Government as a facility for research and development of rocket-propelled weapons. The support base for the rocket range at Woomera was at Penfield, on the northern side of the Adelaide-Port Augusta railway line, where a large munitions manufacturing complex had been built in 1941, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the small rural centre of Salisbury. As with the munitions complex at the beginning of the war, in 1949 the location that was to become known as Salisbury North, immediately to its south, was no more than wheat paddocks on a flat alluvial plain. Through the paddocks ran Waterloo Corner Road, the main road leading north-west from Salisbury to Port Wakefield. The whole area was lightly populated, having a population of only 4,159 within the boundaries of the 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) Salisbury District Council, including Salisbury itself. During the war years, many hundreds of workers had been conveyed each day by train to and from Penfield since most of the workforce lived in Adelaide. There had been a post-war lull when munitions manufacture ceased, but as the new Anglo-Australian weapons project established in 1947 gathered pace, the need to recruit large numbers of employees increased. However, the post-war labour market in Adelaide was buoyant and the price of housing high. Every kind of worker was in short supply, and the project had to compete with electronics and engineering firms that were tooling up and taking on staff to meet the heavy demand for consumer goods. Working for the Commonwealth Government had its advantages - the pay was very much better than private employers were offering - but unless one could find somewhere to live locally, working at Penfield involved a commuting trip from the city. From the beginning the authorities recognised that recruitment of staff demanded inducements, and the most potent inducement at the time was the guarantee of a house. The Commonwealth Government's solution was to engage the Government of South Australia under the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement to build a housing estate at Salisbury North explicitly to house the "industrials" (sub-professional employees) of LRWE, on the argument that these grades would be most attracted by the idea of housing close at hand. Starting in 1949, the job was undertaken by the South Australian Housing Trust, the statutory authority responsible for providing low-cost rental housing to working people. The original concept had been that houses for the LRWE employees would be scattered through a wider community to avoid Salisbury North becoming a ghetto. But these advanced notions did not persist, for the economies inherent in making it an estate development were too great to ignore when both money and housing materials were in short supply. The small, semi-detached "maisonettes" subsequently built at Salisbury North were intended to be permanent and their deficiencies have become a permanent part of the Salisbury urban landscape. Most were built using large blocks of Mount Gambier limestone. A local historian described them as: "low cost structures ... of monotonous form, being identical to each other, endless in their rows, all with a rusting chainwire mesh fence and weathering to that insipid yellow/brown of weathered limestone. Their appearance could be said to be the trademark of any Australian public housing authority of the immediate post-war era. In their architecture a mark of contempt seems to be expressed for the people in residence: A semi-detached "maisonette" in the Adelaide suburb of Seaton, identical to those built at Salisbury North by the South Australian Housing Trust. The slovenliness of the domestic architecture was matched by the absence of even a rudimentary attempt at town planning. The powers of the Housing Trust were limited at the time merely to putting up houses: it could not build shops or roads or footpaths, or community amenities halls, play-grounds or parks. No public telephone was installed until the end of 1952. Until 1955 the estate was not even sewered; before April 1953, when nearly 300 families were living there, tenants were instructed to bury sewage themselves in their backyards. Since the area is low lying and prone to flooding, the unmade roads could be quagmires in winter. Bagster’s Road, the main thoroughfare to LRWE, was a mud track. Employees used to come to work in heavy gum boots, walking because the road was impassable to vehicles."

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thank you for watching. For more Elizabeth (and Adelaide) That Was, please Like this video and Subscribe to the channel. Cheers, Will 🙏🍷

[@garyhNZ]

Just found your channel. Very interesting and a trip down memory lane. My dad worked at Weapons Research and used to go to Woomera also back in the 60’s. I remember they used to fly there in DC3’s. He is still around but his memory is not as sharp as it was but I do remember him working as part of De Havilland and the Blue Streak missile. He also worked for Holden. I was born in Elizabeth in the very early 60s but we lived in Salisbury North so many of your videos have a connection for me. I still remember the Holden kids Christmas party, John Martins Christmas parades and the dust storm of 68. That dust storm went across Salisbury North also and we were playing outside when we saw it approach. We had no idea what it was at first and thought it was smoke until one of the neighbours recognised it as a dust storm. Never seen anything like it since. So thanks for your videos, much appreciated.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey Gary. My pleasure mate. And thank you for sharing your memories with us, I love hearing them 🙏

[@royphillips4751]

Great video Will. I lived in Salisbury North from 1954-1962 with my family. My father was a longterm Employee of LRWE/WRE/Woomera.I well remember bogged cars/horses/overturned "Night Carts"/Ice deliveries for the Icebox/Wood fired Chip Heaters for a Hot Shower/Outdoor toilets. I joined the RAAF as a pilot and by 1967 was flying fighters in SE Asia. A different world indeed. I marvel at what people accepted as the norm at that time; but I had a great childhood even though my mother hated the hot, flat, dusty environment .My father rode a bicycle to work and we did not own a car till 1957. Long retired from Qantas now but marvel at the stoicism of that generation.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Absolutely Roy - mad of tough stock those previous generations. I'm glad I was raised a by more stoic generation myself. This is actually an excerpt from a longer video, which you may have discovered already. But here's a link in case. And thanks for watching this one mate, much appreciated: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKHYfGOPqsyceas

[@moyarobinson4354]

Thank you so much for this. Both my parents worked at WRE - for different companies - and I had my wedding reception there. And of course there were the children's Christmas parties. An my dad was involved in almost every rocket launching, as, like many others, he worked one week from home and one week at Woomera.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thanks for sharing that with us Moya! That awesome footage of Woomera and the WRE used in this video is part of a documentary on Woomera and the WRE produced in the late 50s, which I'll be posting here in a few weeks after the full "Elizabeth's Poor Relation" episode is posted. As always, thank you for your support. It is much appreciated. Hope you're well 🙏🍷

[@billylyf6995]

Thankyou for putting in the time an effort to provide a history on an most often overlooked suburb it all adds up to our story here in Adelaide and South Australia

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure. Yes, eventually I hope this channel with be a comprehensive go to channel for history relating to the northern suburbs, in 🙏general. Thank you for watching, much appreciated 🙏

[@melissagraziani6864]

Thanks so much for all your effort - my mum worked at WRE - thanks so much for putting all this research together, greatly appreciated!!

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Melisa. You may already be aware, there are a couple of other mini-docos focusing on Salisbury - one on Salisbury North, and another on the WRE itself. You can find them on the home page. Your Mum sounds like quite an amazing woman. Thank you for sharing. Will :-)

[@melissagraziani6864]

Thanks for replying and letting me know about the other mini docs ❤️

[@elizabeththatwas]

@@melissagraziani6864 my pleasure. For easy access, here is a link to the Salisbury North video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKHYfGOPqsyceas

[@jasonkoziol7773]

my old man Worked at WRE... we ,]lived on Penfield Avenue, which housed WRE and RAAF families... was there from 1976- 81...

[@elizabeththatwas]

Awesome Jason. Thanks for watching and sharing some of your story with us 🙏

[@Theghostswithin]

Fantastic viedoe, thankyou for your effort.

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Debbie. Full video out October 1st. Thank you for watching 🙏

[@geoffmower8729]

Before my time but so amazing seeing Salisbury as it was way back then. Thank you Will yet another wonderful video.👍

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Geoff, glad you enjoyed it. The full video will drop on Saturday 1st of October. Thank you once again for watching 🙏🍷

[@grantknowles6336]

An amazing video. Thank you very much for your research and for sharing, from a long-term Salisbury North resident

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Grant. Cheers for watching. I have just posted the full video. Hope you enjoy it 🙏🍷

[@christinehandley1746]

Wow they were hardy folk when we moved to Elizabeth Downs in1962 5hings were still the same mud roads no school no shops and not having a car walking was the only way to get around I wa s only 8 at the time I don't think would accept that today another great one Will thanks

[@elizabeththatwas]

My pleasure Christine. Yes, aside from the initial plans, once Elizabeth began rapidly expanding the development became more and more ad hoc. Hence suburbs like Elizabeth Downs having houses before sealed roads and shops etc. At least we had sewerage...lol. Imagine having to take it out each day and bury it in your backyard. Full video will drop Saturday 1st October. Cheers for watching Christine. 🙏🍷

[@Outdoorstype]

Love these videos!

[@elizabeththatwas]

Thanks mate. Glad you like them. I am close to completing the next installment, which focuses primarily on life at the Smithfield Hostel 🙏

[@Outdoorstype]

@@elizabeththatwas I will keep an eye out! I was led here by my research for a future video on the Penfield line. I'm learning a lot. Thank you.

[@Willowq4]

Good morning Will. Just watching now. Hope you and yours are well. ❤️❤️

[@elizabeththatwas]

Good morning! Thank you - I hope all is well in your world also my friend 🙏

[@5014eric]

With a lot of weapons research workers, does this mean the first generation of Salisbury North residents were fairly well educated? Note the large section of streets named after mathematical terms.

[@elizabeththatwas]

Hey Eric. Although the estate was intended primarily for WRE workers, and at one point was three quarters occupied by WRE nominated staff, at first the estate’s social mix was wider than had been envisaged. With the absence of anything better to go to, every class rubbed shoulders there, from the men of the Commonwealth Investigation Service to graduate Experimental Officers to toolmakers. But eventually many employees tired of the conditions and went to live in better housing either in Elizabeth or far from the estate. In the full video I go into more detail about the discrepancies in the Trust's attitude toward Elizabeth versus Salisbury North, and Salisbury in general. But yes, generally speaking many of the original residents at Salisbury North were well educated, highly skilled people. The conditions that greeted them at SN in the early 50s must have come as quite a shock - especially as many flooding into SA and Australia at that time were looking for a new start and better future.

[@atomikauto9333]

its erbodex

[@waverlyorman7838]

𝕡𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕠𝕤𝕞 🙃