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More than any other war, the Second World War was the conflict that put civilians across the world on the front line.
In the war, all sides legitimised the bombing of cities in an attempt to weaken the morale of their enemy. All sides suffered, and underground shelters were an important part of any city's defences.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the vulnerability of patients, there were only four underground hospitals built during the conflict.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, one of them was in outback Australia.
The Germans built two, both on the exposed Channel Islands, Jersey and Guernsey, the only part of Britain they occupied in the war.
There was a third on the besieged island of Malta, whose gallant citizens collectively won a George Cross to "bear witness to the heroism and devotion of its people" in support of the Allies.
The fourth was in faraway Mount Isa, Queensland.
At first glance, it was a strange decision to build an underground hospital in the middle of the bush far away from the front line, and indeed after it was built it was never used for that purpose.
But in the middle of 1942 the need was very real.
The Japanese had bombed Darwin just a few months earlier - and the local hospital there was hit in the bombing. Now there were rumours the Japanese were about to invade New Guinea, and by the end of July those rumours were proved correct.
Though further from the coast than Darwin, Mount Isa was vulnerable and on the wrong side of the Brisbane Line, the often hinted plan to abandon Northern Australia in the event of a Japanese invasion.
It was also a legitimate target given its mineral wealth to Australia. Mount Isa Mines was already producing lead for war armaments and the federal government was negotiating for them to start producing copper for brass of gun shells.
Mount Isa hospital was precariously close to the mine and in the firing line if the Japanese did strike.
As a result Mount Isa Mines decided to build an air raid shelter to hold 150 people which could double as a hospital if the need arose.
Each night after their shift ended, miners brought their equipment to the shelter site and drove three tunnels into the side of a hill.
The tunnels were connected up and equipped with an operating theatre. Separate sections were provided for men, women, and maternity cases.
In July 1942 the people of Mount Isa were invited to inspect the newly completed tunnels.
But by year's end, the Japanese had been repulsed at Kokoda and the threat to Australia eased.
The Mount Isa facility lay unused and was eventually forgotten about.
Only in recent years was it re-discovered and it is now a thriving tourist attraction with an attached museum.
As a nice touch the Underground Hospital threw open its doors to the public last week to inspect the tunnels to mark the 80th anniversary of the first time it did that.
The tunnels are a priceless part of our war heritage and remain a rare ghostly reminder of a future that thankfully never happened to Australia.
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