"Mitcham army camp was located here during World War I in 1914 to 1918."
GIRL: 100 years ago in 1915,
there were no houses here in Colonel Light Gardens.
This was all a big World War I training site
called the Mitcham Camp.
Men volunteered to join the Australian Imperial Force
and they came here from all over South Australia.
4.000 men lived here at once,
and 30.000 soldiers trained at the Mitcham Camp in four years.
Over 12 weeks they did physical exercise,
rifle, bayonet and bomb practice,
marching drills and trench work.
I reckon the tents are different.
GIRL: For the first year, the Mitcham Camp men slept in tents.
Eight men to each tent.
I'm not heavy enough.
But the camp was really dusty in summer and super muddy in winter.
Mitcham Camp did light horse training.
The light-horsemen were soldiers who used their horses
to get to the battlefields.
The Mitcham Camp soldiers had sports days for recreation.
They had all sorts of crazy games
like boxing, obstacle courses and tug of war.
Go!
(SOLDIER SHOUTS ORDERS)
Quick march!
# Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong... #
BOY: Marching was important for army discipline.
# And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
# You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me. #
Halt!
GIRL: The young lady who lived in our house
married a soldier from the Mitcham Camp.
She walked with him to the station when he left for Egypt.
GIRL: After 12 weeks, they travelled by ship to train more in Egypt.
The men fought in Gallipoli, France and Belgium.
Some fought in Egypt and Palestine.
The playground would be there, but there's no playground.
GIRL: As soon as the war ended, Mitcham Camp was dismantled.
They're different buildings.
Instead streets and homes of Colonel Light Gardens sprang up.
Many of the new residents were returned soldiers
with their young families.
Our school opened in 1926.
Of the 30.000 men who trained at the Mitcham Camp...
..6.000 were killed in the war.
GIRL: Our great-uncle Roy Larwood and his cousin William Larwood
trained at the Mitcham Camp.
BOY: Roy was killed in France and William was killed in Belgium.
BOY: This is the grave of my great-grandfather,
Gordon McLaughlin.
He served at Gallipoli and Egypt and Palestine.
And trained at Mitcham Army Camp.
(BUGLER PLAYS THE LAST POST)
They were very brave to go and fight for us
and now we have a free country.
I'm sad but I'm happy because the war is over now
and I hope they all rest in peace.