historyAug 3, 20261:45pending
3 August 1945: Wagglen family squat
About this episode
On this day, 3 August 1945, a group in Melbourne called the Australian Soldiers' Legion (ASL) met up with a family called the Wagglens, which included a homeless, wounded World War II veteran, his wife and children, and squatted a house in Bell Street, Hawthorn.
As members of the media watched on, ASL members entered the empty home and carried furniture in through the window. The group claimed to have identified 41 other empty houses, suitable for occupation, and to have settled 13 families in some of them in areas including Brighton, Newport, Camberwell and Kew. On the same day, a homeless veteran in Sydney squatted a house in the suburb of Auburn.
They were emulating the actions of the Brighton Vigilantes in England, who had begun taking over empty properties.
While the government officially commented that it "would not tolerate threatening act" and threatened police action, they did also announce they would introduce legislation to give local authorities power to install tenants in empty homes.
On the same day in Sydney, a homeless ex-soldier squatted an empty home on Marion Street, Auburn. He told the communist newspaper the Tribune: "Forcible possession of homes will not solve the housing problem. Only new houses will do that. But what other avenue is open to a man in desperate circumstances like me?"
More information, sources and maps for both of these stories in the On This Day section of our Stories app at https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today
Pictured: An Australian squatting family at this time
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
As members of the media watched on, ASL members entered the empty home and carried furniture in through the window. The group claimed to have identified 41 other empty houses, suitable for occupation, and to have settled 13 families in some of them in areas including Brighton, Newport, Camberwell and Kew. On the same day, a homeless veteran in Sydney squatted a house in the suburb of Auburn.
They were emulating the actions of the Brighton Vigilantes in England, who had begun taking over empty properties.
While the government officially commented that it "would not tolerate threatening act" and threatened police action, they did also announce they would introduce legislation to give local authorities power to install tenants in empty homes.
On the same day in Sydney, a homeless ex-soldier squatted an empty home on Marion Street, Auburn. He told the communist newspaper the Tribune: "Forcible possession of homes will not solve the housing problem. Only new houses will do that. But what other avenue is open to a man in desperate circumstances like me?"
More information, sources and maps for both of these stories in the On This Day section of our Stories app at https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today
Pictured: An Australian squatting family at this time
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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