On 23rd November 1943, the United States Army established Quartermaster Depot Q-111 in Northern Ireland. There were many Quartermaster regiments in Ulster as part of the deployment of American GIs who had arrived throughout 1942 and 1943.
Q-111 came about as per General Orders 17, Northern Ireland Base Section. This directive combined General Depot G-10 (Belfast) and General Depot G-10 (Wilmont). General Orders 39, United Kingdom Base Command disbanded the depot on 20th April 1945.
The US Army established a main Quartermaster Depot Q-111 in Belfast, Co. Antrim. A further 11 subordinate depots covered the rest of the province. Each depot had an alphanumerical code based on its location.
| Location | Camp | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim, Co. Antrim | Q-111A | 23rd November 1943 | |
| Ballymena, Co. Antrim | Q-111BA | 23rd November 1943 | |
| Ballymoney, Co. Antrim | Q-111BY | 20th December 1943 | August 1944 |
| Ballywillwill, Co. Down | Q-111BW | 23rd November 1943 | August 1944 |
| Balmoral, Co. Antrim | Q-111BL | 23rd November 1943 | |
| Belfast, Co. Antrim | Q-111 | 23rd November 1943 | 25th April 1945 |
| Crossgar, Co. Down | Q-111C | 23rd November 1943 | August 1944 |
| Derrymore House, Bessbrook, Co. Armagh | Q111-D | 23rd November 1943 | August 1944 |
| Finaghy, Co. Antrim | Q-111D | 23rd November 1943 | |
| Larne, Co. Antrim | Q-111L | 23rd November 1943 | |
| Springhill House, Moneymore, Co. Londonderry | Q-111M (Engineer Depot) | 23rd November 1943 | August 1944 |
| Seskinore, Co. Tyrone | Q-111S | 23rd November 1943 | August 1944 |
In the book ‘Springhill, an old Ulster House’, Mina Lennox-Conyngham mentions several Quartermaster companies at the Springhill camp. Company D, 544th Quartermaster Regiment, Company L, 519th Quartermaster Regiment, and 3991st Quartermaster Truck Company all stayed at the Co. Londonderry estate.
Life at Springhill House was typical of many of the Quartermaster Depots. When not training, US soldiers played baseball in the grounds. Many of them carved initials in the trees and some traces still survive today.