Camp John T. Knight - Oakland

Camp John T. Knight was the official name given to the Administration and Cantonment Area of the Oakland Army Base in 1942.

The Camp was named in honor of World War I Brigadier General John Thornton Knight, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his outstanding service in the Quartermaster Corps. during World War I.

Brig. Gen. Knight, who was a veteran of the Spanish American War, as well as World War I, served three tours of duty in San Francisco, California. Gen. Knight died in his San Francisco home on January 15, 1930.

"The huge administration building, home of the Oversea Supply Division and the Technical Services, was completed February 9, 1942. The OSD moved from Fort Mason to the Oakland area on June 29, 1942, on the same day that installation was officially named the Oakland Army Base of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation." ¹

"Housekeeping problems which arose with the development of the Oakland Army Base were met on July 28, 1942, when the post of Camp John T. Knight was created, and a camp headquarters was established at the Base to provide these functions. The area of the Camp, south and southwest of the Base facilities, included not only Camp headquarters, but barracks for more than 5,000 troops and all facilities for their requirements - parade grounds, athletic field, motor pool, theater, churches, dispensary, finance office, a bank facility, post office, service club, officers' club, post exchange, commissary, and laundry. The mammoth civilian Postal Concentration Center serving the San Francisco APO, manned by 7,000 troops during peak periods, was also located at Camp Knight." ¹

On April 3, 1946 Camp John T. Knight was officially unified with the operational areas known as Oakland Army Base, and use of the name Camp John T. Knight was discontinued.