Morris antenna base
 

This pic of a PU Morris in the UK . I noticed the antenna base which appears to be the Aust. pattern base I have seen on other vehicles .

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10262.002/

the same base on the battery staff ute

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/127806/

and on this carrier

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00399.004/

base
 

I believe this is the base , this turned up at a hamfest years ago . I grabbed it

I've never noticed that type before Mike. I wonder if that PU actually ended up with the Australians somehow? I'm pretty sure I've seen motorcycles that were sent to Australia but still bearing the British census numbers.

Well done on finding that antenna base. Ron

U.k ?
 

Can anyone confirm that the 2/3rd field regiment was ever located in the UK ? Was it part of the 6th Div. AIF ? Some of the AWM photo captions can be misleading , it would be nice to know it that pic of RICKETY KATE was actually taken in the UK as the info says . Mike

PS wiki says yes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2/3rd_F...28Australia%29

AWA radio
 

This pic depicts a AWA 101 wireless set , the vehicle looks like a British PU 8cwt . The chap who took the pic didn't survive the war .

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/001136/

Good research mike. I guess this unit that came to the UK could have brought there own Australian wireless equipment and other more familiar kit with them?
I notice that that last PU has the antenna bracket for the normal sprung loaded base and just has the Australia base poking up through it.
I'm surprised that you haven't got that base screwed to the top of your PU already. Ha Ha!

Ron

yep
 

Yes I'd say that's the likely scenario .

I did begin the drawings of that base . It sits on a large brass/bronze casting shaped like a saucer . I had actually spotted that base at a hamfest a few years before . On that occassion somebody else beat me to it ........ the odd thing is, it turned up for sale again at another hamfest where I got my hands on it , for $30 .

Love it when that happens!
You know the 6volt battery boxes that Rory made from your drawings..... Then I found an original on a stall at a show/swap meet at Popham airfield. I paid £3 for it. The best part is that I had only just arrived an hour earlier and Rory and his Dad had been there 2 days and missed it...........He still speaks to me though. Ron

Mike

Not to doubt captions on AWM photos but the bloke leaning against the Morris looks pretty British to me, at least his uniform is. This along with the British vehicle puts a few questons in my mind that it is actually what it says it is.

Were Australians issued with British uniforms at some stage or was it just "borrowed". The Battle Dress jacket is certainly more comfortable (and better looking) than the Australian uniform

Any comments?

Lang

overalls
 

He may be wearing overalls ? . I think the Aust. WW2 uniforms were a left over from WW1 . Mike

Mike

Sure looks like a British OR type battledress jacket (buttons showing) with battle dress trousers to me. it also describes him as Gunner but the patch on his sleeve looks suspiciously like Warrant Officer 2 to me.

Also if he was captured in Crete it is highly probable he was in 6 Division who were not in UK. Still might have been in some detached unit that found its way to the Greek debacle.

Is it possible he was attached to a British unit?

Lang

Here is the jacket.

PS: just researched 2/3 Field Regiment and it did indeed go to UK to "defend against invasion" in 1940. With the invasion threat over they were sent to the Middle East just in time for the Greek Campaign. They were the first Australian unit to get 25 pounders.

Looks like they arrived in UK with little equipment and the British equipped them with vehicles and old WW1 field guns. Probably where the British uniform came from. What is the badge on his sleeve?

Lang

I would say that his uniform looks a bit flimsy for BD. More likely Denim? Ron

Ron

I still go for BD. The later hidden-button BD appear a bit thicker but those button-showing pattern jackets were pretty thin and the jacket looks the same material as the trousers which seem almost certainly British pattern BD.
Lang

The photo of the Morris could have been taken at Tidworth in Wiltshire, see this AWM photo as there is a similar Morris in the background, same unit too.
http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10262.011/

Richard

I would put money on it being the same photographer on the same day.

Lang

The tyre on the 25pdr has a most unusual looking tread.
Either that or it picked up some parquetry flooring somehow.

David

David

I have a tyre care manual somewhere from early war period that has that pattern tread. It would certainly have been a lot better in the mud than the non-directionals and definately a lot safer on wet sealed roads. A bit wasted as a tyre on a trailed unit.

Lang

Lang
As far as I know. The denim uniform was exactly the same style as the BD. Here is mine that I wear..... if I have to! It's just more comfortable than BD. Although the wind can whip through it when riding on a chilly morning.

Sorry Mike if we're going off topic a bit! Ron

Ron,

Sure looks the same pattern as the BD - you could well be spot-on. Still an Australian in a British uniform, it would be interesting to find out why. His jacket has the contrasting lining around the collar like the BD, does the cotton style have a lining like this?

*Just answered my own question by blowing up your photo - yes it does.

I don't think it is far off topic as it is trying to trace why the Australians had British equipment to fit their aerials to.

Lang

Hi David,
That tyre looks like a Firestone Ground Grip, one of the WD supplied tyres at the time.

Richard

I have looked eveywhere for Firestone Ground Grip of that period and all I can find is a couple of variations on directional and non-directional bearing the Ground Grip badging. I suspect it might be another brand.

What other makers apart from Firestone and Dunlop were supplying in UK at that time? Maybe a bit early for imported tyres?

Lang

Lang,
The tyre treads are shown in an official WD data book on army transport vehicles, wartime dated.. The Firestone tread is unlike the others, which include Dunlop Goodyear and India

Here is the picture from the official WD data book,

Richard

That is what I found but it is not the one on the 25 pounder in the photo. Mystery continues?

Lang

treads
 

This thread is going all over the place..I think its great :drunk:

Re: tyre treads ... Ive seen a few different tread patterns on British WD tyres from WW2 . Having been mixed up with quite a few WOT2's and Morris CS8's , the brands and treads found on these vehicles can be rather odd . I've got a Morris CS8 wreck with INDIA branded tyres (mentioned by Richard F ) and the W/I\D markings .

Getting back to the antenna base. Another one is seen on this Ford ? van

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/127803/

These are French tyres - getting close. Different size but very close pattern.

A close-up of the tyre.


Attachment 66944

Ah .... one tyre make not listed in the WD data book ........... could be Michelin. I have seen odd fitments of these tread patterns on WW2 vehicles. They had a plant in Stoke on Trent but not sure if it was working during the war.

Lots of different tyre treads.
 

Hello,

I would agree with Richard, definatley a British tyre tread, there were lots of different manufactures during the war, Pirelli, Indian tyre co, Dunlop etc. I saw one of these exact tyres a couple of weeks back, but didn't look who made it, was far to busy counting rivets at the time.


John