History
 

Just a short story .

Sometimes you come across a message left over from WW2 ..on your treasured gem of a CMP.

In my case , I found the following scratched into the C8 dash panel :

J.S. Hunter VX65738

Well, here's the guy .. 4th from left lower row .

He was a gun operator in the 2/4 Armoured regiment , wounded in action on Bouganville.

I wrote to him around ten years ago... he lives up near Ballarat .. or he did then. He replied with a short note saying he didn't recall the 'vandalism' of the C8 , as he put it .He did say that it probably happened up at Bandiana where his unit was awaiting demob .. he said they were so bored there .

Mike

Great story Mike
 

Max Hedges has a Chev cab 12 with a couple of soldier inscriptions:

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/hedges/mh12-5.jpg

This is the truck:

http://www.oldcmp.net/Images/hedges/mh12-1.jpg

More pics here.

ID of the Queenslander
 

Source WW2 Nominal roll

And the New South Wales soldier
 

Same source

Mike,

Amazing bit of history . . . I mean, how often is one able to connect a driver / crew member to a surviving military vehicle? :eek:

Hanno

more
 

I found JS Hunter listed as being wounded in action in the 2/4 Armoured regimental history book

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-851179164.../n168/mode/1up

Official files
 

Mike,

You'll find all of those details in his service file in the B883 series, plus there is a Melbourne Temp file for the same chap but the title does not give a clue as to the content. Both are located here:

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sear...msListing.aspx

Neither have been digitised, and probably will not be until ordered by an interested researcher like you.

I did an article on a lorry several years ago that had a number of names on the dash - it proved an interesting exercise, and narrowed down not only the location of use (due to the intersection between the various names) but also its probably use as local area transport in Alice Springs. It was a very satisfying piece of research which the vehicle owner greatly appreciated.

Mike

more
 

Hi Mike

I did read your article some time ago re: that Chev. truck and the Alice Springs connection . The truck owner must be quite happy as it turned out. A unusual thing to link a vehicle to a specific unit and location.

JS Hunter. I remember writing to Neil Smith , this was pre-internet. Neil provided some basic info including the birth location. Talk about being lucky, I was at the local Post Office and they had a Ballarat phone directory . Sure enough there was a JS Hunter listed with his address. Bingo :thup2: A letter was my best option , not wanting to intrude too much. JSH replied , yes it was the correct person .

The GPW Jeep I bought last year has a faded 4th Armoured Brigade formation sign on the W/screen panel . Seems that both of my vehicles are in some way connected to the 2/4 th Armoured Regiment . Coincidence or other mysterious stuff !