Quote:
Originally posted by Keith Webb
Here's another, found via Picture Australia :
"Title: A MILITARY EXERCISE. THERE IS A FIELD GUN IN THE FOREGROUND AND MILITARY VEHICLES IN AND ON EITHER SIDE OF A GULLY.
Location: AUSTRALIA; VICTORIA; PUCKAPUNYAL;"
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Good pic. The gunners are from 4th Anti-Tank regiment, 8th Division AIF. The gun is a 2pdr AT, and the carriers are LP1s.
The 4 AT Regt was raised in Victoria, trained at Pucka from late Nov 40. The first contingent (13th Battery) sailed for Malaya on Queen Mary on 1 Feb 41. A few months later, the rest of the Regt (less 14th Battery) sailed on the Zealandia, arriving in Singapore on 9th Jun 41. The 14th Battery went to Darwin with the 23rd Bde, 8th Div. After fighting down through Malaya, the 4th AT Regt were captured in Singapore, and spent the rest of the war as Japanese POWs. The Zealandia was sunk in Darwin Harbour by a
Japanese Air Raid. She is currently a popular diving wreck in
Darwin Harbour
One of the most widely published photos of the Malayan campaign is of gunners of the 4th AT Regt, 8th Div, stopping Japanese tanks at an ambush site.