Abandoned CMPs thread on REMLR forum.

[Dianaa]

A few blitz folks may be interested in a recent thread on the remlr forum: http://remlr.com/forum/index.php?top...cseen#msg13371 a member was recently travelling in the Kimberly region of WA including the WWII Truscott Airfield and the remains of the transport yard.

Just a tempter.

[Keith Webb]

Thanks for posting this here Diana, they've been fairly well ratted for parts over the years by the look, although there are still some good bits on the cab 12s.

Here's another from the same source.

[Lynn Eades]

So what is the story behind them? Have they slowly been robbed of components or were they abandoned as they are? (cab 12's)
How come the Inters are there Mk5 and MkII?? obviously a different time frame.

[Dianaa]

Also different places.

You need to read the text as the thread is a report of sorts of a trip through the Kimberley region.

The Inters are of interest to REMLR because it should be remembered the REMLR is a military Land Rover forum with an interest in the Inter trucks that were contemporary to the Land Rovers. They also have a modest +/- interest is other military vehicles.

BTW I think you'll find the first image is a (4X4) Mk4 with a F2 tipper body, the second Inter is an F1 (6X6) with an after service tipper body and the last Inter is a F1 with Abbey crane. (they are all International Harvestor Aust. No.1 .... trucks) I'm being pedantic because the 6x6 Inter were never officially the Mk5

[Lynn Eades]

Dianaa, when I was an army apprentice, 4th Medium Battery received 6 new 6x6 G.S. Inters, as gun tractors to tow the 5.5's. As far as I recall they were always called Mk.V's.
(The N.Z. army had dumpers as well, but don't recall when they arrived, as I was based in a different area)
These 6 arrived brand new, fitted with CMP mirrors (small, curved, rectangular)
(I mentioned this to Tony Smith years ago on here) Those mirrors all found their way into the rubbish bins really quickly.(some via me as the mechanic) ( 3 or 4 years ago I bought 2 from Argentina at about $70.00 each!)
Anyhow when I was posted to Singapore in may 75 we (the kiwis) had 4x4 Inters, Ex the Australian forces, from when Australia withdrew.
I really don't recall what the 4x4s were called. I thought they were MkIIs.
What defined the Mk?

[Dianaa]

Hi Lynn

I have absolutely no doubt that troops in the 4th Medium Battery nicknamed them Mk5's even the AWM occasionally got that wrong, but as Mike C will tell us they were never officially called Mk5, either by International Harvester nor the Australian Army. Although when you read some unit diaries, they often got officially mentioned as Mk5 in the books even though its the wrong term.

It would be the same as calling your L1A1 an SLR, we all know what you mean.

The user handbook for an F5 (otherwise nicknamed a Mk5 wrecker)

Originally Posted by Lynn Eades

...Anyhow when I was posted to Singapore in may 75 we (the kiwis) had 4x4 Inters, Ex the Australian forces, from when Australia withdrew.
I really don't recall what the 4x4s were called. I thought they were MkIIs.
What defined the Mk?

The official terms for the 4x4 Inters were Truck, Cargo, 2 1/2 Ton, GS, Aust. No.1, Mk ??? The original prototypes and in-service trials were Mk1 and Mk2 (Bruce Ps Mk2)



You can see the design origins from the CMPs

The first in-service production model was the Mk3 and saw service in Borneo and Vietnam, these were the ones with the fibreglass bonnets and fibreglass guards (similiar to the civilian AACO) Official terminology Truck, Cargo, 2 1/2 Ton, GS, with winch, Aust. No.1, Mk3 (this is my Mk3 when I first got it)



This year is the 50th anniversary of the Mk3 entering Army service (1963)

The later 4x4 was the Mk4, has the same cab as the 6x6s "F1 cargo", "F2 dump" and "F5 Wrecker" and in fact many Mk3 got the Mk4 face when they were re-built after SVN. No Mk4 went to SVN. The cab on the Mk4 and 6x6s resembles the civilian butterbox ACCOs.
Truck, Cargo, 2 1/2 Ton, GS, with winch Aust. No.1, Mk4 This is a Gary C's Mk4

[motto]

Lynn, the WW2 stuff is on Truscott Airfield which is on the northwest coast of WA. The airfield was put in during the war under secrecy as a staging facility and emergency landing field. It was established from the sea and i understand there was no land access at that time.
A lot of the materials, vehicle components etc were removed by some enterprising dealer/s after the war and then the place was left pretty much undisturbed until the '70s when private individuals managed to find a way in overland.
The area/s of interest have since been declared a heritage site and none of the remaining artefacts are to be interfered with or removed.
The airfield is operating now as a support base for offshore rigs and also used for SAR ops when required.

David

[Lynn Eades]

Dianaa, I hear you. But if I get it wrong you will have to forgive me.
I have tried to change the world as far as Carrier nomenclature goes, but I was already beaten in 1939.
In my further defence, you Aussies are the worst for it! (Blitz)
I remember replacing all the transfer cases because of a design fault, and converting the brakes from a 4x2 to a 3x3 set up.
Sat and passed my heavy trailer license in one, towing the 5.5 gun (with electric brakes) Pretty much had to be on the red line for every gear change.
Another thing I recall, one of the gunners lost his gun in Taupo, on the way home from annual camp. The gun wrote off five cars, and from that incident, safety chains were introduced. Up until then, the Army had an exemption. The Army was lucky, no one was hurt (or killed)
So to say it right, we had Mk 4's, F1s and F2s (they all had the shallow steel hoods/bonnets)

David, thanks for the up date. I did a trip up the Gibb river road (Broome to Kununarra, but we never went up the Mitchel plateau.
From a You tube clip, the air port looks like quite a good regularly used facility.

[Dianaa]

Hi Lynn

I have no problem with nicknames as far as they go, but here we should be clear and give them the correct names. We don't do it for monkey face blitz, so we shouldn't do it for Inters either.

BTW, Unlike British equipment, in this case the use of Roman numerals is incorrect. They are Mk3 and Mk4 in Arabic numerals.

[Dianaa]

[Lynn Eades]

Dianaa, O.K. Mk3 and Mk4.
Now, When you managed to change the Australian lads from calling their Universal Carriers, Bren Carriers, Let me know

Did you notice, I edited my post#8?

[Dianaa]

I have now!

Geez you're asking a lot, I was trying to get people to call them Vickers gun carriers, but only the ones with the correct gun port! Did I do wrong?

I'm still trying to learn the difference between a LP2a, a C15a and a cab 12.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Alse see the thread CMPs at Truscott Airbase, AUS.

H.

[Lynn Eades]

Originally Posted by Dianaa

I have now!

Geez you're asking a lot, I was trying to get people to call them Vickers gun carriers, but only the ones with the correct gun port! Did I do wrong?

I'm still trying to learn the difference between a LP2a, a C15a and a cab 12.

Those ones you speak of were a "Carrier MG LP2 or LP2A". (no roaming numerals)
Do you get the British "Classic Military vehicle" magazine?