Early gun tractors for Australian 3-inch 26 cwt AA?

[Leonid]

Hello!

Anyone knows what trucks(tractors) were used to tow Australian 3-inch 20 cwt AA guns before 1939 when Ford Marmon-Herrington 4x4 was adopted as standard field artillery tractor? The problem is that I've found some photos of Australian 3-inch 20 cwt dated 1938 (but unfortunately without any "towers" in picture area) and one photo of these guns towed by Marmon-Herrington tractors (date of creation - circa 1940, State Library of Victoria)...

Leonid

[cliff]

Not sure where these two photos originally came from but both show early artillery gun tractors here in Australia.

[Leonid]

Khe-khe... I saw these photos. The first photo shows military parade at Lochinvar, N.S.W. (Date of creation: [ca. 1940], State Library of Victoria). The trucks are something old-fashioned (exactly not Ford Marmon-Herrington 4x4 ) while modernized 18 pdr MkIV guns look nice!
The second one shows artillery practice at Sandringham by 18th Heavy Battery (Date of creation: [ca. 1932-ca. 1938], State Library of Victoria). The tractors are Thornycroft "Hathi", it's clear, while the guns seem to be 6 inch howitzers... However I'm not sure that they were used for towage of 3inch AA trailers for some reasons (at least because only a few "Hathi" tractors (possibly seven) were supplied to Australia in the early 1930s...

Leonid

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

I think this thread needs to be merged with Leonid's thread in the Gun Park Forum as it deals with the same basic subject.

Bob

[lynx42]

SO WHERE ARE those THORNYCROFT HATHI"S NOW????
Records show that 7 came to Australia. There are a few photos around but where are the HATHI's?
Does anyone have any idea just where they ended up. They were still on the books in 1945.
Thanks Rick.

[Leonid]

Originally Posted by Bob Moseley

I think this thread needs to be merged with Leonid's thread in the Gun Park Forum as it deals with the same basic subject.
Bob

Yes, you are right, although I have specially "splitted" my questions to get more replies from more people (this simple trick helps sometimes)!

BTW: is it possible to identify the trucks with old-fashioned cab (the 1st photo)?

Leonid

[Bob McNeill]

Judgeing by the rear axle they are Inters

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Leonid

The second one shows artillery practice at Sandringham by 18th Heavy Battery (Date of creation: [ca. 1932-ca. 1938], State Library of Victoria).
Leonid

Interesting .Sandringham is a bayside suburb of Melbourne, that pic doesn't look anything like the area , but that said, it was taken in the 1930's and that may be Port Philip bay in the background. One thing, the foreshore ( if it is the foreshore ) looks to be too bare for it to be in that particular region of the bay - the foreshore all along there was and is still quite heavy with coastal vegetation . The only road it could be is Beach road, which follows the foreshore.

During WW2, there was at least one coastal gun emplacement at Sandringham, the site was manned by the VDC ( our version of dads army ) I believe. It would have had a panoramic view of the main shipping channel in the bay.
Mike

[Local Chap]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Interesting .Sandringham is a bayside suburb of Melbourne, that pic doesn't look anything like the area , but that said, it was taken in the 1930's and that may be Port Philip bay in the background. One thing, the foreshore ( if it is the foreshore ) looks to be too bare for it to be in that particular region of the bay - the foreshore all along there was and is still quite heavy with coastal vegetation . The only road it could be is Beach road, which follows the foreshore.
Mike

There is also a Sandringham in NSW on the shores of Botany Bay. The view of the bay in the background of the pic is more like Botany Bay, but the vegetation also appears wrong for that location too, which also features thick coastal scrub and mangroves in the area. Of course, today it's all million dollar houses.