AWM acquisition?

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

As mentioned in my earlier post, the register entry states it was received as Refugee cargo. That generally means on a ship diverted to Australia in early 1942, to avoid areas that were already under Japanese control.

I believe in this case Mike the term is applied in a purely official sense, in accordance with Mech Circ 314 of April '42:

VEHICLES FROM REFUGEE SHIPS

"A number of vehicles of various types which have not previously been operated by A.I.F. Units, have arrived from overseas. These vehicles will be allotted numbers from a special block which has been reserved for the purpose, viz.: 50201 - 51000 for wheeled vehicles"

Cab 12 FATs arrived in numbers on 6th and 7th Div convoys during early-mid '42. As brand new vehicles taken on charge in Alexandria immediately prior to sailing, they arrived as "types which have not previously been operated by A.I.F. Units", thus falling under the heading "Vehicles from Refugee Ships."

Of course, some of these convoys were in fact diverted at sea, when Java and Sumatra fell, but that's irrelevant under Mech Circ 314.


Mech Circ 314 Numbering of Vehicles.jpg

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Cab 12 FATs were not provided to Australian units in North Africa until well into 1942, and those that can be traced to that origin arrived much later than the example acquired by the AWM. Moreover, where such tractors were brought to Australia by the returning AIF, most were not then transferred to the Australian register, and those few that were do not have the accompanying entry 'refugee'.

Again, this would seem to be in accordance with Mech Circ 314. That is, having been in service for some time, they were no longer "types which have not previously been operated by A.I.F. Units".

I'd be interested to learn more about these later Cab 12 FAT arrivals Mike. I take it they were 9th Div vehicles arriving in early '43...?