Truck Identity?

[Ausmick]

Was a slow start to the trip average 12 mile / hour. Had picked up by Mt isa to Camooweal to 31km/hr! Wet season heat and roads would have been quite bad.

When he was posted to Darwin heading into the Pacific Zone he was due to fly up from Townsville but was told ".....flight cancelled due to rough seas....." make sense of that.

Would love to identify the truck near the antbed as I would make it my next project and then drive the trip. After the war they flew him back to Darwin and told him he had to get a truck home to NSW via Alice Springs.

[cliff]

Probably an amphibian plane was being used. Below are some photos of what the truck could have been. I tried to enhance the photo but with no luck but like Max think it was a Chevrolet but with standard civilian wheels rather then combat rims.

Photos are from the AWM and NT Libarary Service via the net.

[Ausmick]

Thanks cliff........that does make sense about the plane as he was attached to a Catalina Flying boat Squadron.......I didn't click as I thought it was typical military situation being not able to fly due to rough seas. Now I understand.

I think you both are on the money with the truck identity. Any RAAF wizards on here with restorations. Wish I had a better picture to show.
Mick

[cletrac (RIP)]

Here's three views from the factory photos CD.

[cliff]

Originally Posted by cletrac

Here's three views from the factory photos CD.

This is the Canadian model known as the "Lend Lease Chev". The one in the original photo has an LP rear body so more likely to be a Holden assembled truck with Holden built cab.

Here is three photos of Roberts truck that Max mentioned. I think photos 1 & 2 are photos from Max the other is not and I can't remember where I got it from.

Even though you say it was an RAAF truck it was likely to look exactly like this except for RAAF replacing the ARMY at the start of the bonnet serial number.

[Max Hedges]

Mick also the one in your photo to me looks like a short wheel base the same as Robert Farmer's
Max

[Bill Murray]

I claim little knowledge of some of these conventional vehicles, but is the original photo not a 30 cwt rather than a 3 tonner as most of the following photos show??

Very short wheelbase, a slightly different slope of what little one can see of the cab with the door off and what seem to me to be smaller wheels/tyres.

Just wondering.

Bill