Aust LRover Rec Rifle - SVN 1969.

[Lionelgee]

Originally Posted by Bruce Gilbert

Greetings

I am hoping someone can provide the background identity of the Australian Army Landrover 'gun buggy' photographed in South Vietnam. Most of the number plate (112 37X?) can be seen, as well as some unit ID plates.

The photo comes from a 35mm slide, and was taken by a sig. operator belonging to 104 Sig Sqn, between December 1968 and September 1969. It seems to have been taken at an ARVN post, judging by the SVN flag. I also recall his story that he was up a tower during an attack, and the sig. cables got entwined with a machine gun. This story and the pictures may not be related, but ...

He was sometimes sent in a team of one or two sigs, as a liaison sig with Aust and/or US and/or ARVN units.

I am hoping that someone might be able to ID the Landrover and the unit it belonged to. If that could be done, perhaps I could trace the unit's war diaries, in the hope of identifying a date and place of that operation.

The sig who took the photos died on the afternoon of the last day of the 20th century; he did not make the new millennium. He was a damn good bloke. RIP


Regards

Bruce Gilbert

G'day Bruce,

Could I suggest that you visit the following website

http://remlr.com/forum/index.php

If the link does not work type into a search engine

Register of Ex Military Land Rovers Forum.

The group is as its name suggests and there are a number of gun buggy owners there who might be able to help you out.

On the site look for the link 106 MM RCL, aka The Gunbuggy this is a dedicated thread to Gun buggies

Kind Regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

G'day Bruce,

I visited REMLR and found a link which has the list of ARN numbers for gunbuggys

http://remlr.com/forum/index.php?topic=9.msg42#msg42

Also more photographs of these vehicles.

There was a quick shot of a gunbuggy on the ABC Anzac day march in Brisbane however the camera crew seemed more interested in shots of the crowd just as it got closer into view

Kind Regards
Lionel

[lynx42]

In the Appendix to Mike Cecil's book 'Mud and Dust', Mike mentions that there were 21, 106mm gunbuggy's, deployed to Vietnam. No number listings though. Maybe Mike can elaborate a bit more.

Regards Rick.