British Vehicle New Guinea

[Lang]

Thank you.

[Lynn Eades]

Jeez Mike, all I got from that picture was "It's a Matador and it's stuck"

[Mike K]

The Bedford water truck is seen at 8.36

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C256033

[Lang]

Mike

I love the play on the quartermaster.

A string of people are told "No. We only have one left and if we gave it to you we would not have any in stock for someone who wanted one"

At least he got his new shoelace after proving it was actually broken and having to hand in the broken one before he got the new item. The signature is absolutely essential.

Lang

[Maurice Donckers]

Hi Lang , there is no shear pin on an AEC matador winch , at overload a rod will push the diesel injection pump to the engine stop position , the winch is capable to pull 7 tons , so with the double snatch blocks provided with the truck, it should be able to pull more than the 7 tons the truck itself weights ,

[Lang]

Thanks for that Maurice I knew there had to be some sort of safety feature.

It is amazing how difficult it is to get a vehicle seriously bogged like this out of a hole. The winch may be able to lift the truck if you had a sky-hook but dragging it horizontally is often another matter. Finding something to hook the cable on to is also a common problem - I doubt a coconut tree would hold 7 tons. The back looks as full as a Catholic School bus so probably 14 tons might be more like it?

Great info on another fail-safe system.

Lang

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by Lang

Thanks for that Maurice I knew there had to be some sort of safety feature.

It is amazing how difficult it is to get a vehicle seriously bogged like this out of a hole. The winch may be able to lift the truck if you had a sky-hook but dragging it horizontally is often another matter. Finding something to hook the cable on to is also a common problem - I doubt a coconut tree would hold 7 tons. The back looks as full as a Catholic School bus so probably 14 tons might be more like it?

Great info on another fail-safe system.

Lang

Hi Lang

I'll look for a picture in a recovery manual, which shows using logs to lift a truck out a ditch with a winch. Basically it shows standing the log on end with winch cable over the top. If remember the photos/drawings correct it shows it being done the a single log straight line pull essential or two logs as trypod which makes more sense.

As to safety point on winches like found on CMPs I think the primary safety factor on over loading the winch is between the operators ears. Having used the winch on my C60L Pat 13 a lot I'm convinced the winch is quite capable of folding the truck into horseshoe, or at least bending it to the point where the winch drive shaft pops out.

Had the occasion to use the winch on my truck in with some current duty service men and they were quite impressed with the fact that the cable could be run out front or rear, but when the winch started pulling a heavy tree snag wit the engine ticking over at idle.

Cheers Phil

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C256033

The AWM site has at times been criticised for it's collection descriptions. This item description, however, could properly be described as "Comprehensive".

[DaveBuckle]

Thanks Mikes and Lang for all the info in this post - I have been trying to piece together info on CMPs used with searchlights in PNG as remembered to me by a 2/19 btn veteran.
AWM narrowed it down to 6th or 8th Division.
Any more info gladly received.

[Lang]

Dave

2/19th Battalion AIF was a part of 8th Division which was captured in Singapore. Of approximately 1,500 men the battalion suffered the highest casualties of an Australian WW2 unit - about 75 KIA and 545 either starved, worked to death or murdered by the Japanese. If your veteran was in the 2/19 Battalion he certainly was not in New Guinea.

If his unit number was 19th Battalion (no "2" in front of the name) this was a militia battalion not AIF and was in New Guinea. They were initially attached to 3(militia) Division then to 5 (militia) Division. Their first operational role was toward the end of the war in New Britain. They were never a part of 6,7 or 9 AIF Divisions. You can read about the 19th Battalion in the carrier forum "carriers in Darwin" .

The militia (Citizen Military Forces/Army Reserve/Territorials etc similar to the American National Guard) was for much of the war dedicated to home defence and banned by law from being sent overseas. The regulations were changed and they were allowed to be used in Papua New Guinea (because they were Australian administered territories). The bulk of the major operations were still undertaken by the volunteer AIF 6,7 and 9 Divisions.

An infantry battalion of course would have no contact with searchlights but could well have been near to them at some stage.

Lang

[DaveBuckle]

Thanks Lang.
I did leave out a lot of info in my short reply.
He escaped the fall of Singapore in the nick of time in his pyjama pants while convalescing from injuries sustained earlier - in the area where the massacre of the left-behind injured happened.
He spent time back in Aus recovering and then '"training recruits to salute"'.
He hated this and wanted back in the action - due to his injured arm he could not be returned to infantry and thus accepted the role on searchlights.
He recalled the American searchlights being so much better and that the Blitzes were green and brown (not all green as in Malaya) and rough to ride in.
He was protecting airfields around/at Salamaua and Finschaffen.
So maybe I missed info from him about what/which unit he was with once redeployed in PNG.
He has a sharp memory, so will get some more info when I see him on ANZAC Day.
With your added info now in the fold am getting close.
Many thanks -