(Australian) ARN listing

[Douglas Greville]

Hello Mike

Interesting. I have never heard before you discovered the newspaper ads that there was anyone in Broken Hill selling ex-army vehicles.
The only source I was aware of was "Commonwealth Motors" in Crystal Street, Broken Hill who sold jeep parts but not actual vehicles.

Argent Motors was in business for decades, I think the business changed hands, changed name and changed location and may actually now be the Ford/Mitsubishi etc dealer.

Well done.

Regards
Doug

[Mike K]

Hi Doug

Yes the plot thickens as they say !

Looking through Trove I found various references relating to Carpenter & Co or 'Carpenter coy' which appears in the ARN books as a purchaser of quite a few jeeps through the CDC sales . Carpenter Co. was a Sydney based business with large interests in Pacific Island plantations - copra and so on, they also had a small airline that operated in PNG and QLD, I can only assume that it was this business that purchased the jeeps through CDC sales. It seems that Carpenter were operating in many areas of commerce in the South Pacific , in both retail and primary forms of trading, they also owned ships.

[Mike K]

Many adverts for Smith but nothing related to ex army stuff. I think Chas. Smith had some interest in Argent motors, or maybe owned Argent Motors outright.

[Douglas Greville]

Hello Mike

I had noticed the Carpenter Co notations too and wondered who they were.

As for Chas F Smith, I did not know he had an outlet under his own name
in Broken Hill.

Thanks again.
Doug

[Mike K]

In the AWM 126 there are a certain number of jeeps listed with the red pencil notation "Destroyed by CDC"

Maybe these were jeep wrecks that were not in a decent enough condition to sell ?

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Douglas Greville

Hello Mike

I had noticed the Carpenter Co notations too and wondered who they were.

As for Chas F Smith, I did not know he had an outlet under his own name
in Broken Hill.

Thanks again.
Doug

Carpenter & Co. also purchased many Aust. No. 3 jeep trailers.

Another buyer of jeep trailers was Simmonds Co. .......can't find anything about that Company.

ALFSEA is another common red pencil notation as a recipient of vehicles - could be 'Allied Land Forces South East Asia' .. just a guess

WR Carpenter, who, through his business enterprises purchased many jeeps and trailers through CDC sales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Randolph_Carpenter

Carpenter must have dispatched his buyers out in order to attend the many CDC sales held in places such as Rabaul. He wasn't a acredited jeep manufacturer or dealership nor a govt. Dept. Seems odd that so many jeeps were purchased by a private business that wasn't previously a car dealer.

[Douglas Greville]

Mike

Perhaps Mr Carpenter saw his chance to make a fortune and went for it.

Regards
Doug

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Douglas Greville

Mike

Perhaps Mr Carpenter saw his chance to make a fortune and went for it.

Regards
Doug

Doug,

By the time he was buying surplus vehicles, Carpenter was well and truly a wealthy magnate. He must have got at least five percent of the jeeps on offer , probably more. If anybody has found a ex-Carpenter jeep, the jeep was likely to have seen service in the Islands , being a ship owner Carpenter did have the means to transport his purchases around, to places where he could sell the jeeps at a profit. Still in business today https://www.wrcpng.com/

One interesting entry: "estate HJ Williams" he purchased a Dodge WC56 Command car 123374

Another very active purchaser was 'AH Jolly' who I believe was a Darwin based buyer , this needs more research.