SAF Lithgow Museum

[RAEMETIFFYSGT]

That warehouse is located in Moorebank, about 5 mins from Liverpool, or Cesspool as I call it. Very much a violent and dirty place in Sydney to avoid (otherwords never go there), unless you speak fluent arabic. High population of unemployed, and a haven for hardcore drug activity, and worse. Needless to say, I avoid it like the plague, and I was there simply to pick up some new blinds for our house back in The Shire.

However, if you ever do get to the Liverpool RSL, the SMLE sniper and the Type 14 pistol on display there, I de-activiated them in a manner IAW current RAEME EMEI's at the time, and did it well preserving them as best I could, and to the trained eye, they look excellent. Both firearms came out of an estate of a Digger who passed away, and his family donated them to the club.

One time I had a MAG 58 MG barrel fall from a storage shelf on me (bloody RAAOC's hehe). It put a nasty 'GSW' type wound in my shin. The Army decided that I go to a local contacted civvy medical centre, and the staff there wanted to call the police, because of the wound's GSW appearance, and they see heaps of GSW's and related type stuff there. Wierd but true.

Moorebank has a large defence storage area, and is neatly tucked away on ADF land. It borders on Holsworthy, which is a well known Army base for many, many years, and former home of the 1st Brigade.

About the Vickers. Back in the mid 90's all (small amount kept for heritage purposes) went to smelt. They too met their fate, and there were some who somehow (and I do mean somehow) left the depot, and donated to local RSLs etc.

There was many 205 Litre drums of Vickers CES (Complete Eqpt Scale), brass bore mirrors, leather accessory pouches with smaller supple leather pouches filled with punches, and pliers. All on its way to smelt. I belive some of the large leather carry pouches made it to Pickles Auction on Moorebank Avenue. Most of this eqpt was dated 1942-44, and all Australian made, and so marked.

In 1998 I was tasked by the RACMP (MPs) to conduct an technical inspection on a Vickers MG which was siezed by NSW Police from a local RSL (Ingleburn I do believe ??). The ARN of the gun was on a list which apparently had been destroyed (hummmmm). Go figure.

You know I hate doing things like this, but I did as I was told, and I found the MG to be complete with lock, and as presented to me, alls it needed was a good cleaning, a tripod (which was still at the RSL) and a fresh cloth belt of .303 4B1T. The bore was as shiny as the day it was made! Just heaps of LTS preservative.

After the MPs were done their investigation, the MG was sent to the 'butcher' for complete and utter de-activiation, and hence returned to the club.

The MG was as new, and never issued.

A shame, but in todays politically correct Australia, it was a 'tick' in the box for the govt, and another 'bad gun' destroyed.

Now the Lithgow Mk1m BRENs, these most likey were in the UK all then time, possibly on a lend - lease agreement of some kind.

I was present when the ones here were destroyed in total (many thousand), first de-greased, bolts removed, and sent by the tipper truck full, out to Port Kembla to meet their fate.

I remember seeing some colourful butt stocks, some painted up in that 40's style of writing, and ones which stick out in my mind are 'Glory III' and 'Blonde Edna'. Our history gone up in smoke (literally).

In about 1995, I had even witnessed dozens of SMLE bayonets go to smelt, and many were WW1 dated, some Lithgow pre 1915 (yes, with hooked quillion), and many WW1 dated British, many marked RANB Royal Australian Naval Battalion). These had been in storage for yonks, coming from the RAN Zetland facility near Botany. More history gone. However, some were secretly liberated before destruction. I can assure you that. I even remember seeing a Vickers manufactured one, and many MA WW2 dated. But heaps of WW1, and of those some were as old as 1910 and 1911.

It broke my collector's heart to see all of this go, and I even remember WW1 dated SMLE snipers go out too (less optics), along with Type 14 Nambu Jap pistols, Arisaka rifles, Jap Type 96, and Type 99 MG's, M1 carbines and Garands, .45 M1911A1's, M14, SKS, RPD, RPK, AK, AKM's, RPG 7's, and many other Viet Nam era items, of many which were returned by 'order' from messes, Q Stores and museums. Some had many Unit historical signifigance, but the policy of all guns are bad prevailed, and still does here.

The policy of the time where I was at was simple. If it is not a current catalogue item, out it goes. Plain and simple.

Regards,

Wes

PS - Lithgow had many doubles in their collection, and to appease the govt, half of their historic collection was destoyed. Yes it was even on the national news!