Mobile Cinema Jeeps

[Mike Kelly]

Thanks to Frederic and his excellent scale model. https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/43876-jeep-...comment-483377

Going through the AWM collections , I have found evidence of the Aust. army Mobile Cinema vehicles in use as early as 1942. These were used in the S.W.P.A. as a means of entertaining the troops, I believe some were even located in forward areas of operations.

The Jeep cinema variants seemed to have come along later on and the jeeps appear to have been set up or modified to carry a generator and the associated equipment . I am not sure, but in a few cases there may have been an auxiliary generator under the bonnet ?

Would make a interesting full scale jeep for displays ! Would anybody know the colours of the MOBILE CINEMA script seen on the windscreen panel ?

[Mike Kelly]

Jeep ARN 127712 certainly got around, from Brisbane to the Dumpu Valley in PNG https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C281905

[Mike Kelly]

Trove has revealed a little more.

And. SYDNEY, N.S.W. 1944-11-05. MOBILE CINEMA JEEPS AT VICTORIA BARRACKS, UNDER THE CONTROL OF DEPUTY ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AMENITIES.

[Keith Webb]

Looks like a 35mm projector, image quality would have been excellent.

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Jeep ARN 127712 certainly got around, from Brisbane to the Dumpu Valley in PNG https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C281905

[Mike Kelly]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Looks like a 35mm projector, image quality would have been excellent.

Not sure about the brand of the projectors that the jeep cinema units used but some of the mobile cinemas that employed larger MCP trucks had projectors that were made by the Sydney based business C&W http://ammpt.com.au/cumming-and-wilson-projectors/

This article mentions C&W projectors https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-110800487...ge/n5/mode/1up