Gunbuggy ARNs & Photos

[Tommy]

The crew commander (left front seat) often had a SLR as well and that was carried across the floor just in front of the seat box with the butt to the left and the barrel fitting into a small tube under the drivers legs.

This photo shows the SLR stowed as described by Glen . M16 in seatbox butt holder.

The L1A1 SLR is lying across the front of the seatbox. You can make out the metal butt plate. The rifle sitting in the butt holder located on the side of the seatbox is a standard M16

[stephendavis]

looks like jeff dennis on top

I went to the Lue Auction when Warwick L was relocating (as did many people). Was it about '99? I have forgotten. Scott is in the photo as well and looks to be somewhere around year 7, which would be about then.
There were a few buggies sold off. I snapped this when walking around after the auction as people were loading their purchases.

[Mike C]

I think it is actually a 'standard' M16A1, rather than an M16.

Mike C

[Richard Farrant]

looks like jeff dennis on top

hi Stephen,
I am sure it is Geoff, the white gloves gave him away !

regards, Richard

[Tommy]

New photo of 112-517 in SVN.

[Mike C]

.... trailing an M125A1 81mm mortar carrier, no less.

Mike C

[digger]

.... trailing an M125A1 81mm mortar carrier, no less.

Mike C

great shot!  nice and clear too!

[Carzee]

Date of the photo = 9RAR "63" = in country late Nov '68 until 5th Dec '69.

At first glance I thought he was taking aim at the carrier... but he's drinking I think.
The rear safety belts are there.
One of the sportscar windscreens is on, so this is a convoy I presume.
I hope those road shoulders were cleared ..

Does anyone have a idea where this? I see posts for wire? A river. Have they stopped at a bridge checkpoint on that river?
Are those the Long Hai Hills? Is this pic even snapped in SVN?

[Carzee]

Here's a wild guess. Looking at the sparse vegetation the GB photo could have been taken the same day / same area as the one on the cover of the $100 book, Fighting To The Finish (Australian Army And The Vietnam War 68-75):

https://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/F2F%20rough%20v02_2_0.jpg

The AWM photo collection has only 2 photos of the M125A1. Two.

This one, "circa 1968", also has a dirt road and convoy setting just like the one with the GB, but the sky is a fairly different:
http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P05923.031
It would be good to pin down the place and the date of that GB photo.

[Mike C]

Carzee,

That there are only 2 M125A1 images in the AWM collection is incorrect. There are another 5 at least - these were included in M&D from the collection - and I know there are others that I rejected for the book due to the space constraints. True, there are only two that are actually identified as 'M125A1' in a collection search, but that is a result of image captions being done by people without broad enough expertise in materiel identification. Even the one on the cover of 'Fighting to the Finish' (134417) does not come up on a simple search - I remember the author asking me to review the image caption prior to publication, and my identifying it as an M125A1 rather than an APC.

Mike C

[DennisM]

Different cameras, settings on the cameras, but even though I was never there, I would safely have a guess and say the profile of the mountains/hills are the 'Long Hai' hills, I also seem to recall them being called 'The Warburtons' for some reason, cheers Dennis.
Ps there are some excellent publications out there about our troops involvement in the conflict in Sth Vietnam.

[zulu delta 534]

60's pop music song was called "Wolverton Mountain"
I believe that this name "Wolverton" morphed into Warburtons over a short period of time, mainly because of the hills being considered "red" - (Don't Go).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLoQS0GnhWk
Regards
Glen

[Carzee]

Its a pity we can't nail the place or time but we can say 112-517 has a radio fitted the same as this one ...which is also 9RAR.

[zulu delta 534]

I don't know whether I would  class that radio as actually being "Fitted". That bit of rope/cordage would be stock issue, if not cut off a tarp of some description, and the PRC radio (complete with its own battery) would have been drawn from the "Q" as and when required.
The thing I find of interest in that photograph, is what are they carrying on the dash between the screen where the barrel mount clamp should be? Smoke? But the writing looks too large and obvious and the top looks wrong.
Regards
Glen

[THE BOOGER]

If not smoke white phos?