Some Sth Vietnam snippets from documents.

[Diana Alan]

Just matched another ARN to docs. Thats 4 hits and we haven't really been forensic yet.

 Cookey should be happy after this weekends events at Corowa, but when he sees this, hope it makes his smile even bigger - one of his FFR Land-Rovers, 137333, was in Vietnam.

I think I'm up to 6 or 7 hits now.
Found another for Cookey; his Acco 171164; at 3557 miles it got a service, 17 Constr Sqn RAE. Its in the shed, still in its OD.

Cookey already knew about the Mk3 it was published in a RAEME service schedule about 18 months ago.

Which of the FFR is the veteran?  Hope it's not the one with the fruit platform? 

[DennisM]

My 109 Wksp has a short length of chain welded to the hand throttle quadrant, this was obviously put there to stop un-authorised use of said vehicle during it's time, Whether it went O/seas or not who knows, cheers Dennis

[Carzee]

Cookey already knew about the Mk3 it was published in a RAEME service schedule about 18 months ago.

Which of the FFR is the veteran?  Hope it's not the one with the fruit platform? 

Well, there's a lot more doc refs to it now with more dates/locs.

Re the FFR, its 137333

[Carzee]

Nov 65, a sort of EMEI after some troubles with L/Rs.



further, in this jun65-jun66 year there was a message refering/summarising prev messages about 5 unserviceable Land-Rovers waiting weeks on "brake linings" repairs. I get the impression unit operation is pretty restricted while they await parts from Australia.

I spent about 6 hours in the 1ALSC diaries last night.

Unfortunately, the AWM online access/filing work is not absolutely perfect. I'd give the staff a medal for all that tedious work, a great accomplishment. Kudos. And none of us are perfect etc etc.

The first doc ref for 1ALSC is out by 12months approximately. The cover sheet reference is 3-9apr65 but the scanned diary is from almost precisely a year later: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/records/awm95/1/5/awm95-1-5-1.pdf

In the 2nd and 3rd docs we read the HQ recce team arrived by air at Bien Hoa (some scrub adjacent to 173 Bde?) about 26may65. They set up a picquet in a corner and use their hootchies I presume - wire and tents etc arrive by air 8jun65 about 10 days later.

Then on 10jun65 the team get up at 0600 and parade in the morning in Saigon with the incoming 1RAR troops. The team return by 1100 and at 1900 the unit vehicles begin arriving carrying some stores: "No advice recd on composition of convoy or movt timings".

Land-Rovers, maint vehicles, trucks, etc. The vehicles continue ariving into the next day apparently, makes 10jun65 a long day..

[Carzee]

1ALSC contd.

The first o/n vehicles secured check sheet is dated 23sep65. [[This is obviously the day they set up their Gestetner machine which print softly/fuzzy in that magenta colour. (I remember the fumes and wet paper from my school days).]]

L/R
111897
111909
112031
111887
111888
113674
112788
111364
111383
111355

I/H
116689
116693
116695

The 1ALSC guards' SNCO filled in the veh chk sheet most every night. Other unit vehs in the compound are noted and missing vehs are queried and referrred to Orderly room.
Makes me wish other units had keep up the practise.

[Mike C]

Carzee,

If you spot an obvious problem with the War Diary scans (or anything else, for that matter) like the one with the file mismatched dates just send a quick email to the Research Centre staff and they will check it and eventually fix it (the check & fix is easy: it takes longer for the replacement file to be uploaded as it waits in a group for a 'general upgrade/refresh' of the site). I've spotted several over the years, and all get dealt with via the REFTRACKER system if you let them know.

Mike C

[Carzee]

111-000+ all done from the copy I took yesterday.

Richard, have done some more; I have put all this week's entries in a separate column closest to the ARN column. This includes 110, 111 etc

[Carzee]

Further to the L/R spares problem in 65, in late 66 there is a major repairs delay and reading between the lines... things get a bit heated.
18 Accos and 57 L/Rs are unserviceable plus there are numerous pumps and plant U/S.

Here are a chronological series of messages.
From AFV to RAEME 101 Fd Wksp via 2Comp Ord.


From RAEME 101 Fd Wksp to AFV
The part in darker yellow I have done to show that in the next message to Melb they say the same thing to Melb..


From RAEME 101 Fd Wksp to Melb


contd


contd


The reply: in summary, cannabalise to the max. "all out effort"..

[zulu delta 534]

One of our tipper drivers (late) John Bell, found himself in an awkward situation when his International tipper broke down and no parts were available for repair.
The problem that arose in a situation such as this for the driver was that if your vehicle was unavailable for work then the crew were, and the work that they were available for was usually manual tasking, CSM's duties, mess duties, working in the LAD greasing bearings or some similar menial messy task, cleaning ablutions etc, all in all not the most desirable way to fill in one's time.
So after waiting at least one week for the elusive parts to miraculously turn up through the system, Dinger (All Bells were called Dinger) took things into his own hands and wrote to his Dad back in Mount Gambier (Dad happened to be employed in the IH dealership) and lo and behold the required spare part turned up in a couple of days and Dinger was back on the road again!
The spare part through the Army system was about another two months before arriving!
Regards
Glen

[Carzee]

  love that story.

There are mentions of slow mail and damaged mail in other diaries. As I remember the nice persons manning the wharves were being grumpy politically so perhaps it was not all down to Moorebank or IH, Land-Rover, etc.

edit.
back after a quick google:

http://www.hq1atf.org/postie.htm

There was a manning dispute and demarkations and everything going wrong for the Jeparit thru the second half of '66 -those months leading up to the above 101 Fd Wksp messages.
"Later, at the beginning of December 1966, 40mm cannons were loaded on the Jeparit. Following protests by the SUA and representations by the ACTU, the cannons were removed and the ship left for Vietnam on December 3 1966."
http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/interventions/workers.htm

The AWM has this very good fact-filled record regarding the Jeparit story:
http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P03051.002

"MV Jeparit was originally an Australian National Line vessel which completed five voyages to South Vietnam between June 1966 and February 1967. The ship had an all civilian crew and sailed as a merchant vessel on charter to the then Department of Shipping and Transport (DST), carrying supplies for the Australian forces engaged in the Vietnam War. After the fifth voyage some seamen refused to man the vessel. To overcome this difficulty, crew members who were prepared to continue to serve on the Jeparit were supplemented by a Royal Australian Navy detachment. Following Jeparit's twenty-sixth round voyage to Vietnam (her twenty-first with the Royal Australian Navy detachment embarked), further industrial trouble developed and it was decided to commission Jeparit as an HMA Ship. Accordingly, the vessel was commissioned as HMAS Jeparit on 11 December 1969. Jeparit made a further seventeen voyages under the White Ensign, although still with a mixed RAN and Merchant Navy crew. Jeparit's last round voyage to Vietnam ended when she returned to Sydney on 11 March 1972."

[Diana Alan]

Further to the L/R spares problem in 65, in late 66 there is a major repairs delay and reading between the lines... things get a bit heated.
18 Accos and 57 L/Rs are unserviceable plus there are numerous pumps and plant U/S.

Here are a chronological series of messages.
<snip>

Wouldn't the "Truck 2 1/2 ton, dump" have been teaspoon tippers not ACCO.  But in 66 there may have also been Mk3 cargo in the 18 trucks.

[Carzee]

It actually says "TRUCK 2 1/2 TON INCL DUMP"

(interestingly their typewriter or telegram machine thingy has a 1/2 key).

i

[Diana Alan]

It actually says "TRUCK 2 1/2 TON INCL DUMP"

(interestingly their typewriter or telegram machine thingy has a 1/2 key).

i

It does but someone making a post about the docs called them Accos! (which neither the Mk3 or teaspoon are)

[Carzee]

Maybe I need a re-education camp.
I call them Acco.
So do more than a few other lost souls. eg.
 http://www.mheaust.com.au/Aust/Walkaround/ACCO/Acco1.htm
 http://redtailfox.deviantart.com/art/ACCO-Troop-Truck-4x4-208888412
 http://redtailfox.deviantart.com/art/ACCO-wrecker-6x6-208887607

Did you make this comment in 2011? http://www.flickr.com/photos/aussiefordadverts/5599668149/

Today the ABC ANZAC march commentator called the 110 Army Land-Rovers in Sydney "Jeeps". So I sympathise and fully understand how you feel about "ACCO" but there's just not enough time to worry about the small stuff.

[Tommy]

Maybe I need a re-education camp.
I call them Acco.
So do more than a few other lost souls. eg.

This ridiculous dispute has been going on since God created the earth . Use what ever terminology you want Carzee . We all know what an ACCO 4x4 or 6x6, Jeep, Blitz, Landy, etc etc are .