CMPs at Truscott Airbase, AUS

[Philliphastings]

Thanks for the pics Robert.

What an awesome sight !

Most people are probably thinking 'what a waste' but I rather think along the lines of what a terrific memorial.

Most Military sites in the southern sector of WA have been looted out by scrap dealers twenty or more years ago and you have to dig in the dirt to find their leftovers nuts bolts and oxy cutting slag.

So good to see genuine relics of the war effort still in situ and largely intact. There is no better way to tell the story of the ground crews, maintenance staff and airmen stationed at Truscott during the war...

Cheers

Phill

[Mike K]

Some explaining for our non aussie members,

The base was and is in a remote location on the NW coast, it was completely built from the sea . No roads existed then and now . They shipped in everything by barges . I believe it was a major staging strip for B24 raids into the Dutch East indies . The Libs would fuel up and load bombs and fly on from Truscott .

A air force vet told me a lot of misfits were posted there as punishment and a few of them went troppo ... the remoteness got to them and they took to the hills .

Some very odd things happened up there along that coast. A Jap recce floatplane landed and abducted a priest from a small vessel .. he was sadly decapitated by his captors later on. A DC 3 was shot down by the Broom raiders as they were returning .. the survivors all had a harrowing time on the remote coast .. the remanis of the DC 3 are still there to this day .
Mike

[Philliphastings]

Yes Mike, not forgetting the brown paper package containing a fortune in diamonds sent by the Dutch to avoid it's capture by the Japanese, and which ended up missing from the wreck and scattered through the bush, most never being found to this day.

The mind boggles and I reckon these types of legends help make the wild parts of Australia so fascinating,

Cheers

Phill

[Stuart Kirkham]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

The base was and is in a remote location on the NW coast, it was completely built from the sea . No roads existed then and now . They shipped in everything by barges . I believe it was a major staging strip for B24 raids into the Dutch East indies . The Libs would fuel up and load bombs and fly on from Truscott .

The 'staging' B-24 Liberators originated from the 'secret' inland airstrip of Corunna Downs where the US Army Airforce and RAAF Airforce heavy bombers were based. The bombers would fuel and bomb up at Corunna Downs, fly to Truscott, fuel up again and fly off to Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

This airfield was located 27 kms south of Marble Bar, Western Australia as it was considered 'out of reach' of Japanese aircraft. The remote distance from the north of Australia meant that the Liberators did not have sufficient fuel to complete their missions without the 'top up' at Truscott.

The airfield still exists today in it's original state apart from the buildings, which were removed after the war.

http://picasaweb.google.com/explorer...at=directlink#



This unused 250lb GP bomb tail fin and transit case was recovered from Corunna Downs a number of years ago. At the time that I visited the airfield, there would have been hundreds of these fins lying around.

[bill m]

A very interesting series of pictures.
Thank you all. WWII Australian sites are a favourite of mine.
In reference to the link Ian Fawbert posted (hello Ian!) there was mention of a book titled "TRUSCOTT SECRET" by John and Carol Beasy. Has any one read this? I would like to try and get a copy.
cheers
Bill.

[motto (RIP)]

I believe that John Belfield and his crew of five were the first to drive in to Truscot and the trip was timed to coincide with a WA expedition that was organised by John Hardy (dec) of Port Hedland. The Hardy group staged through Kalumbaru and were ferried across to Truscot by boat. This was related to me by Murray Lucas of Perth who passed away some years ago.
Murray and a couple of other members of the group set up camp in the middle of one of the original roads and were drinking perfectly good rain water from abandoned 44 gallon drums that were everywhere. One day they heard the revving of an engine and crashing of saplings being knocked down and Belfields vehicle ( the Mean Green Machine) came down the long disused road, the first vehicle to travel along it for twenty years or more. It pulled up at their camp and John abused them for camping in the middle of the right of way with much laughter all around.
On that occasion a section of the runway was cleared and a light aircraft flown in that took everybody up in turns for a look from the air.
One vehicle that Murray and his mates found somewhere away from the main area that Murray showed me a photo of was the stripped out remains of a Dodge 3/4 ton Command Car that looked very straight. He assured me that only he and the two blokes with him knew about it. Murray was a bit of a leg puller and I will probably never know if he was just winding me up.
David

[motto (RIP)]

While I think of it, a story related to me by a lifelong friend now deceased that was a flight engineer on B24s with number 24 Squadron. He also flew missions with an American Bombardment Group as part of a mixed crew which I understand was not unusual in those days.
Lindsay was based at Fenton in the Northern Territory and Truscot was used as a staging field or an alternative destination if fuel shortage was an issue. A B24 crashed in the Fenton circuit area returning from a mission up into the DEI with one of the crew being killed. Lindsay assured me that the inside dope was that the fuel situation had been touch and go for the return to Fenton and the aircaft overflew Truscot because the skipper had a date with a nurse back at base. He was adamant that the flight engineer should have stood his ground and insisted on putting down at Truscot. Knowing Lindsay, I believe he would have done so.
Life and death can rest on such slender underpinnings as the personalities involved.
David