Clarktor Aircraft Tugs in Britain and Australia

[Lang]

Mike,

I have no evidence whatsoever our tugs were operated by the RAAF just weight of probability.

If they were from American delivered serial numbers you would have to conclude they were American stocks left here (whether used by the RAAF or sold to civilians directly).

Being British 1941 delivered tugs and both ours so close in serial numbers I would assume they were issued to the RAAF somewhere - most probably Middle East. The photo of the RAAF operated tug in Libya adds some possibility these two and others were brought back to Australia from there. Maybe they were handed to the Australians in the Japan Occupation Force or Korea or Malaya?
As you know any equipment picked up by these "deals" might have unit, formation or even theatre records but have absolutely nothing in the armed forces central aquisition records.

To my mind it seems unlikely they were some sort of post war civil import but who knows.

Lang

[Lynn Eades]

Lang, in the same way that Kiwi C8AX's made it into Australia, after the war. Many vehicles were pulled back from the islands, into to N.Z. and Australia by those that had the resources to do so. I imagine there was at times, some fairly stiff competition.
In New Zealand, names like Gillies and Giltrap did very well.
It is possible.

[Lang]

Lyn,

That is true, Theiss is a name from Australia bringing shiploads of vehicles and machinery in from New Guinea sales.

The Clarktors we are talking about were of British origin and could not have been brought back from Pacific post war sales (unless the Australians got them in the Middle East and subsequently took them to New Guinea which is highly unlikely)

I will try to find a photo I have seen of a USMC aircraft in the Pacific being towed by a Ford/Ferguson tractor (set up for aircraft with tow bumpers etc) demonstrating even the Americans were not totally tug oriented. On rough, newly constructed strips a tractor is far more capable than a Clarktor.

Lang

[motto]

A possible explanation for the presence of these tugs in Australia is the build up of British naval forces in the Pacific that was already under way when the big bungers were dropped and the war ended.
I recall reading some time ago that British aircraft carriers were staging through or operating out of Sydney and there was a scramble to establish the required support that would enable the Royal Navy to operate effectively alongside the U.S.N.
I suspect some of the equipment was disposed of locally in the scaling down.

Just thought I'd throw that in.

David

[Lang]

David,

You might be right.

There are photos (and some recently recovered aircraft) of brand new Royal Navy Corsairs being dumped just off Caloundra near Brisbane in 1945.

I suppose there could have been Clarktors associated with some of that activity.

Lang

[Lang]

Here is a USMC aircraft in the Pacific with a tractor.

[Lynn Eades]

It's a Ford.

[Mike Cecil]

Seems the possibilities for their ending up in Australia are almost endless - RAAF, RAN, RN, ex-RAF, private import - given the absence of any evidence other than (1) supplied to British under a Brit contract and (2) now in Australia. The 'bit in the middle' between (1) and (2) is indeed intriguing!

Unlike the Army (who used almost anyone's registration numbers!) the RAAF appear to have been pretty diligent in recording a registration against an acquired equipment item, even as late as at the time of it's disposal, in order to account for it's existence. I suppose that's easier given the small fleet totals at any one time. Odd things pop up, plenty seemingly out of sequence and with the acquisition field simply listed as 'not known', but with a known disposals date.

The ones that crack me up are the 'not sighted': ie we know we had it, but now we just don't seem to be able to find it....

Mike C