Morris antenna base

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Lang

Mike

Not to doubt captions on AWM photos but the bloke leaning against the Morris looks pretty British to me, at least his uniform is. This along with the British vehicle puts a few questons in my mind that it is actually what it says it is.

Were Australians issued with British uniforms at some stage or was it just "borrowed". The Battle Dress jacket is certainly more comfortable (and better looking) than the Australian uniform

Any comments?

Lang

He may be wearing overalls ? . I think the Aust. WW2 uniforms were a left over from WW1 . Mike

[Lang]

Mike

Sure looks like a British OR type battledress jacket (buttons showing) with battle dress trousers to me. it also describes him as Gunner but the patch on his sleeve looks suspiciously like Warrant Officer 2 to me.

Also if he was captured in Crete it is highly probable he was in 6 Division who were not in UK. Still might have been in some detached unit that found its way to the Greek debacle.

Is it possible he was attached to a British unit?

Lang

[Lang]

Here is the jacket.

PS: just researched 2/3 Field Regiment and it did indeed go to UK to "defend against invasion" in 1940. With the invasion threat over they were sent to the Middle East just in time for the Greek Campaign. They were the first Australian unit to get 25 pounders.

Looks like they arrived in UK with little equipment and the British equipped them with vehicles and old WW1 field guns. Probably where the British uniform came from. What is the badge on his sleeve?

Lang

[Ron Pier]

I would say that his uniform looks a bit flimsy for BD. More likely Denim? Ron

[Lang]

Ron

I still go for BD. The later hidden-button BD appear a bit thicker but those button-showing pattern jackets were pretty thin and the jacket looks the same material as the trousers which seem almost certainly British pattern BD.
Lang

[Richard Farrant]

The photo of the Morris could have been taken at Tidworth in Wiltshire, see this AWM photo as there is a similar Morris in the background, same unit too.
http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10262.011/

[Lang]

Richard

I would put money on it being the same photographer on the same day.

Lang