CMPs at Truscott Airbase, AUS

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Philliphastings

An interesting image. I have seen a number of pictures of the remaining vehicle wrecks at Truscott ('secret airbase') field in North West WA. Many of the CMP cabins have this modification and I have always assumed that they were still in their WW2 configuration. Truscott is an extremely isolated location. The vehicles were brought to the spot by the Army via landing craft I believe.

If anyone has the 'Bush Tucker Man' video series you can see the vehicle park briefly in one episode. There is also a very detailed book now released with the full Story of the Airbase named after Ace pilot 'Bluey' Truscott.

As an a side, a fair bit of scrap was salvaged from Truscott in years gone by and some of it is still piled up rusting away in a yard near Perth, with an assortments of aircraft, gun and vehicle parts, some of which were scratchbuilt in the airfield workshop at Truscott.

Phill,

I remember seeing the Bush Tucker Man episode a decade ago or so. I think I made some screen shots back then. But today I ran across some pictures of the vehicles at Truscott at the Canon Digital Photography Forums:

Look at that "perfect" F15 Cab 11 sheet metal!

Hanno

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Phill,

I remember seeing the Bush Tucker Man episode a decade ago or so. I think I made some screen shots back then. But today I ran across some pictures of the vehicles at Truscott at the Canon Digital Photography Forums:

Look at that "perfect" F15 Cab 11 sheet metal!

Hanno

F15? Cab 11?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

F15? Cab 11?

Well, Ford anyway . . .

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Well, Ford anyway . . .

I reckon they'd be F60L cab 12s

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

I reckon they'd be F60L cab 12s

But could you please go over there and check?

H.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

For more information about Truscott, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungalalu_Truscott_Airbase

Truscott Historical gallery: http://www.shorelands.com.au/sa_gallery.html

H.

[Ian Fawbert]

Hi all,

I thougth i would post this site up in addition to the info on Truscott already here.

http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/...e_injured.aspx

I had a look on google satellite at present (August 2011), but i cant seem to find where the vehicles are (i thought from Roberts pics they might have stood out abit?!) I can clearly see the taxiways etc off the edge of the runway- thats alot of spaces for planes, especially when you start to include the overgrown ones you can make out.

However, i assume the same road mentioned going to the beach where the barge landing is, is the same one you can follow to the south east and then north east of the runway. Alternatively, there is another road heading off on the north west end of the runway too!


It would be neat to find the location of the vehicles posted by Robert above on google satellite. Anyone have any ideas where they are so Tony can edit his estimated google maps pics!

Cheers
Ian.

[Local Chap]

Originally Posted by Ian Fawbert

I had a look on google satellite at present (August 2011), but i cant seem to find where the vehicles are

Cheers
Ian.

The photo has been updated, but you can still see them at:
14deg 05'05.41"S
126deg 25'36.47"E


Two West Australians, John and Carol Beasy, spent some time on the site and mapped out all the remaining relics. The maps were published in their book "Truscott - The Diary of Australia's Secret Wartime Kimberley Airbase 1943-1946

[Local Chap]

Originally Posted by Local Chap

Two West Australians, John and Carol Beasy, spent some time on the site and mapped out all the remaining relics. The maps were published in their book "Truscott - The Diary of Australia's Secret Wartime Kimberley Airbase 1943-1946

Originally Posted by bill m

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.

Well, yes, I've read it otherwise I wouldn't have known about the maps piblished in it!! In fact, my copy is autographed by the Authors from when they did a talk at our club one night.

Even the publisher says it's out of print, so you might have to resort to finding a 2nd hand copy.

[Local Chap]

Anyway, there's too much info being published about Truscott, now the Border raids are arriving by microlight plane!

[Stan Gajda]

Hello All,

I spent a week at Truscott with John Hardy in July 1980.

I arrived by Cessna with two other guys and we landed on the SW end where there was just enough room to put the plane down. John Bellfield and John Hardy were already there and we from the Cessna were taken by Bellfield to the camp on the beach on the eastern side of Anjo.

The place had not been touched for years. There were fuses and bomb tails and .50 caliber ammo in many places. There were still some guns in the B-24 wreck.

The vehicles as shown on this forum seem unchanged. There was wreckage of a Japanese Dinah airplane in the bush just south of the SW end of the runway.

The C-53 horizontal stabilizers were there as seen today.

I returned to Derby WA by taking a boat from the landing to Kalumburu and then ridin on the back of the supply semi 400-odd miles along the dirt road with Mick Gudjeri.

A relic of that trip can still be seen today at the WA Aviation Museum at Bullcreek in Perth in the form of a large wing section from the Dinah.

Stan Gajda
Kolonia, Pohnpe, Micronesia

[Philliphastings]

Hello Stan,

welcome to the MLU forum. It's great to see a WA 'legend' online here. I have read with great interest your contributions to the Pacific Ghost website.

I'm sure the membership would love to see pics of some of your previous expeditions and especially your exploits with Japanese Tanks !

Please feel free to post anecdotes , links or articles anytime...

And welcome !

Cheers

Phill