Australian Portees in Malaya

Shane Lovell · #1 17-02-04, 23:35

Dear colleagues

I’m new to this forum so I’ll take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Shane Lovell and normally I’m a scale modeller and armour researcher. I am fortunate to live in Canberra, Australia and am able to readily access the files held by the Australian War Memorial. What brought me to this forum is an interest to build a model of an Australian portee from the Middle East. As I have seen a lot of material on Australian topics on this forum I would like to share my own research notes. I profess no expertise in this area.

The following comes from the War Diary of 85 Light Aid Detachment, attached to 4 Aust Anti-Tank Regiment. This unit was the organic anti-tank regiment of 8 Aust Division.

For those looking at primary material I recommend that you also look at Workshop and LAD diaries. In many cases these contain much more material of a technical nature that the arms unit diary.

3 February 1942

Modifications for Portee mounting of 2 pdr guns on 30 Cwt Malyan type Ford trucks carried out as follows: The lorries were stripped of canopy frame and sides of tray. Welded steel plates were bolted towards the rear of the trays by U bolts under the cross members and supported the front legs of the the guns above the knee and secured by 2 U bolts. Front legs retained in semi-folded position. The rear legs of the guns were secured by MS clamps and the spigots were allowed to drop into holes cut in the floor abot 15" behind the cabin. Wells weresunk in the trays to accomodate ammunition boxes and cabin tops were removed to allow 360 degree traverse. After one truck had beenso modified a firing test was carried out on the SW coast. Firing at a target on an island from variouys angles on the truck proved the design satisfactory and instructions were received to fit eight trucks. Six vehicles were fitted when enemy landings on 8 Febuary prevented... [further conversions].

cheers

Shane

Nigel Watson · #2 18-02-04, 00:10

Hi Shane

Do you have any pictures of these? Or anyone else have any. Sounds very interesting a modification. Mmmmm I have a spare Ford or two!!

Nigel

Shane Lovell · #3 18-02-04, 05:05

Hi Nigel

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos. I had a look through the Australian War memorial photo database over lunch and couldn't find anything there. I think it highly unlikely any would have been taken as the conversions were done so close to the fall of Malaya and the units concerned then became POWs.

Shane

Tony Smith · #4 18-02-04, 05:18

Shane, there is a book available through the AWM bookshop called "Tid-Apa", History of the 4th Anti-Tank Regiment". It contains some pictures of the portees converted in Malaya. Although of a poor "Box Brownie" quality, they do show something of the arrangement. It says that were used in roaming tank hunting troops on Singapore, but never resulting in any contacts.

These Portees have many similar features to the Portees used by Aust forces in North Africa, and some parts seem factory quality, so it would lead me to believe that these conversions were not a local improvisation but perhaps a kit or modification authorised from Australia?

Shane Lovell · #5 18-02-04, 05:31

Tony

Thanks for your comments and pics.

With regards to some of your comments, Australia certainly did receive copies of the Middle East Portee plans. I found a reference to their despatch in an Australia - Middle East liaison file. It even included the drawing numbers, which I believe may still be in the collection of Victorian archives. I have asked for various pages of this file to be copied and once i receive these will post the drawing numbers. Maybe someone else may wish to search for them. I assume they will be glass plate negatives.

Regarding the conversion of the Portees, my memory was that the various items were manufactured by an engineering firm in Malaya. If interested, I can seek to confirm this.

cheers

Shane

Tony Smith · #6 18-02-04, 05:59

Compare with some of the pics on an earlier thread on 2pdr Portees:

http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/sh...&threadid=1174

If these vehicles are stored in a vehicle park in Ryde, then it would be safe to say that they could not have been converted in Malaya and seen service in the last days of Singapore. However, they do show many similarities with the Malayan trucks depicted in "Tid-Apa". The vegetation from the Malayan pic looks like Eucalypt trees, but as the pics are a gunners "sweetheart" photo to home and the gunner is in the 4th AT Regt, I'd say the malayan trucks are quite similar.

Shane Lovell · #7 18-02-04, 06:13

Tony

I agree with you. I presume that 4 Anti-Tank Regt received copies of the ME plans or Australian plans based on the ME plans, and then experimented with them to suit the vehicles they were issued with.

As regards the vehicles of 4 A/T regt, the War Diary of 84 LAD (attached 2/15 Fd Regt) recorded doing some work on V1037 and C11242. Don't ask me what these are as i have no clue. Come to think of it , I'm not even really sure why I recorded them.

Shane